COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — US 33 is used to travel between Marysville and Dublin. However, it is also now called the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor.
The Beta District is a group of leaders from Dublin to Union County that created a living laboratory for testing autonomous vehicles.
Executive Director Doug McCollough explains the importance of seeing this innovation in Ohio.
We’re also sitting in the middle of an incredible automotive supply chain. We have new drone manufacturers here; we have chip manufacturers. And so, we have to stay ahead in innovation in manufacturing and in automotive technologies, and that’s what we’re doing here.
One of those innovations is a pair of semis with EASE Logistics that uses platooning technology.
The platooning technology is where two trucks are electronically linked together, with a driver in the lead truck manually operating it and the second, autonomous truck following.
They are using the technology along I-70 between Columbus and Indianapolis.
Peter Coratola, CEO of EASE Logistics, explains that “this truck has a tremendous amount of sensors that are constantly scanning the environment around it.”
It also has a light on the side of the truck that alerts state highway and local officials that it is actively testing the automation.
From inside to outside, the goal of being autonomous is to keep drivers safe.
“We see this technology as a huge push for safety for CDL and commercial vehicles on the road, not just for the drivers, but for the vehicles around us. Our goal is to continue to push safety and continue to push this technology and get more adoption inside the community to let them know that, you know, these semis,” Coratola said.
Ohio has been leading the U.S. In testing for autonomous semi-trucks. This type of testing has been going on for years to deploy varying levels of automation in truck fleets.
