[Undertoad]

NYTimes: Among the States, Self-Driving Cars Have Ignited a Gold Rush

Includes Mtown... and kinda says this is a cash run.

Michigan, sensing a potential threat to its traditional leadership position in the auto industry, is taking no chances.

In July, officials unveiled a 32-acre testing ground in Ann Arbor specifically for researching self-driving cars — a mock suburb with asphalt and gravel roads lined by brick and glass building facades, where self-driving cars could be tested away from pedestrians. The state spent $6 million to build the site, with an additional $4 million coming from private companies.

“You can do the same type of test over and over again in identical circumstances,” said Jim Sayer, a researcher at the University of Michigan. “That is almost impossible on public roads.”

The project has already spurred investment. Fifteen companies, including Ford, General Motors, Honda and Toyota, have committed to spending $1 million each to conduct research there.