Future of transportation at heart of center opening Saturday

There are no traditional combustion-engine vehicles in this showroom.

Instead, the Smart Columbus Experience Center, which officially opens Downtown on Saturday, is all about getting visitors to think about the future of transportation.

Perhaps an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid should be their next car. They’ll be able to get a close look at some. Visitors also will get a chance to examine how transportation systems will change when self-driving cars become popular.

The center, at 170 S. Civic Center Drive, is one of the more obvious signs that Columbus won the Smart City Challenge two years ago, beating out 77 other cities that also applied.

The victory comes with a $40 million Department of Transportation grant and a $10 million grant from Paul G. Allen Philanthropies.

The federal grant is meant to incorporate innovative technology such as selfdriving cars, connected vehicles and smart sensors into the region’s transportation network. The Allen grant is to accelerate the transition to an electrified, low-emissions transportation system — and that includes electric cars.

“The overall goal (of the Allen grant) is greenhousegas-emissions reductions and adoption of electric vehicles,” said Mark Patton, vice president of Smart Cities, a collaboration of the city and the Columbus