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Projects

The National Center for Sustainable Transportation funds a variety of research grants, organized by our three research themes (Infrastructure Provision; Travel Demand; and Vehicle Technology), and by project type (applied research projects, white papers / research synthesis, seed grants, translational projects, dissertation grants, and graduate student-led research). 

Improving Access and Efficiency to Transportation Affordable Programs in California

  • Principal Investigator Caroline Rodier, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
This project addresses the Caltrans research need as outlined in the 2022-2023 UC Davis Caltrans Research Grants: "Existing assistance programs often function as discretionary rather than entitlement programs. These programs are first-come, first-serve, and often over-subscribed. They tend to use limited dollars to channel large benefits to relatively few beneficiaries, leave many eligible households unassisted, and are rarely evaluated." The researchers will use a three-part approach to identify near and longer-term opportunities to provide more effective UBM programs. 
Project Status
In Progress

Local and State Government Policies to Improve Pavement Sustainability with New Materials

  • Principal Investigator John Harvey, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
Policymaker and technical decision-makers currently do not have clear and consistent methods for identifying and prioritizing what new approaches to use. The white paper will concisely summarize a framework and practical steps for reviewing and comparing policies and technical decisions regarding pavement.
Project Status
In Progress

Improving Public Safety through Spatial Synthesis, Mapping, Modeling, and Performance Analysis of Emergency Evacuation in California Localities

  • Principal Investigator Miguel Jaller, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
The project will help centralize and assess evacuation routes, and assess their capacity for evacuation. It will help inform infrastructure investment priority decisions, as it will identify the road segments with the largest impact on the evacuation route/network performance.
Project Status
In Progress

Sustainability of Micromobility Services: VMT Reduction and Transit Connection

  • Principal Investigator Dillon Fitch, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
In this project, the research team will quantify the magnitude of micromobility service effects on vehicle miles of travel (VMT) through triangulation and synthesis of three primary travel behaviors: mode substitution, transit connection, and driving/ride-hailing behavior.
Project Status
In Progress

Implementing Industry-Supported and Demand-Driven Talent Pipelines for the Trade and Transportation Sector

  • Principal Investigator Tyler Reeb, Ph.D.
  • California State University Long Beach
This project will produce a Talent Pipeline Blueprint report that identifies the necessary steps required to build cross-campus CSU talent pipelines that target the most in-demand trade and transportation occupations requiring specific degrees, certificates, and non-credit professional development.
Project Status
Complete

Electric Vehicle Assessment and Leveraging of Unified models toward AbatemenT of Emissions (EVALUATE): Phase II

  • Principal Investigator Richard Simmons, Ph.D.
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
This research will expand on EVALUATE, Phase I by testing the tools developed in that project in an urban area, developing guidance to assist others in using these tools in other regions, and performing technology transfer activities to get the tools in the hands of practitioners and decision makers.
Project Status
In Progress

Assessing the Charging Needs of Multi-EV Households in California

  • Principal Investigator Gil Tal, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
This project will determine the market penetration and charging infrastructure needs of multi-EV households by region and community in California from 2022 to 2040, with a particular focus on how access to charging will affect the rate at which households acquire additional EVs and on the difficulties of expanding EV ownership in Disadvantaged Communities in California.
Project Status
In Progress

Applying Topological Data Analysis to Logistics Systems Analysis

  • Principal Investigator John Carlsson
  • University of Southern California
The purpose of this project is to apply computational tools from topological data analysis (TDA) to study the logistics systems in the state of California and the USA, with an emphasis on freight networks.
Project Status
In Progress

Cost Sensitivity and Charging Choices of Plug-in Electric Vehicle Drivers – A Stated Preference Study

  • Principal Investigator Gil Tal, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
Using stated preference choice experiments, this study tries to fill the two gaps in the literature mentioned here: identify the drivers of choice of charging location during non-routine charging events and quantitative estimates of consumer preference for pricing strategies and other charging infrastructure attributes in case of routine nonhome charging events.
Project Status
In Progress