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How MIRA Plans to Help Invent the Autos Future
TIN news: The test track at MIRA sits in the middle of the English countryside, well hidden from view. Waiting for its passengers on an interior circuit is a Ford Focus; at the wheel is a research engineer. Visiting reporters get into the car and it slowly pulls away onto a circuit that includes various turns and stops. As a traffic light turns green, the car begins to accelerate and then takes a left turn on the track. Nothing is out of the ordinary except that the engineer in the driver’s seat is not touching the steering wheel or the pedals. No one is driving the car.
MIRA’s work on intelligent vehicle systems is just one part of the wide-ranging engineering and testing activities at the facility. In fact, the vision statement of MIRA is, “One day every journey in the world will be positively influenced by us.” That’s an ambitious statement, but it’s clear from a visit to MIRA’s complex in Warwickshire, England that ambition is not in short supply.
MIRA (formerly the Motor Industry Research Association) is in the midst of a 10-year development plan designed to create a state-of-the-art campus of shared research and test resources, individual research facilities for various OEMs and suppliers, and amenities such as a hotel and recreational facilities. Terry Spall, commercial director for MIRA, likens plans for the campus to a “Google of the automotive world.” Since 2009, staff at MIRA has more than doubled to 600. Plans are to have 2,000 engineers working for MIRA and various tenant companies at the site by 2021.
MIRA was founded in 1946 by the British government to provide shared R&D resources for the 100 or so automotive OEMs and suppliers operating in the United Kingdom at the time. The 850-acre site, a former RAF air base, has 62 miles of test track and is centrally located for the British automobile industry. In 1976, the government transitioned MIRA to an independent, commercial enterprise. Last year, it had sales of more than $78 million. MIRA does the majority of its business with automotive firms, but also works with defense, aerospace and rail clients.
Geoff Davis, MIRA’s chief technology officer, says the organization is developing a technology cluster that benefits transportation companies in several ways. They can take advantage of shared facilities so that they don’t have to make expensive capital investments. They can “rent” expertise from MIRA; for example, if they need an ergonomics expert for a project, they can tap MIRA’s staff for help. And by having OEMs and suppliers in close proximity, it encourages collaboration between companies.
MIRA is increasingly engaged with projects to make vehicles safer and more autonomous, Davis said. MIRA’s engineers are working on active cruise control, lane departure warning systems, and even self-driving vehicles.
MIRA’s work on intelligent vehicle systems is just one part of the wide-ranging engineering and testing activities at the facility. In fact, the vision statement of MIRA is, “One day every journey in the world will be positively influenced by us.” That’s an ambitious statement, but it’s clear from a visit to MIRA’s complex in Warwickshire, England that ambition is not in short supply.
MIRA (formerly the Motor Industry Research Association) is in the midst of a 10-year development plan designed to create a state-of-the-art campus of shared research and test resources, individual research facilities for various OEMs and suppliers, and amenities such as a hotel and recreational facilities. Terry Spall, commercial director for MIRA, likens plans for the campus to a “Google of the automotive world.” Since 2009, staff at MIRA has more than doubled to 600. Plans are to have 2,000 engineers working for MIRA and various tenant companies at the site by 2021.
MIRA was founded in 1946 by the British government to provide shared R&D resources for the 100 or so automotive OEMs and suppliers operating in the United Kingdom at the time. The 850-acre site, a former RAF air base, has 62 miles of test track and is centrally located for the British automobile industry. In 1976, the government transitioned MIRA to an independent, commercial enterprise. Last year, it had sales of more than $78 million. MIRA does the majority of its business with automotive firms, but also works with defense, aerospace and rail clients.
Geoff Davis, MIRA’s chief technology officer, says the organization is developing a technology cluster that benefits transportation companies in several ways. They can take advantage of shared facilities so that they don’t have to make expensive capital investments. They can “rent” expertise from MIRA; for example, if they need an ergonomics expert for a project, they can tap MIRA’s staff for help. And by having OEMs and suppliers in close proximity, it encourages collaboration between companies.
MIRA is increasingly engaged with projects to make vehicles safer and more autonomous, Davis said. MIRA’s engineers are working on active cruise control, lane departure warning systems, and even self-driving vehicles.