A $7 million grant will cover a study of autonomous vehicles on rural roads and part of that will be conducted locally. The University of Iowa received the grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Automated driving systems (ADS) will be tested and safety data will be gathered. The project is called ADS for Rural America, with a focus on testing ADS applications for the aging population in rural areas. The University of Iowa is collaborating with the Iowa DOT and Iowa State University.

A custom-built Ford Starlite Transit van with an ADS will test a loop that includes northern Washington County over the next 2.5 years. It includes Highway 218 from Iowa City to Riverside, then Highway 22 to Kalona, and back up to Iowa City on Highway 1.

Testing will include tracking the comfort and emotional states of occupants in the vehicle. The project proposal states the hope is the data will help advance automated vehicle transportation and show how it can help support the aging and transportation-challenged populations.