Sustainable Mobility Laboratory
Background
Transportation is the largest consumer of petroleum in the United States. Apart from the energy security concerns over dependence on imported petroleum products, the combustion of petroleum products is responsible for 45% of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases in the US. The overarching goal of Sustainable Mobility Laboratory (SuMoLab) is to reduce energy consumption and consequent emissions from the transportation sector while improving the efficiency of moving people and goods.
The Challenge
Electrification, connectivity, automation, and vehicle sharing have opened tremendous opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of the transportation system. However, emerging mobility technologies need to be assimilated into the existing transportation infrastructure. Additionally, the technologies need to be tuned to the abilities and limitations of the users. Research is needed to integrate the vehicle level technologies to the systems level in a way that minimizes the unintended consequences and maximizes the mobility functionalities of the system.
Our Approach
SuMoLab acts as an interface among the technology developers, agencies, and the user community. The two main building blocks of the SuMoLab are high-fidelity system simulation and piloting of emerging technologies. Through an iterative process of technology characterization and enhancements at the small-scale, the goal of SuMoLab is to improve understanding of the technologies to enable large-scale deployments. Building on a background in driver behavior modeling and traffic flow theory, my research program will pave the way for sustainable mobility by ensuring the robust integration of technologies to society.
