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Analysis of Automated Transit Network Systems with Battery-Electric Vehicles in Automated Mobility Districts: Preprint

Conference ·
The paper provides an overview of the insights and findings of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) ongoing research on the implementation of automated mobility districts (AMDs). AMD is a term coined by NREL to describe a geographically defined district or major activity center located in a dense urban setting with mobility applications provided by automated/autonomous vehicle (AV) systems spanning internal circulation and first-mile/last-mile connections to regional transportation hubs. Research over the past five years has focused on understanding the evolution of AMDs, beginning with demonstrations of automated shuttles prior to the pandemic, to more integrated on-demand mobility systems currently in initial stages of deployment. Initial insights and findings from earlier studies include the need for designation of a "jurisdiction having authority," a clear vision of a complete system to provide end-to-end mobility services, and the requisite intelligent infrastructure to complement AV technology. NREL's most recent Phase III research investigates station boarding/alighting (curb) issues, the full electrification of fleets, and the need for a systems engineering methodology (SEM) to properly analyze the complexities resulting from the convergence of automation, on-demand mobility, and electrification of the transit systems within the AMD. The paper reviews the findings of AMD research conducted during Phase I, II, and III, with special emphasis on Phase III results with respect to a descriptive example of the proposed SEM when a "digital twin" analytical model is used to simulate the transport fleet's battery-electric vehicle miles of travel and associated duty cycles through a rigorous analytical assessment with a comprehensive modeling process.
Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Vehicle Technologies Office
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
2375838
Report Number(s):
NREL/CP-5400-88848; MainId:89627; UUID:203cd004-eed0-496b-996f-bdc833597486; MainAdminId:72860
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (4)

A Safety and Management Framework to Enable Automated Mobility Districts in Urban Areas conference June 2021
The Convergence of Vehicle Electrification and Automation—Enabling Sustainable Automated Mobility Districts conference November 2023
Concept of Operations of Next-Generation Traffic Control Utilizing Infrastructure-Based Cooperative Perception conference August 2022
Automated Electric Vehicle Fleet Operations for On-Demand Service: Challenges and Opportunities conference June 2023