Ford Motor Company has pledged $5 million to the American Center for Mobility (ACM) – a new connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) testing facility under construction in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, on the site of Ford’s old Willow Run Bomber Plant where aircraft like the B-24 Liberator were built during WWII. With this pledge, Ford officially becomes a “Founder-level” sponsor of the Center.
Ford’s $5 million pledge also makes it the second automotive sponsor, and brings the ACM’s fundraising total up to $95 million. The non-profit Center will span 500 acres when finished, incorporating facilities for product development, education, testing and validation, with the first phase slated to open in December of this year.
“We are proud to partner with ACM to help ensure Michigan continues as a hub for automotive innovation,” says Ford CTO and VP of Research and Advanced Engineering Ken Washington. “The work done at Willow Run will help drive mobility solutions across the globe. This is an investment in the safe, rapid testing and deployment of transformative technology that will help improve peoples’ lives.”
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