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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). 

Assessing the Potential Impacts of Toll Discounts on Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption

  • Principal Investigator Adam Davis, Ph.D
  • University of California, Davis
In this project, the research team will assess the impacts of discounted express lane tolls on ZEV adoption statewide and specifically in disadvantaged communities and areas where these discounts will have the largest impact. The results of this analysis will be used to propose a discount system that will encourage ZEV adoption but not overly burden express lane infrastructure.
Project Status
Complete

Barriers to Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Transportation

  • Principal Investigator Giovanni Circella, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
The key objective of this contract is to inform the California Air Resources Board on the quickly evolving transportation patterns resulting from the deployment and adoption of emerging transportation technologies, and the disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify opportunities for reduction of vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation.
Project Status
In Progress

Measuring, Analyzing, and Identifying Small-Area Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction

  • Principal Investigator Susan Handy, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
This project will complete a minimum of three case studies of local communities that have experienced substantial changes in the transportation system and/or land development patterns to assess the change in VMT that has resulted; the forces contributing to transportation and land use changes, including local and/or regional policy changes, will also be examined.
Project Status
In Progress

Evaluating the Effectiveness of “Smart Pedal” Systems for Vehicle Fleets

  • Principal Investigator George Scora
  • University of California, Riverside
The research team will utilize the before/after “Smart Pedal” data to conduct a cost/benefit analysis of the top 2% of Caltrans Fleet vehicles which would benefit from “Smart Pedal” technology installation.
Project Status
Complete

Evaluating Transit Use in the Post-Pandemic Era

  • Principal Investigator Parsa Pezeshknejad
  • University of Vermont
This project will evaluate the reasons that public transit riders return (or do not return) to transit in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Project Status
In Progress

Integrated Modelling Program and TCO Calculator for Battery-Electric Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck Deployment in Regional Freight Use-Cases

  • Principal Investigator Caleb Weed
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
This study identifies heavily-trafficked freight truck routes of optimal distances in Georgia and quantifies electrification benefits for fleets operating on these corridors by integrating outputs from MOVES Matrix, the Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET Model, the Georgia Tech Fuel and Emissions Calculator (FEC), and other models into a web-based tool.
Project Status
In Progress

Caltrans Sustainable Freight Academy

  • Principal Investigator Thomas O'Brien, Ph.D.
  • California State University Long Beach
This project will involve the design and implement two four-day in-person Sustainable Freight Academies for Caltrans during calendar year 2021.
Project Status
Complete