Prototype Prime, a hardware and software startup incubator in Peachtree Corners, has recently been named the new home for the Advanced Vehicle Technology Accelerator, an initiative to discover and test new technologies for motor vehicles, including autonomous cars.
Prototype Prime's co-founder and executive director, Sanjay Parekh, said the accelerator formed as a way to bond large car companies with startups working to solve similar issues in the auto industry.
"So the accelerator is something we’re starting off and it’s because of the work the city is doing," he said. "They’re putting in a $2 million, 1.4 mile autonomous and advanced vehicle track in Tech Park, and what we’re doing with it is we’re taking advantage of that test track and building an accelerator where we partner with large companies and startups to see the challenges in that space."
The test track will run from Spalding Drive to Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Corners, adjacent to Prototype Prime, according to Parekh. The test vehicles will have to obey the road's 25 MPH speed limit. The track is expected to be fully operational in January of 2019.
"We have at least one startup that’s already in the vehicle space that’s in Prototype Prime, but we’ve had others that have reached out and a lot of demand from the corporate side as well, big companies," he said. "A lot of researchers from academia are working in different spaces and are looking to be involved our work. They’ve got technology that could possibly be commercialized and be useful for whoever’s developing vehicle technology."
The chance for technology to be tested in real world situations and environments---rather than in segregated spaces---on the track is a great opportunity for the industry, Parekh said.
"We’ve seen some challenges before where vehicles in theory should work properly but when they actually hit the streets, things go awry, accidents happen, things like that. So I think it’s going to help in terms of product and technology development, kind of the R&D side of it before these things go into wide distribution."
Parekh also said the test track would give Peachtree Corners residents the opportunity to see how new technology could change their city and how to plan for the future.
When asked about public wariness regarding autonomous vehicles following the Uber crash in Arizona where a pedestrian was struck and killed by an autonomous vehicle while jaywalking, Parekh said it was an unfortunate accident, but the purpose of autonomous vehicles is to prevent the 80-90 auto-related fatalities that happen in this country every day. The number of auto-related deaths caused by people are significantly higher than those caused by autonomous vehicles, he said, and self-driving cars aren't the only technology the accelerator hopes to work on.
"I think developments like this will lead to better and safer, thriving technologies," he said.
Situated in Technology Park, the home of the first major tech companies in Atlanta, Prototype Prime opened its doors in October 2016, Parekh said. The incubator is a nonprofit funded by the city of Peachtree Corners. Check out a gallery of the space below.
"We're part of that group bringing it back," he said.
