Exploratory Topics: Research Needs and Future Innovation for EU-U.S. Collaboration

Chris Hendrickson, Carnegie Mellon University

Gereon Meyer, VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH

Cristina Corchero, Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya

Craig E. Philip, Vanderbilt University

Patricia “Paty” Romero-Lankao, University of Toronto

Karen Vancluysen, POLIS Network

Shima Hamidi, Johns Hopkins University

Oliver Lah, Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie

Margriet van Schijndel-de Nooij, Eindhoven University of Technology

Heng Wei, University of Cincinnati

Roberto Palacin, Newcastle University

Guang Tian, University of New Orleans

Tasman Crowe, University College Dublin

Timothy Sexton, City of Minneapolis

Maria Attard, L-Università ta’Malta

Joe Zietsman, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Jane Amilhat, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

Gretchen Goldman, U.S. Department of Transportation

Tyler Clevenger, U.S. Department of Transportation

Ingrid Skogsmo, Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, European Conference of Transport Research Institutes

Torsten Klimke, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport

Ann Shikany, U.S. Department of Transportation

Caroline Almeras, European Conference of Transport Research Institutes

Liya Rechtman, U.S. Department of Transportation

EXPLORATORY TOPICS ON RESEARCH NEEDS AND POTENTIAL EU-U.S. COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES

This section summarizes the discussions on the research needs appropriate for EU-U.S. collaboration associated with the four exploratory topics, which were presented by planning committee members in the opening session. The text of the exploratory topic briefing papers is included in the appendixes. Symposium participants were assigned to breakout sessions addressing any one of the exploratory topics. The breakout groups, which were facilitated by members of the symposium planning committee, discussed challenges, opportunities, and research needs associated with the specific topic suitable for transatlantic cooperation. A summary of the research needs identified in each breakout group was presented to all participants in a general session. Symposium participants provided feedback on the research needs and offered additional issues for investigation. The feedback was incorporated into a final summary in a general session with additional opportunity for input from all participants. An online poll was also conducted, which helped identify key issues and research needs. No attempt was made at any point to rank or rate the research ideas discussed, nor was there any intent to prioritize potential research topics.

The final summaries of the research needs appropriate for EU and U.S. collaboration for each exploratory topic are presented in this section. The summaries were developed by the rapporteur based on the information provided by the breakout group notetakers and the recordings of the breakout group and general sessions. The summaries use a similar format to provide consistency across the exploratory topic areas.

Exploratory Topic 1: Accelerating the Transition to Electrification and Alternative Fuels

Moderators: Chris Hendrickson and Gereon Meyer

Notetakers/Rapporteurs: Cristina Corchero and Craig E. Philip

The initial discussion in this breakout group focused on the three general themes of decarbonizing the aviation and maritime sectors (which are harder to electrify), integrating vehicles and charging infrastructure, and using a full life-cycle approach to at-scale decarbonization. The research needs identified in these themes are presented next, followed by additional research needs suggested by participants during the open discussion session. All of the research topics are appropriate for EU-U.S. collaboration and cooperation.

• Breakout group participants discussed the challenges associated with decarbonizing the aviation and maritime transportation sectors, as well as long-haul trucking. Suggested research needs focused on identifying and assessing global solutions that consider appropriate energy sources, the infrastructure and supply chains to implement those sources, and adaptation to local conditions, organizational structures, and policies. Research focusing on developing sustainable business models decarbonizing these sectors was also identified as a need by participants. Another research need associated with this theme was developing and implementing measures, metrics, and tracking systems to evaluate progress toward decarbonization and to inform future policies and programs.
• The second theme area discussed by participants addressed vehicle integration and charging and fueling infrastructure. Numerous research needs associated with this theme focusing on electrification were identified, including developing common approaches for estimating grid demand, designing grid systems, and building resiliency in the grid network. Other research needs addressed optimizing resource deployment, developing smart charging systems, linking to vehicle-to-everything communication improvements, and coordinating data sharing. Developing sustainable and scalable business models for adoption in different areas and settings, including identifying funding and financing options, ownership models, affordability of automated vehicles, and life-cycle costs, represented an additional research need.
• The third theme focused on applying a full life-cycle perspective to electrification and alternative fuel development, deployment, and evaluation. Research examining the expected efficiencies at scale and at full deployment was identified as a need that could include developing and implementing mechanisms

• and measures to track deployment, focusing on the circularity of development, supply chains, and battery passports, especially the critical minerals used to develop electric batteries. Considering the impacts associated with all life-cycle elements could be part of the research. It could also examine modal efficiencies and shifts in demands and the use of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.

The following additional research topics were identified by symposium participants during the open discussion:

• Research is needed on sustainable business models and the differences in the decision-making process in the public and private sectors, including the time it takes to reach agreements.
• Additional research is needed on sustainable liquid fuels in the aviation and maritime sectors. Topics that could be addressed include crop-based and other sustainable sources of fuels, the impacts on other uses of those sources, infrastructure needs, and funding options. It was suggested that this topic could be particularly relevant to the EU and U.S. partnership.
• Current gaps in the electrification system and ways to address these gaps need to be identified.

Exploratory Topic 2: Ensuring a Just Transition to Net-Zero Transport

Moderators: Patricia Romero-Lankao and Karen Vancluysen

Notetakers/Rapporteurs: Shima Hamidi and Oliver Lah

The discussion in this breakout session focused on the five general areas of governance and inclusive transportation policies, framing the narrative around decarbonization and the use of alternative transportation modes, jobs and workforce development, the life-cycle impacts of transportation across the supply chain, and cross-cutting data needs and data sharing. The research needs appropriate for transatlantic collaboration associated with these topics are highlighted below:

• Research associated with examining policy mixes and approaches applying an equity lens was discussed by breakout group participants. This research could focus on identifying the most appropriate policy mixes for different types of communities, including consideration of transit services, active transportation, congestion pricing, parking pricing, and other approaches. Sharing best practices across the European Union and the United States could be part of the research. The research could also consider approaches using systems thinking, holistic integrated approaches, public–private partnerships, and new mobility solutions to meet equity goals. Considering the balance between regulations and innovation to address decarbonization in communities could also be examined, as well as affordability and accessibility for different population segments. Additionally, examining potential unintended consequences of decarbonization, such as climate gentrification, could be examined. The use of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans in Europe was suggested as a good example of a successful approach.
• Participants discussed the need for additional research examining the narrative and messaging associated with all aspects of decarbonizing the transportation sector. The research could use social science approaches to examine cultural values, aspirations, current behaviors, and preferences for future options. The results of these assessments could be used to develop appropriate messaging and messaging media, highlighting the benefits of different modes, and the true cost of driving. The research could also identify messages targeting different groups and could develop methods and metrics to evaluate the results of different approaches.
• Participants discussed the need for research focusing on jobs and workforce development associated with green mobility and decarbonizing the transportation sector. This research could focus on the opportunities for new jobs and upskilling existing jobs associated with all aspects of green mobility, as well as fit-for-purpose and low-tech approaches. Considering workforce development needs in both developed and developing countries could be included. New job opportunities could be identified, along with possible pathways for education and training to meet future green mobility workforce needs.

• Participants discussed the need for research examining the circularity and life-cycle issues associated with decarbonizing the transport sector. The life-cycle issues could consider the full supply chain, including mineral and material extraction, vehicle production, fueling infrastructure, waste management, and ongoing supply and operation.
• Participants also discussed the need for research focusing on the issues in and opportunities with data management and data sharing associated with decarbonizing the transportation sector. It was noted that research on this cross-cutting topic could focus on the use of existing data to better inform operational and policy decisions, as well as identifying and using new data sources to make better decisions in the future.

The following additional research topic was identified by symposium participants during the open discussion:

• The need for research examining the international implications of electrification and other sustainable fuels was identified by some participants. This research could examine the implications of industrial policies, protectionism, tariffs, equity elements, and other aspects. It was suggested that examining these overarching policies of decarbonization could be beneficial. Exploring the impacts on different modes, including aviation and maritime, could also be considered in this assessment.

Exploratory Topic 3: Leveraging Digitalization, Artificial Intelligence, and Other Integrated System-of-Systems Technologies to Decarbonize Transport

Moderators: Margriet van Schijndel-de Nooij and Heng Wei

Notetakers/Rapporteurs: Roberto Palacin and Guang Tian

Participants in this breakout group discussed the different emerging digital technologies and the potential impact on decarbonizing the transportation sector. Topics focused on the lack of a common language for data, examining the digital technologies that reduce the amount of travel or influence a mode shift, and considering existing, as well as emerging, digital technologies. Assessing the benefits and potential negative impacts of shared automated mobility was also discussed. An additional topic considered by the breakout group was examining the interdependencies between transportation, energy, telecommunications, and digital solutions to unlock the system-of-systems benefits. Using digitalization and modeling tools, creating dynamic timetables, adaptive traffic management, software-defined vehicles, and automation were also discussed. Participants identified their top three technologies, with five selected for more discussion. The five selected were planning tools including adaptive traffic management, digitalization and modeling tools, tools and digitalization for on-demand shared mobility, automation, and software-defined vehicles. The following research needs for EU-U.S. collaborations were identified after a more extensive discussion of each of these digital technologies:

• Research examining the use of planning tools, including adaptive traffic management to identify the effects of different interventions on decarbonizing the transportation system could be beneficial. The research could help to understand the link between data, evidence, and policy development.
• Research examining the use of digital twins and other digital modeling tools to estimate the impacts of different policies and programs to decarbonize the transportation sector. The results could examine the impacts of different programs and pathways in different communities. The research could consider the system-of-systems interdependencies among critical systems in the transportation, energy, and telecommunications sectors, and help identify sustainable pathways for future development.
• Research focusing on using digital technologies to identify the minimum data requirements from shared-mobility stakeholders to develop services and maximize use. Research considering synergies with automation and the management of potential rebound effects, such as increases in vehicle miles traveled, was also discussed.
• Research focused on the decarbonization impact of automation in general, including the analysis of energy efficiency by optimized control versus energy consumption by onboard and off-board computing.

• Research examining the policies that could encourage changes in behavior and business models to maximize the impact of automation, including policies that encourage automation to support decarbonization and encourage green mobility.
• Research examining the functionalities required for software-defined vehicles to adapt to their surroundings and provide the same level of performance and comfort through upgradability and extended lifetime of centralized and generic electronic hardware to maximize decarbonization benefits.

The following research topics were discussed by the symposium participants during the open discussion:

• Research examining the approaches to and policies on data privacy and data sharing in the European Union and the United States. The research could include exploring similarities and differences as well as sharing best practices. The research could also examine approaches to encourage more open data sharing among all groups to address decarbonization and to explore the infrastructure needed to accommodate more open data sharing.
• Research exploring how digital tools can be used to plan, operate, and evaluate mobility as a service option.

Exploratory Topic 4: Implementing Sustainable and Resilient Land Use and Transportation System Design

Moderators: Tasman Crowe and Timothy Sexton

Notetakers/Rapporteurs: Maria Attard and Joe Zietsman

The discussion in this breakout group focused on the four general areas of sustainable community design, land use and transportation policies and programs, stakeholder engagement, and new mobility. Participants outlined questions and research needs related to each of these topic areas. The following research needs for EU-U.S. collaboration were identified by breakout group participants:

• Participants discussed sustainable design and the need to match the decarbonized transportation system to the unique characteristics and needs of cities, regions, and countries. Participants identified research examining the tools that data practitioners and policymakers need and can use to assess integrating transportation and land use planning and land use development as a need. The research could explore community design to address resilience to climate change and ensure equity of access for all user groups. Other elements to be addressed in the research were developing data- and information-sharing methods to enable collaborative approaches.
• Participants discussed the disconnect between different levels of decision making at the EU/federal, state, and local levels related to land use and transportation planning, and the speed at which government regulates and the speed at which technology companies and operators move. Participants suggested that research examine different approaches for coordinating land use and green transportation strategies, and the successful outcomes of those approaches, would be beneficial. The research could focus on the design and deployment of approaches that respect local contexts and provide flexibility while moving toward a shared vision. The research could explore approaches used in other related fields, examine non-transportation data to help quantify impacts, and outline examples of successful policies and programs.
• Participants discussed the need for widespread stakeholder engagement to ensure a just transition to decarbonization and sustainable and equitable communities. Research on identifying the best models for effective stakeholder engagement was discussed by participants. The research could identify the essential characteristics of effective approaches for different contexts, the type of information needed, the different communication and engagement methods, and techniques to evaluate the results.
• Participants discussed research needs related to public agencies developing a culture of innovation that is understood and accepted internally and externally. The research could also explore partnerships among the public agencies, community groups, and the private sector to foster innovation in decarbonizing transportation and fostering resilient and equitable communities.

The following topics were suggested by symposium participants in the general sessions:

• Some participants suggested that additional research on what makes for successful transit-oriented development could be beneficial, including the elements that support businesses and livability for residents.
• Research exploring the impact of advanced air mobility on the design of communities was suggested by some participants.
• Other participants identified exploration of the impact of parking on the design of communities, including ways to reduce the parking footprint, as part of the move to green mobility.