Environmental impacts of Connected and Automated Vehicles

This project will investigate the environmental impacts of the transition from conventional vehicles to Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) in Australia. Using an approach combining literature review, stakeholder survey, and quantitative modelling, this project will assess the expected aggregated national environmental impacts as a result of increased vehicle automation and vehicle connectivity in transport.

The project outputs will contribute new knowledge that can support government to CAV transition to optimise advantages and avoid negative impacts. This project will leverage established CAV research, literature and study tools, and novel datasets developed by the investigators.

Participants

• Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
• RMIT University

Project background

Future motor vehicles are expected to be increasingly connected and automated (CAVs) in coming decades. Yet while technical understanding is advancing, knowledge of CAV adoption patterns, impacts on urban mobility and the environment, and the appropriate regulatory and policy responses, are under-developed.

One of the expected benefits of the introduction of CAVs is improved environmental outcomes. However, while the impact of CAVs on the environment is widely discussed in professional literature, the analysis is mixed and therefore inconclusive:

Positive impacts can include

• reduced emissions through the co-integration of electric vehicle technology;
• more efficient energy consumption as a result of more efficient driving and route planning;
• ‘tailoring’ of car size for the task;
• reduction in traffic congestion (partially by optimising ride sharing); and
• better land use (some of these effects are further enhanced by vehicle platooning).

Negative impacts, however, can include:

• increased greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption as a result of increased distances driven;
• greater overall use of road transportation, related congestion issues (the latter leading to greater impact on associated infrastructure);
• and increased overall tyre pollution.

Using a multi-disciplinary approach combining literature review, stakeholders survey, and quantitative modelling, this project will advance existing knowledge in several ways:

• A more extensive review of the international CAV and policy literature over multiple dimensions.
• Supplying new quantitative evidence added to previous qualitative evidence/concept.
• Working with stakeholders to identify solutions in the Australian context.

The project outputs will contribute new knowledge and evidence base for government policy interventions to better implement CAV transformation and provide suggestions for mitigation strategies to reduce the negative impacts that would occur in Australia.

Project objectives

This project will provide an extensive understanding and analysis of the aggregated national environmental impacts of CAVs, specifically in the Australian context. These impacts will be assessed distinctly as an outcome of increased vehicle automation and vehicle connectivity in transport.

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!