Automated vehicles

In 2024, Minnesota continued to be a national leader with its connected and automated vehicles (CAV) academic research, industry work, and partnerships with state and local governments. Minnesota’s on-going AV pilot project in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, goMARTI, continues to gain national and international recognition for both its emphasis on AV technology advancements and increasing accessibility for folks with limited transportation options. After a pause in 2023, the Governor’s Council on CAV restarted in 2024 with new members, and was a year rich in accomplishments, making progress on established recommendations. This iteration of the Council strives to be more action-focused and establish clear CAV-based recommendations for Minnesota by looking at what our state needs, where there is opportunity, and where there is risk. The members represent a variety of backgrounds, bringing valuable perspectives which enhance the discussion and provide recommendations that support all Minnesotans.

Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology has the potential to significantly increase work zone safety. Each day, MnDOT maintenance employees and contractors are at risk of being involved in crashes when performing road work. To mitigate this risk, MnDOT uses truck mounted attenuators – or crash cushions – to help protect roadside workers)

We envisioned a project—a future—where the community is at the forefront of planning and implementation of new technology. Technologies are often developed by select companies and universities, and then tested in communities. Instead of leading with a solution, Community Driven CAV started by understanding community needs and assets, and then creatively explored ways that connected and automated technologies could address them. We wanted the community to drive what technology and use cases we plan for, develop and test. We sought to upturn the usual way of doing business to create a stronger and more equitable transportation future. First the project team conducted three community listening sessions to understand the community’s transportation challenges. Next a workshop with community members and technical experts was held to discuss how CAV technology could potentially help address the identified transportation challenges. This work resulted in potential demonstration concepts for the Creative Enterprise Zone and a Community-Driven Planning Framework, which can be used by others looking to do community led planning.

The Bear Tracks Automated Shuttle Pilot was a research project that included the 12-month operation (August 2022-July 2023) of a Level 3 Automated Vehicle (AV) Shuttle along a 1.5-mile-long route in the city of White Bear Lake. The shuttle itself was a self-driving, electric, multi-passenger vehicle that drove at a speed between 10-12 miles per hour. The shuttle could hold up to 11 seat-belted passengers and one wheelchair passenger at a time. The shuttle's route along a residential street connected a day program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, affordable housing, and the community YMCA. The demonstration was concluded before the projected end date due to the restructuring of the vehicle manufacturer and resultant lack of technical support.

To perform the assessment of pedestrian safety and driver behavior near automated vehicles (AVs), the research team: • Observed the surrounding environment as passengers on the Med City Mover shuttles (low speed, level 4, automated vehicles) and as passengers in a human-driven vehicle following the same route. • Completed two loops or circuits around the demonstration route for each observation period. • Completed a total of 22 loops of observations within the Med City Mover vehicle and a total of 14 loops of observations in the human-driven vehicle. • Recorded data about observed driver behavior as well as locations that said driver behavior occurred.

Automated vehicles (AVs) rely heavily on roadway infrastructure to function. This project used technology-equipped research vehicles to drive over 1,000 miles of Minnesota roadways to gain a better understanding of potential infrastructure issues that would inhibit the operations of AVs. The outcomes of this project were intended to be used by transportation professionals to make improvements to allow for the operation of automated driving and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Data was gathered with vehicle technology and sensors to collect radar, LiDAR, and video data which was post-processed to identify problematic areas and place issues into the following buckets: • Freeway ramps and turn lanes. • Poor lane line condition and visibility. • Construction and maintenance activities. • Poor contrast. • Tight curvature. • Environmental issues. • Dynamic lanes. Along the drive, the team hosted live events in every MnDOT district to provide information about Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs), the state of the industry and vehicle technology, as well as observations made along the drive.

The Rochester Automated Shuttle Pilot was a research project that included the 12-month demonstration (August 2021 - August 2022) of two highly automated and electric vehicles to over 3,000 passengers along a fixed route downtown in the City of Rochester. The circular, fixed route connected the Mayo Clinic downtown campus with residential neighborhoods, shops, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, and parking lots to serve the residents and visitors of Rochester. Each shuttle had a 6-person capacity with operating speeds of 12-15 mph.

The MnDOT Autonomous Bus Pilot project consisted of deploying a Level 4 shuttle provided by EasyMile on the MnROAD facility. The bus was used for several rounds of public demonstrations as well as testing at the MnROAD facility during winter conditions. The bus could hold up to 12 people and had a range of typical driving speeds from 2 to 11 miles per hour. Demonstrations were conducted in various winter conditions with several variables.

This Research Summary is part of the final deliverable for Report 2024-02, "Assessment of Pedestrian Safety and Driver Behavior Near an Automated Vehicle."

As more automated vehicles enter shared roadways, an essential aspect of automated vehicle (AV) safety is understanding the interactions between these vehicles and other road users. Anecdotal incidents about aggressive following and overtaking behaviors at crosswalks near the Med City Mover (MCM), a low-speed automated shuttle (LSAV) pilot demonstration in Rochester, MN, suggested the need for a scientific study of the behaviors of drivers of manual vehicles near the LSAV. In this report, the research team conducted a series of laboratory and field studies aimed at better understanding the safety relationship between LSAVs and the humans with whom they share the road. Overall, the studies found an increased risk of overtaking and multiple threat passing near the MCM, which may increase the risk of pedestrian-involved crashes, sideswipe crashes, and rear-end crashes. Study findings suggested that poor human-machine interfaces, exceptionally slow vehicle speeds, and resultant large queues behind the MCM contribute to these risks. Improved communication interfaces, speeds more consistent with the surrounding traffic, and smaller queue size will be important factors that AV developers and future pilot demonstrations must consider to better promote pedestrian safety near AVs.