Mobility @ MSU
MSU Mobility Research Goals
MSU Mobility seeks to become a premier ecosystem for research and development of technologies and processes that drive the future of human-centric multi-modal mobility of the 21st century. MSU Mobility research is focused on developing integrated systems of communication and control for automated vehicles and their environment.
Understanding human engagement with — and the societal impacts of — autonomous technology is an integral part of our mission. We take a multimobility approach to transportation that encompasses connected, automated vehicles; bicycles; scooters; pedestrians and smart infrastructure, operating within a diverse campus validation environment.
Spanning a variety of disciplines as well as on-campus collaborative groups such as MSU Mobility and CANVAS, MSU’s mobility research is driven by more than 60 faculty researchers within the colleges of Engineering, Law, Communication Arts and Sciences, Social Science and the Eli Broad College of Business.
MSU Solar Racing Team shines light on innovation in mobility
It is no secret the automotive industry is at a transformational crossroad. Many companies are working toward transitioning from the internal combustion engine to electrification and sustainable mobility. Helping to lead that transformation are the 75 students in the driver’s seat of the MSU Solar Racing Team, a student-run organization that designs, builds and races solar-powered electric vehicles.
MSU to grow its electric fleet by nearly 370
Michigan State University is furthering its investment in a greener future, announcing a commitment to converting 369 internal combustion engine vehicles in its fleet to fully electric vehicles over the next decade.
Podcast: Investing in a greener future with electric vehicles
Converting 369 internal combustion engine vehicles in the MSU fleet to fully electric vehicles over the next decade adds to the growing list of sustainability efforts designed to make campus greener.
MSU also is investing in two DC fast chargers for public use through the PowerMIFleet program; the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s ChargeUp Michigan program; and Capital Area Transportation Authority. The chargers will be available for public use at the Capital Area Multimodal Gateway on Harrison Road this fall.
MSU’s Chengcheng Fang named a global leading innovator under 35
Michigan State University’s Chengcheng Fang has been named a 2022 Innovator Under 35 by the science and technology magazine MIT Technology Review.
The magazine selected Fang for its list of “outstanding innovators who are younger than 35” because of her research’s potential to make batteries for electric vehicles run safer and last longer. In theory, her technology could double the range that electric vehicles can currently cover on a single charge.
Ask the Expert: How to make our roads safer
Michigan State University’s Peter Savolainen is always thinking about how to make driving safer, in part, because the people behind the wheel might not be.
“So much of driving is subconscious,” he said. “If you were driving for 10 miles and then I asked you what you saw three miles ago, there’s a good chance you would have no idea.”
Building greener vehicles with help from plants
Spartan engineers and Ford Motor Co. are creating new polymers and composites for the automotive industry using sustainable materials from nature.
As a building material, bamboo is pretty amazing. Even though it’s technically a grass, bamboo’s reeds can be tougher than timber. It also grows fast, helping make it more sustainable than lumber.
Zhaojian Li: Connecting vehicles for safer and more efficient mobility
This Spartan engineer is working to improve safety by using the power of the cloud and the data cars are already collecting.
For an engineer who spends so much time with his head in the cloud, Michigan State University’s Zhaojian Li is remarkably grounded.
Spartans in the driver's seat: The future of autonomous vehicles
At Michigan State University, researchers are accelerating the future of driving by making autonomous vehicles safer under any road or weather conditions.
Integrating different technologies and using multimodal sensor fusion, they are leading innovation that allows autonomous vehicles to perceive the environment in challenging conditions like snow, heavy rain and fog and react appropriately.
Let’s Build Safer Streets Together with Data
Building a transportation system where people can move safely is a top priority for nearly every city leader — whether someone is commuting to work or taking an e-scooter to meet a friend. According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), each year more than 35,000 fatalities occur as a result of motor vehicle crashes in the United States. In fact, NHTSA found that while there were fewer cars on the road in the first half of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were more deaths per mile traveled.
Michigan State University establishes Advisory Council to further accelerate MSU Mobility’s vision
Michigan State University announced today it has assembled the MSU Mobility Advisory Council to help guide the university’s vision for the future of mobility. With experts from eight respected mobility-oriented organizations taking part in the council, MSU is well positioned to gain valuable insight and perspectives of future industry and societal needs and the types of research and projects that MSU could support. Additional members may be invited to join the council in the future.
New partnership brings e-scooters back to campus
Michigan State University has a new exclusive partnership to provide e-scooters on campus with Spin, a San Francisco-based micromobility unit of Ford Motor Co., that will bring hundreds of e-scooters to campus this fall. The partnership is a continuation of the university’s effort to use the campus as a testbed to drive the future of human-centric mobility solutions.
