Detroit parking technology test lab receives $500K in state funds

The Detroit Smart Parking Lab, a test bed for mobility tech startup companies, announced on Tuesday it received $500,000 in renewed operational funding and grants from the State of Michigan to support emerging parking technologies.

The Detroit testing site — located on the ground floor of a parking garage — launched in 2021 through a partnership with Michigan’s government and sponsorship by Bosch, real estate firm Bedrock Detroit, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Ford Motor Company. So far, the lab has supported 20 startups to test parking-related mobility, logistics and electric vehicle charging technologies over the last two years.

The new funding will be administered by the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, a partnership between the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification and the Michigan Department of Transportation. The state platform provides grants to mobility and electrification companies looking to deploy technology in Michigan.

“The work that these startups are doing to develop, test and deploy technologies at the DSPL brings us one step closer to our goal of deploying 100,000 EV chargers to support the adoption of 2 million EVs by 2030,” Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II said in a news release. “These strategic grants and collaborations demonstrate that whether it’s by land, air or sea, mobility solutions of the future are being made right here in Michigan. Our continued partnership and support for DSPL will further position Michigan as a leading destination for high-tech education, testing and training of these next-generation mobility solutions.”