Official: Fort Monmouth could be testing ground for driverless cars

Could Fort Monmouth become a testing ground for driverless cars?

With a national race underway to build driverless vehicles within the next ten years, Fort Monmouth could become a research and development hub for the East Coast, according to Bruce Steadman, executive director of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority(FMERA).

The property presents itself as an attractive piece of real estate, especially with foreign automobile makers within close proximity, according to Steadman.

"We believe there could be some facilities both indoor and outdoor at the Fort that could be great in attracting those types of companies to do research and physical testing," Steadman said.

In addition to attracting automobile manufacturers, Steadman said other groups working with the industry, could lease or rent buildings and computerized labs at Fort Monmouth such as automobile parts suppliers, anyone in information technology, insurance companies, and bus, train and trucking companies.

"This could work nicely within the technology cluster that was envisioned here when the mission left and went to Maryland," noted Steadman, also pointing out the fort has dozens of acres of land and roads that would be ideal for developing and testing technology for driverless vehicles.

Work on driverless cars is already is underway in California and Michigan, according to Steadman.

"We like to think that New Jersey could be the hub for the East Coast," he said.

Seventy-five percent of all vehicles on the road will be driverless cars by 2040, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.