Uber narrows search for new test track for self-driving cars
Uber has been putting its autonomous cars through the ringer since 2016. On a 50-acre plot at the site of an old steel mill, the company constructs — and reconstructs — all sorts of unexpected scenarios a self-driving car might encounter, from a tricky intersection in Squirrel Hill to an unexpected traffic sign.
There are even robots programmed to act as rogue pedestrians, darting out in front of cars against the light.
But Uber’s lease for the Hazelwood Green test track site expires in 2023, and the California-based company with a big Pittsburgh presence is starting the search for future testing options as practices change and competition heats up in the industry.
In the past three years, the focus for many autonomous-vehicle companies has shifted from a push to get as many miles on the road as possible to a calculated focus on testing — virtually and on test tracks — to ensure safety is a main priority. Uber tests some of its selfdriving cars in California, but most of it is done in Pittsburgh, and the company is looking to expand.
“As our Pittsburgh footprint continues to grow, so does our spatial needs for testing,” Uber spokesperson Sarah Abboud said, adding that the company would share more details in the coming months.
Uber has been looking for additional space near Pittsburgh for a second test track, including in Findlay and, until recently, South Fayette. The company has said it does not plan to renew its lease in Hazelwood but that it will use the space as long as necessary until the expiration date three years from now.
Meanwhile, Aptiv — another self-driving car company competing to get autonomous vehicles on the road — will occupy space in Hazelwood Green as early as 2020. An
Aptiv spokesperson said the company could not disclose any more details about the arrangement.
Hazelwood Green — which is quickly becoming its own tech hub, with companies like Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing and Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Initiative already in place — never intended for Uber to occupy space there permanently.
Uber’s presence has been a good “placeholder” drawing attention to the region, said Councilman Corey O’Connor, who represents Hazelwood.
“It was a good anchor to kick-start the development down there, to get people aware of it,” Mr. O’Connor said. “I think that helped people see what the potential was in Hazelwood.”
The infrastructure Uber put in place will likely help future development, but the community is looking forward to being able to connect more of the roads together, Mr. O’Connor said. Right now, a fence that is part of the test track breaks up the property.
In South Fayette, community members were optimistic about the opportunities Uber would bring to the area. But after an initial flurry of activity in August, news of the development went silent and people were already suspicious that Uber had decided against the location, township manager John Barrett said.
An Uber test track would have been an ideal development because it was low impact, meaning it brought jobs and notoriety without draining public services and affecting the school district, he said.
“We certainly were holding onto hope here,” Mr. Barrett said. “It’s just wait and see right now. All we can do is react to proposals we get and make the township as attractive as possible.”
Still, the proposal itself gave Mr. Barrett hope that more development and investment would be coming to the area. He credited the Southern Beltway Project, an effort to develop and connect highways in the state, with bringing more interest to the region.
Uber decided against South Fayette, where it was considering land located near the former Campbell Airport, due to space constraints.
Contractor and land owner John Kosky said Uber told him last week it was not moving forward with the proposal after about eight months of working together. Mr. Kosky said his firm had not yet worked out the financial details of the deal.
Right now, he has other proposals for the land and is already working to make improvements to the space.
“I think it was pretty big that we had a national company looking at the property,” he said. “It would’ve been nice, but that was plan A. I think plan B could be better.”
In Findlay, the proposal for an autonomous car test track was announced at a Board of Supervisors meeting in September, although the town did not specify which self-driving car company was interested in the space.
Imperial Land Corp., a real estate development company, proposed an outdoor research and test track located on a 966-acre parcel off Westport Road, according to a legislative agenda from the meeting. The proposed track would employ 100 to 200 full-time employees.
Uber has said it is considering the location for a future test track.
Members of the Findlay Township planning commission could not be reached for additional comment.