EG Fluid Vehicle Traffic

Motivation

In 2030 60% of world population will live inside urban areas (from the actual 49%). This requires research into the appropriate forms and capacity of mobility and transport provision. Added to this, Europe’s competitiveness depends on accommodating the predicted 50% growth in the amount of goods transported by 2030 (Transvision Final Report 2009). Research must be driven by the need to satisfy the predicted levels of personal mobility and freight transport. Additional benefits would result from the fundamental redistribution and reshaping of the demand for road transport. Such activities would require a multi-stakeholder approach from within and outside the transport sector.

Research Objectives

The diffuse availability of technology in road transportation systems could have large benefits for mobility. But the expected benefits are possible only if all the stakeholders (OEMs,  Authorities, suppliers, road operators, etc.) agree on a common road map, standard base of functionalities and then on a common specification for the technological platform, to exploit all opportunities.

Major research objectives are:

  • Promote all initiatives towards sustainable mobility that will be based on the effective and active cooperation between vehicles and infrastructures.
  • Maintain the attractiveness of individual transportation to our customers through the optimal use of the transportation network.
  • Create and maintain a common roadmap/framework for research activities, in cooperative system for transport.
  • Promote an integrated and holistic approach for the mobility, in which all stakeholders, not only OEMs, will take a specific and active role.
  • Support/promote initiatives to contribute to the overall objective of CO2 reduction through a more efficient mobility.
  • Promote efficient and complementary research well aligned with the societal and industrial needs and challenges.

Strategic Vision

In this scenario the vehicles have to take a very active and effective role. On board telematic systems will be, in the next years, available on almost all new vehicles. The vehicles will take in the future an active role in traffic management and together with road infrastructures they will be the active components to improve traffic flow and road safety.

 Key targets include:

  • Provide the necessary solutions to improve mobility and satisfy the expected increase in individual demand for travel, in particular for urban areas.
  • Enable fluid and efficient movement of an increasing quantity of goods within the overall freight transport system, in urban areas and for long distance transport.
  • In order that quantifiable targets can be set in the future, a series of robust indicators such as transport efficiency for passengers and freight, journey time reliability, user service levels and network efficiency need to be developed.