The SoCal Tech Bridge operational principles of Autonomous and transformative Logistics led to the establishment of the Autonomous Vehicle Living Lab (AVLL) in 2017 aboard MCAS Miramar. The AVLL maintains the ideal parameters for a testing program: controlled environment, low speed operation, known population, and a singular regulatory authority. The scope and scale of the AVLL confers the ability to operate on and in a wide variety of environments, including ground and air, urban and rural routes. This generated interest from commercial industry partners, such as key EMS partner, Qualcomm Technologies, to use the AVLL to conduct ongoing, unparalleled testing aboard the base, and share developmental insights and market research with government, academic, and research partnerships.

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Activities at the AVLL provided valuable insight: 5G is an imperative for connected and autonomous vehicles. SoCal Tech Bridge's relationship with Verizon through smart city initiatives in the local San Diego area helped facilitate an eventual partnership with Verizon to bring 5G to MCAS Miramar, and to create the 5G Living Lab.    

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The opportunities and lessons at the Autonomous Vehicle Living Lab continue, not least of these is that electric and autonomous vehicles are not only viable, reliable, and adaptable in the transportation of packages and people, but they are a viable energy resource and conduit in their own right, able to serve as mobile batteries in bi-directional charging stations within the microgrid. The Marine Corps’ intent is to parlay these game-changing contributions into lessons learned that shape its autonomous and electric vehicle programs.