Detroit Smart Parking Lab (DSPL), a partnership between Bedrock, Bosch, Ford Motor Co., and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), on Thursday announced that NextEnergy and Park Rite will take over DSPL operations, and that it has received additional state funding.
In 2023, NextEnergy in partnership with Park Rite, will lead day-to-day operations and business development for the Lab, with a heavy emphasis on identifying projects and emerging technologies that can be tested in the lab for broader future deployment.
“We are pleased to provide our expertise within mobility and energy development, testing, and demonstration to accelerate solutions which lead to a sustainable future for Michigan and the world,” says Jim Saber, CEO of NextEnergy.
Park Rite CEO Kevin Bopp says: “Our focus is supporting an innovative ecosystem that keeps Detroit at the forefront of mobility advancements. The opportunities to align technology, mobility and real estate to improve the parking and EV charging experience are endless.”
Also, the project has received an additional $300,000 in state grants under the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform. More than $300,000 in state-led grants were distributed throughout the 2022 calendar year, supporting seven startup projects at DSPL.
Following its initial success at downtown Detroit’s Assembly Garage, the new funds will support a new wave of technology startups as they test and demonstrate solutions for last-mile mobility, sustainable parking, and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure enhancement.
Located on the first floor of the garage at The Assembly (1702 W. Fort Street), DSPL is a first-of-its-kind mobility lab launched and designed by real estate (Bedrock), technology (Bosch), automotive (Ford), and government (state of Michigan and MEDC) partners. The lab was specifically devised as a collaborative workspace; and provides an open environment for organizations to test and demonstrate parking-related mobility, logistics, and EV charging capabilities in a variety of real-world, use-case scenarios.
“Collaboration is essential to realizing future mobility opportunities,” says Paul Thomas, executive vice president of mobility solutions, Americas for Bosch. “The momentum at the Detroit Smart Parking Lab with start-ups, government and established organizations in mobility as well as real estate is a shining example of what is possible when organizations innovate together.”
Moving into the new year, DSPL will welcome a variety of new startups and project teams to the space, who will use the platform to further amplify and test their technologies. Interested parties can submit their project proposals and apply for the grant funding through the DSPL website. New applications are reviewed and grants awarded on a rolling basis.
Additional information on innovation grants available may be found by visiting the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform here.
