Michigan Technological University has signed an agreement to become the new engineering services provider for the American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Through renowned facilities like the Advanced Power Systems Laboratories, the Keweenaw Research Center and the Michigan Tech Research Institute, Michigan Tech has built a record of excellence in sustainable vehicle technologies and advanced mobility solutions. Leveraging the University's cutting-edge research and development, testing programs and industry expertise, MTU will offer comprehensive engineering services to ACM's customers.
Michigan Tech and ACM have worked together for years to advance safe, sustainable and secure technologies utilizing the technical expertise of the combined teams and the extensive capabilities available at ACM’s 500-acre proving grounds facility in Ypsilanti. Together, Michigan Tech and ACM have collaborated to secure $20 million in joint federal funding to date.
"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Michigan Technological University to the American Center for Mobility. Their exceptional support and engineering expertise will undoubtedly enhance our capabilities and industry knowledge. This partnership affirms ACM as the leader of mobility innovation and leader in the ecosystem."
Through the multiyear agreement, Michigan Tech will provide an extensive range of engineering services to ACM customers utilizing the University’s expertise and depth of industry knowledge. Michigan Tech’s impact in the mobility sector, which is well known within technical circles, will now be available to an even wider client base through the ACM partnership. ACM’s customers include some of the largest mobility companies, manufacturers and suppliers in the world.
“The American Center for Mobility and Michigan Tech are recognized leaders in advanced mobility research and technology,” said Rick Koubek, president of Michigan Tech. “Joining forces will not only accelerate our efforts, but also provide opportunities previously unrealized for pushing the boundaries of advanced mobility.”
Michigan Tech’s Advanced Power Systems Laboratories, or APS LABS, a multidisciplinary collaborative that develops clean, efficient, sustainable mobility and power systems technologies, will lead the University’s partnership with ACM. From propulsion systems research and development to complete vehicle builds, APS LABS blends University resources and expertise with industry familiarity in the mobility, propulsion and energy sectors. APS LABS’ energy expertise includes standing up a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) solar energy Regional Test Center in 2020, as well as developing Level 4 connected and autonomous vehicles, or L4 CAVs, for research and testing. Recent mobility efforts have focused on several projects sponsored by the DOE, working jointly with ACM. These projects include the Energy Efficient Mobility Systems Model Validation project of the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy and the NEXTCAR project of the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program. The NEXTCAR project's goal is to reduce energy consumption by 30% utilizing forward-looking optimization and automated vehicle technologies. ACM, General Motors and Stellantis are partners on this project.
“Over the past seven years, ACM and Michigan Tech have collaborated with great success, securing research projects through partnerships with federal agencies,” said APS LABS Director Jeffrey D. Naber. “This collaboration unites our synergistic teams, dedicated to advancing the development of the next generation of mobility technologies.”
Michigan Tech’s presence at ACM’s historic Willow Run site in Ypsilanti will complement and extend the University’s influence in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, which includes the Translational Health and Engineering Research Center in Grand Rapids and the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) in Ann Arbor. MTRI researchers conduct cutting-edge automotive and transportation research involving infrastructure assessment, safety, mobility and sensing, often in collaboration with APS LABS and the Keweenaw Research Center.
About American Center for Mobility
ACM offers a one-of-a-kind global development center to transform the way industries advance safe, sustainable, and secure mobility technologies. Located in Southeast Michigan on over 500-acres at the historic Willow Run site in Ypsilanti. ACM offers: an Advanced Mobility Proving Ground with test environments featuring specialized infrastructure, equipment, facilities and resources; An innovation and technology campus with an industrial tech park for the co-location of mobility companies; Event and demonstration areas for showcasing mobility technologies and convening industry activities. ACM is open to private industry, start-ups, government, standards bodies, and academia. For more information about ACM, visit acmwillowrun.org.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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