In December 2017, the Minnesota Department of Transportation launched a four-month test of a low speed autonomous shuttle. After initial testing on a test track, the agency demonstrated the vehicle on a city block in downtown Minneapolis during the Super Bowl.

The state leased a 12-passenger Easy Mile driverless EZ10 shuttle bus, a four-wheel electric vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals, for its test program. The EZ10 has no steering wheel or brake pedal and navigates autonomously using pre-mapped routes. It has a maximum speed of 25 mi/h, but the typical operating speed is 12 to 15 mi/h. A bus operator was onboard to assume control of the vehicle if needed.

MnDOT leased the vehicle during the winter to test conditions in under various weather scenarios involving rain, snow, ice and salt on roadways.

The cost of the four-month test program was $200,000.