Fiat Chrysler pumps more money into autonomous testing

More than $30 million is being invested by Fiat Chrysler to further development and testing of autonomous vehicle and advanced safety technologies at its Chelsea Proving Grounds in southeast Michigan.

The facility has a dedicated autonomous highway-speed track, 35-acre safety-feature evaluation area and a high-tech command center to allow for testing of various levels of autonomy. The company will use test protocols from third parties, such the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) on its vehicles.

FCA will use the track to develop self-driving vehicle systems by challenging it under a range of different environments, including obstacles, tunnels, various lighting conditions and entrance and exit ramps typically found on highways. The command centre will house computer equipment for GPS capability and communication for test vehicles.

“The all-new facility at Chelsea Proving Grounds will help support and enable the successful rollout of the company’s five-year plan laid out earlier this year,” said Mike Manley, chief executive officer of FCA and chief operating officer of its NAFTA region.

Chelsea Proving Grounds has been open since 1954, covers 4,000 acres and has 100 miles of road for testing.