Dan McGehee of the National Advanced Driving Simulator and his colleagues recently received a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to research automated driving in rural America.

At a casual glance, it looks like any Lincoln MKZ. But it’s smarter.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded nearly $60 million in grant funding to eight projects in seven states to test the safe integration of automated driving systems (ADS).

ADS for Rural America project seeks to lead the nation in rural roadway safety, with a focus on connecting transportation-challenged populations.

The University of Iowa will put to use a $7.03 million grant it received from the U.S. Department of Transportation to test how automated driving systems safely can be introduced on the state’s roads.

Most roads in the U.S. are in rural areas, and the University of Iowa’s National Advanced Driving Simulator is working to make them safer and prepare them for a future with driverless vehicles.