MIT AgeLab Celebrates Decade of Academic-Industry Collaboration in Vehicle Technology
The MIT AgeLab’s Advanced Vehicle Technology (AVT) Consortium marked its 10th anniversary on May 6, celebrating a decade of impactful collaboration between academia and the automotive industry. As a part of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, AVT was founded to generate data-driven insights into how drivers interact with increasingly sophisticated vehicle technologies. The anniversary event convened industry stakeholders for discussions on key topics including artificial intelligence, vehicle safety, and sustainability.
Bryan Reimer, founder and co-director of the AVT Consortium, highlighted the consortium’s accomplishments over the past decade, including the collection of hundreds of terabytes of data and extensive research collaboration. He identified key industry challenges such as distracted driving, consumer trust in automated driving features, and high expectations for vehicle technology.
John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and Mark Rosekind, former chief safety innovation officer of Zoox and former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, advocated for a more strategic and data-driven approach to vehicle safety regulation. They emphasized the need for regulations to evolve in tandem with technological innovation. Bozzella pointed to voluntary commitments on automatic emergency braking as a successful model. Rosekind urged the industry to move towards a systemic safety strategy.
Drawing inspiration from aviation’s safety record, Kathy Abbott from the Federal Aviation Administration emphasized the importance of a rigorous regulatory culture and cross-sectoral data sharing. She noted that the automotive industry should emulate aviation’s emphasis on safety culture, where technological capability isn’t the sole justification for deployment.
Pete Bigelow of Automotive News offered insights into the current state of assistive and automated driving technologies. He noted the industry’s shift toward Level 2 and 3 technologies and highlighted consumer confusion and safety concerns related to these systems. He quoted Bryan Reimer, characterizing Level 3 systems as “an engineer’s dream and a plaintiff attorney’s next yacht,” underscoring their legal and design complexities.
Mauricio Muñoz from AI Sweden stressed that the automotive industry needs to focus on domain-specific AI challenges rather than relying on general AI trends. He cautioned against overhyping AI capabilities and emphasized the need for purpose-driven research and organizational alignment.
A panel on collision repair, featuring Richard Billyeald from Thatcham Research, Hami Ebrahimi from Caliber Collision, and Mike Nelson from Nelson Law, addressed the rising costs and complexities of repairing advanced vehicles. Panelists called for greater standardization, consumer education, and repair-friendly vehicle design.
Honda’s Ryan Harty discussed the company’s commitment to sustainability and safety, with goals to achieve zero environmental impact and zero traffic fatalities. He highlighted the importance of aligning product strategy with user demand and environmental responsibility.
A panel including Laura Chace of ITS America, Jon Demerly of Qualcomm, Brad Stertz of Audi/VW Group, and Anant Thaker of Aptiv discussed the future of vehicle technology, emphasizing the need for consumer expectations, infrastructure investment, and regulatory modernization to evolve together.
Reimer concluded the event by calling for a renewed focus on the consumer in discussions about affordability, maintenance, and technology trust. He emphasized the importance of global collaboration, standardization, and transparent innovation.
