UB Autonomous Vehicles: Show and Ride

Today, we held a successful AV show and ride event at the Canal Side in Buffalo. More than 75 people rode in our autonomous vehicle Lincoln MKZ, along the Hanover Street, the Prime Street and the Perry Street. This is?the AV's maiden voyage outside the UB's North Campus.?

We also had more than 100 people who visited our self-driving shuttle called Olli?on display. Although Olli has run autonomously on the UB North campus before, since it?does not have a steering wheel, the current NYS laws do not allow it to be driven on public roads. We hope that NYS will pass new laws that will permit Olli on public roads as well.

In Nov 1896, which is 125 years ago, Nikola Tesla made the City of Buffalo the world's first electrified city. To celebrate this historic event,?we will do another AV show and ride next Saturday as a part of the Electrifying Buffalo on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), also as a part of our outreach activities associated with several NSF and US DOT and NYSDOT/NYSERDA funded projects including the recent Complete Trip - ITS4US project.

Thanks go to many of?UB faculty colleagues and students, as well as friends and volunteers from the local community.