State, county and municipal government fleets in Ohio, as well as private citizens who volunteer to participate, are expected to add hundreds more connected vehicles — specially equipped to test new advanced driver-assistance systems — along a 35-mile stretch of “smart” highway in central Ohio called the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor.
Efforts are underway to quadruple the number of test vehicles interacting with each other and with the infrastructure along U.S. Route 33, said Sue Bai, chief engineer at the Honda Research Institute and project lead for the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor.
“We’re very excited to see more cars coming on board,” she said in a phone interview. “With government fleets coming online, we expect at least 600 more connected vehicles.”
Honda has more than 200 specially equipped, connected Honda and Acura vehicles deployed in the area, she said.
American Honda Motor Co. is a major partner and the most active automaker participating in the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor. Other participants include The Ohio State University, as well as other private- and public-sector entities.
Much of the corridor was originally funded with a federal grant, said Luke Stedke, a spokesman for DriveOhio. Launched in 2018, DriveOhio is the state’s clearinghouse for smart mobility projects, with support from the state Department of Transportation.
