LANSING — Developers of a planned test bed for driverless cars at Willow Run in Washtenaw County won up to $17 million in state funding to build and operate the project, the state said Tuesday.
The Michigan Strategic Fund, an arm of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., approved the funding for Willow Run Arsenal of Democracy Landholdings LLP, which is handling the purchase of 311 acres at Willow Run in Ypsilanti Township to create the American Center for Mobility.
The state also approved an extra $800,000 to cover short-term operations, beyond an initial $3 million award in March.
The estimated $80 million American Center for Mobility project, when completed, will feature a simulated highway loop and urban street grid to test connected and automated vehicles. The project still needs about $60 million in federal funding; the MEDC said in a March memo that the state’s $20 million total contribution could be used to leverage additional dollars.
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