Autonomous Vehicles and the Smart Cities Grant: What They Mean for the Future of Columbus
When Columbus beat out 77 other cities to win a $50 million grant in the Smart Cities Challenge, it spawned a community conversation about the future of mobility. Suddenly, terms such as “smart mobility,” “connected electric automated vehicles” and “truck platooning” became a part of the community lexicon. Recent studies predict that 71 million autonomous cars will be sold by 2035, with 75% of vehicles being autonomous by 2040. Are automated vehicles our future? And what does it mean to “reinvent mobility”?
Along with Smart Columbus and the Columbus Partnership, we have assembled a distinguished group of speakers to address the regulatory and infrastructure challenges we face as we embrace the opportunities presented by the Smart Cities Grant and technology advancements in mobility. Our panel of speakers will be led by former US Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater, who will make introductory remarks on the future of transportation and mobility. We have assembled two panels – focused on the regulatory and infrastructure challenges and opportunities of autonomous vehicles – featuring speakers from the Ohio Department of Transportation, OSU Center for Automotive Research and American Electric Power.
Please join us for this engaging and inspiring discussion on the future of our community and our way of life.
Panelists include:
- Rodney E. Slater, former US Secretary of Transportation, and Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
- Mark Patton, Vice President, Smart Columbus
- Jordan Davis, Director, Smart Columbus
- James Barna, Chief Engineer and Assistant Director, Transportation Policy, State of Ohio
- Giorgio Rizzoni, OSU Director for Center for
Automotive Research