In August of 2020, Cavnue was launched by Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP) and simultaneously announced as the Master Developer by the State of Michigan for a first-of-its-kind connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) corridor in Michigan.
Its founding vision was to future-proof roadways to better serve advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) enabled vehicles today and to facilitate the safe deployment of future fully automated driving systems. There’s much to do, and Cavnue is hard at work building an inclusive mobility future.
In just 18 months, Cavnue has built partnerships with industry leaders—including an advisory committee of automotive and autonomous mobility companies such as Argo AI, Arrival, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, May Mobility, Motional, Stellantis, Toyota, TuSimple—and other private-sector and public-sector partners. We’ve recruited top talent in the AV space to advance our technologies, putting together a world-class team of more than 50 employees across offices in Detroit, MI, Washington, D.C., and Mountain View, CA. We also are developing a digital twin of existing roadways that will allow Cavnue to test and demonstrate what real-world deployment of our technologies will look like, virtually.
Today, we celebrate two major milestones in Cavnue’s brief history: the closing of our Series A funding round, and a renewed commitment by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to move on to the next stage of the project linking Detroit and Ann Arbor by a CAV lane.
Cavnue Raises $130 Million in Series A
Cavnue closed on its Series A capital investment round of $130 million, led by SIP and Ford Motor Company, with additional investment from Openvia, the technology and innovation platform of the Glovalvia Group, and Landstar System—bringing together a leading global automaker, road operator, and freight logistics provider to invest in the future of roadways.
This strategic capital will drive further innovation and development of the company’s proprietary technology stack and platform, allow the firm to hire additional talent, and ensure that it can execute an ambitious, deep project pipeline which envisions a nationwide deployment of CAV lanes and corridors to facilitate faster and safer autonomous transportation at all levels.
“With billions of dollars already invested in intelligent, connected, and autonomous in-vehicle technology, Cavnue will take these technological advancements one step further by adding the roadway into the connected driving experience,” said Tyler Duvall, Co-founder and CEO of Cavnue. “By partnering with leading companies across the industry, Cavnue is working to build connected and autonomous vehicle corridors that enable transportation solutions with the potential to save lives by reducing crashes, boosting productivity by cutting time wasted in traffic, and increasing access to personal and shared mobility.”
With this funding, SIP—which launched Cavnue in 2020—realizes its vision of technology-enabled infrastructure, one in which even long-standing infrastructure like roads can be improved through technology.
“This strategic capital, from a diverse range of strategic partners, will allow Cavnue to scale its technology platform alongside strong government and industry partners. Cavnue’s transformative technology solution is agnostic among carmakers and locations and it will be the foundation for a nationwide network of connected autonomous vehicles,” said Jonathan Winer, co-founder and co-CEO of SIP. “We’re excited to continue to support the Cavnue team as they build roads that are safer, are less congested, and improve public transit operations.”
Cavnue will benefit from Openvia´s multinational expertise in digital road operation and from Globalvia´s experience in developing public-private partnerships that are now evolving towards CAV-enabling infrastructure.
“At Openvia, we create solutions to improve mobility on roads, always keeping the user first. We believe that through the development of digital answers, self-driving experience can move a step forward,” said Fernando Vallejo, Openvia’s CEO. “The infrastructure is essential to act in complement and synergy with the global technology needed for the autonomous vehicles, and Cavnue offers exactly the ecosystem to provide the revolution mobility needs.”
Together with Landstar, Cavnue will evaluate where and how smart infrastructure can deliver increased efficiency for freight, an enhanced driver experience for truck operators, and an improved safety environment for all users of these public roadways. We believe collaboration with automakers as well as road and freight operators on smart roadways and connected infrastructure is crucial to Cavnue’s overall strategic vision: to build supportive infrastructure that will ensure safer roads, fewer casualties, reduced traffic congestion, and increased traffic efficiency.
“At Ford, we are helping build a future of transportation that is safe, connected, sustainable and obtainable for all. That vision goes well beyond vehicles – and includes building an always-on relationship with our customers and delivering an ever-improving user experience,” said Franck Louis-Victor, vice president, New Businesses, Ford Next LLC. “Cavnue’s mission to build the world’s most advanced roads aligns with that vision and has the potential to help accelerate the pace at which we can advance driver assistance features and safely deploy autonomous vehicles.”
As part of Ford’s strategic investment, Cavnue will leverage Ford vehicles and the automaker’s hands-free driving technology to demonstrate how Cavnue’s smart road platform can enhance vehicle performance experiences through vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity. Ford’s technical team will help Cavnue understand OEM requirements and accelerate our development of the digital infrastructure needed to communicate with connected vehicles, including the definition of messages, sensing requirements, and protocols.
Cavnue continues formal, strategic partnerships with other automakers focused on building OEM-agnostic supportive infrastructure that will help fully realize the benefits of ADAS features and AVs. By closely collaborating with automakers on smart roadways and connected infrastructure, Cavnue is working to ensure safer roads for cars and trucks of the future.
Plans for Cavnue’s CAV Corridor Moves Forward in Michigan
In Southeast Michigan, Cavnue and MDOT are crafting a blueprint for the future of transportation infrastructure. Through the public-private partnership, both organizations continue to work together to develop a CAV concept tailored to the unique issues and existing infrastructure of Southeast Michigan.
After evaluating the feasibility of various CAV corridors, Cavnue and MDOT have identified an approximately 25-mile segment of Interstate 94 for the initial deployment that will serve as the country’s first corridor of tech-enabled infrastructure for connected and autonomous vehicles. Based on a study of traffic patterns and an assessment of existing infrastructure and investments made by the state and local communities, our identification of the I-94 segment signals MDOT’s continued commitment to the project and a commitment to closing long-standing gaps in access to transit and transportation across the region.
The agreement details a commitment to mutually develop an associated work plan, which provides for further traffic studies, environmental analysis, road design and operational planning, as well as public engagement and outreach exercises to ensure community involvement. Learnings and insight gathered from the I-94 deployment will be used to further evaluate a deployment on Michigan Avenue and potentially grow a network of CAV corridors connecting Southeast Michigan.
At its core, the project is designed to improve safety as well as the overall driving experience; achieve technology neutrality among automakers through standards-based approaches; and enhance accessibility, affordability, and equity for roadway users and residents. Cavnue believes this corridor will be replicated further in Michigan and across the rest of the country.
“There is no denying, the future of vehicles is connected and automated,” said Duvall. “A network of CAV lanes powered by an integrated hardware, software and advanced roadway operation solution can ensure that the future is safe and efficient.”