UC Berkeley · College of Engineering · 1301 S 46th St, Richmond CA Want to fly drones at RFS?

RFS/Land

AV Test Track & V2X Testbed

Where Autonomous Systems Meet the Real Road

Richmond Field Station is UC Berkeley's ground testbed for autonomous vehicles and connected infrastructure — real streets, real conditions, and direct access to the university's transportation research community.

What the Land Testbed Unlocks

  • An on-site AV test track for closed-course vehicle testing
  • A V2X lab for connected-infrastructure and vehicle-to-everything validation
  • Direct proximity to Berkeley's transportation research centers

Who This Is For

Autonomous vehicle and robotics companies, connected-infrastructure and mobility startups, public agencies including DOTs and municipalities, and academic research teams testing ground systems in real-world conditions.

The Platform

The LAND layer at RFS is anchored by the Institute of Transportation Studies, California PATH, and DRIVE AI, together with the BRAVO autonomous vehicle research initiative. Combined with UCB's applied research ecosystem, this creates a real-world environment for mobility, autonomy, and infrastructure validation.

Institute of Transportation Studies facility at Richmond Field Station
RFS hosts ITS, PATH, and TSRC alongside the on-site AV test track and V2X lab.

How to Access the Land Testbed

Establish Sponsorship

All testing activity is anchored through a UC Berkeley sponsor (PI) or approved company engagement. Requests are reviewed and approved at the site level.

Site & Safety Registration

Register vehicles and equipment with RFS, complete required safety and insurance documentation, and review site-specific operating policies for the test track and V2X lab.

Scheduling & Coordination

Track and lab time is coordinated on-site, availability is managed for safety and scope, and teams receive confirmed testing windows.

For further information contact Justin Wiley (jwiley@berkeley.edu) or Tarek Zohdi (zohdi@berkeley.edu).

Test & Iterate

With approval in place, conduct live testing on the track or in the V2X lab, iterate quickly, and capture data to refine systems in real conditions.

Deployment & Use Cases

Where autonomous and connected vehicle systems move from testing to real-world operations across mobility, logistics, and public infrastructure, enabling validation with cities, DOTs, and utilities in real conditions.

What's Available

Closed-course AV test track and V2X lab access, real street and intersection conditions, and applied deployment scenarios with safety and policy in the loop. Collaboration with UC Berkeley researchers and student teams.

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