Applications Open for Governor’s Advisory Council on Connected and Automated Vehicles

Applications are now being accepted for appointment to Governor Tim Walz’s 15-member advisory council on connected and automated vehicles. Gov. Walz issued an executive order earlier this month establishing the council.

The council will continue the work of a similar advisory council appointed last year that studied CAV technology issues and recommended policy changes regarding the adoption of automated and connected vehicles in the state.

Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher will co-chair the council. Gov. Walz will name another co-chair at a later date.

Persons interested in serving on the council should apply at https://commissionsandappointments.sos.state.mn.us/Agency/Details/253. The application deadline is May 6, although applications will be taken until the governor announces the council.

“The advisory council will build off the work of the first council, but will also include other emerging transportation technology,” said Anderson Kelliher. “This group will help move the recommendations forward, explore partnerships to help Minnesotans prepare for these new technologies, and propose forward-thinking policies to safely test and deploy connected and automated vehicles.”

Applicants should have relevant experience in the automotive industry, technology, mobility, freight, labor, public safety, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy, elder care, tort liability, workforce training, higher education, transit, business and finance, cybersecurity or data privacy.

Twenty ex-officio members will also serve on the council, including commissioners of several state agencies, members of the state Legislature and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council.

MnDOT first tested the use of an automated shuttle bus in 2017. Since then MnDOT created an Office of Connected and Automated Vehicles and partnered with other companies and industries to continue researching and testing CAV technologies.