Center for Entrepreneurship Perot Jain TechLab Program Unveils Mach-E Testbed Vehicle
The Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan is enriching the Perot Jain TechLab set of programs with the addition of a Ford Mustang Mach-E, an advanced electric vehicle that empowers students to explore, research, and innovate in the rapidly evolving spheres of connected vehicle technology and electric vehicles. In partnership with Mcity, the Mach-E will be outfitted with advanced hardware and software, including data loggers and sensors, such that the testbed will allow students to innovate with a nearly fully autonomous system.
This unique resource, generously supported by sponsors including Perot Jain, Ford, Ann Arbor SPARK, Mcity, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), will provide students with an opportunity to experience entrepreneurship as they demonstrate and deploy a series of novel technological offerings from partnering startups related to the electrification of transportation and connected and autonomous vehicles. In these next two semesters, student teams are planning to leverage the vehicle to collect data related to EV performance and compare it to simulated performance data to optimize fleet services, install and demonstrate state-of-the-art power inverters for electric motors dramatically reducing weight and heat, and plan and test autonomous routes at Mcity to determine a safety factor based on challenging edge cases.
The CFE is exceptionally proud of offering this new resource to students to further their experiential education, and for the potential utility it offers to the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem at U-M.
