One of the USA’s leading suppliers of all forms of ITS (intelligent transportation systems) equipment, Econolite, has formed a partnership with the Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC Inc.), which is North America’s largest independent multi-user automotive proving ground.
Located on approximately 4,500 acres of land in East Liberty, Ohio, 40 miles (64km) northwest of Columbus, TRC Inc. operates 24/7 with a variety of facilities including road courses, wooded trails, a 7.5 mile-long (12km) high-speed Oval Test Track, and a 50-acre Vehicle Dynamics Area.
On the site TRC Inc. operates the Smart Mobility Advanced Research Test Center (SMARTCenter), a state-of-the-art connected and automated vehicle (CAV) testing facility designed to test advanced automotive and mobility technologies. As part of the partnership, Econolite will design and install the facility’s new traffic management and vehicle-to-vehicle/infrastructure (V2X) systems.
Econolite will design and install the SMARTCenter’s new Traffic Control System that will operate the signalized intersections, vehicle detection sensors, facility monitoring, and wireless connectivity network. Working with its Ohio distributor, Path Master Inc., Econolite will also install the V2X systems, including the dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) network that will provide a fully functioning connected vehicle environment.
“Once complete and supported by our service offerings, the SMARTCenter will be one of the largest and most comprehensive contained testing facilities for automated and connected vehicles,” said TRC Inc. president and CEO Brett Roubinek.
“To test connected vehicle systems in a safe, secure, and repeatable real-world environment absolutely demands leading-edge infrastructure and traffic control systems. Partnering with Econolite to provide the very traffic management systems that will manage connected vehicles when they’re deployed on public roads and highways, further enhances our ability to provide state-of-the-art service to our customers.”
Econolite’s VP of systems integration, Jon Ringler, commented, “We are proud to partner with the SMARTCenter to assist in achieving its objective to provide a comprehensive facility for the development and testing of highly automated and connected vehicle technologies. We and the SMARTCenter share a similar mission in developing the critical technologies that offer more accessibility and mobility options while providing a safer and sustainable future.”
As part of its future mobility ambitions, Econolite recently appointed well-known industry figure Barry Einsig as a principal of CAVita, a wholly-owned subsidiary focused on connected and automated vehicles.
Einsig joins CAVita following six years with Cisco Systems Inc. where he was an executive, responsible for global automotive and transportation solution development. He helped launch Cisco’s leading innovative solutions in several new markets, including CAVs, rail and mass transit.
Prior to Cisco, Einsig was the director of transportation/strategic development for Harris Corp. (Washington DC), where he was one of the founding members of the Broadband team to lead the company into the LTE market.
“We’re thrilled to have Barry join our CAVita team,” said Abbas Mohaddes, Econolite’s president and COO and principal of CAVita. “He is an authority on automated vehicle and transportation program development. Working closely with various levels of governments, auto makers and broad enabling technologies, Barry brings exceptional expertise that will be invaluable to CAVita’s clients.”
