Universities are hotbeds of cutting-edge research, and are thusly equipped to do some incredible things. GM hopes that, with its help, it can make those things happen on a short timeframe.

GM and SAE International announced the eight finalists that will compete in the AutoDrive Challenge at the SAE World Congress Experience in Detroit. The finalists are, in no particular order: Kettering University, Virginia Tech, Michigan State University, University of Waterloo, Michigan Tech, University of Toronto, North Carolina A&T University and Texas A&M University.

The Bolt EVs being handed out are no different than the standard ones... until they start driving themselves, that is.

The challenge is straightforward, but still quite complex. The competitors have three years to outfit a Chevrolet Bolt EV with the hardware and software required to navigate an urban driving course completely autonomously. The cars will conform to SAE Level 4 autonomy, which means the car is capable of driving itself and monitoring the environment without any human intervention in certain modes.
General Motors will give each competitor a Chevrolet Bolt EV, and partners and suppliers will help the students along, since building something like this is absolutely a team effort. Teams will have the chance to attend workshops during the challenge to refine ideas and improve understanding of the underlying concepts.

The competition is broken down by year. Year 1 will focus on creating a paper concept sketch and becoming familiar with software for sensors and computing, followed by basic tasks like avoiding objects. Year 2 gets more challenging, including tests on multiple lane changes and dynamic object detection. Year 3 is when everything comes together, with final design validation and testing on the aforementioned urban course.

Chevrolet remains hard at work devising its own solutions for autonomy. It, too, is using the Bolt EV as a platform. The Orion facility that produces the standard Bolt will also manufacture versions loaded with autonomous hardware, and the vehicles will be tested on local Michigan roads, thanks to a new law that permits such activity.

GM to begin testing autonomous vehicles in Michigan immediately

Its local Orion facility will also build Bolt EVs loaded with autonomous hardware.

frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

General Motors will start testing autonomous vehicles on Michigan's roads, after the State of Michigan signed into law a series of bills that permit the testing of driverless vehicles within the state.
The company also said the next generation of autonomous testing vehicles will be built at the Orion Township assembly plant, where the Bolt EV is made, beginning early next year.
Jumping at the opportunity to put self-driving cars on the road, GM will expand the testing at its Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan to public roads around those facilities. Within a matter of months, that testing will make its way southward to the metro Detroit area, which will become the main spot for GM's autonomous winter testing.

The autonomous vehicles built at Orion will be based on the Bolt EV. They'll come equipped with LiDAR, cameras, sensors and other hardware required for full autonomy. Since they're based on the Bolt EV, they will likely come equipped with pedals and a steering wheel for driver intervention.

The Bolt EV autonomous research vehicles will be sent to San Francisco and Scottsdale, Arizona, as well. General Motors has been testing self-driving cars in those two markets since June, and it currently operates about 40 vehicles split between the two cities.

You can now develop, test and buy a self-driving car in Michigan

Governor Snyder's signature permits testing and sale of full self-driving cars, making it one of the most autonomy-friendly states in the Union.

With the stroke of his pen, Michigan governor Rick Snyder bestowed upon Michigan a full suite of regulations regarding the testing, use and eventual sale of self-driving cars.

Michigan became the first state in the US to enact laws of this magnitude, and it's been a long time coming. It will allow vehicles that lack steering wheels or any type of human control. It will also permit automakers and tech companies to operate driverless ride-sharing services. The law even permits the sale of autonomous cars, provided they've passed tests and certifications.
That's not all! It also establishes the Michigan Council on Future Mobility. This wing of the Michigan Department of Transportation will work to develop future policies and industry standards, and it will be in charge of regulating connected vehicle networks and data sharing.
Michigan's legislature didn't do this alone. In order to ensure the bill actually did something, it relied on some industry help. Companies including General motors, ford, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Google, Toyota, Uber and Lyft all contributed to the law's crafting. With many of these companies at the forefront of autonomous-car development, that's the kind of help you'd want in this situation.

Right now, there is a light national framework in place, but the issues of licensure and regulation are still left largely to individual states. Only a few states currently permit autonomous-vehicle testing, and Michigan's new law makes it one of the friendliest states in that regard. As a new-ish Michigander, I'm looking forward to seeing Google's gumdrop car out here for some proper winter testing.