Abstract
Transportation policy studies and improved planning are essential for furthering goals of the University Transportation Centers and the US Department of Transportation. This project is intended to build upon long-standing and successful activities in these areas. Three tasks are envisioned.
First, we will continue to produce policy briefs and professional papers on safety and enhancing usage of battery electric vehicles (BEV). In our 2024-2025 Safety21 project, a forthcoming policy brief and papers were developed on light duty BEV safety and policies to enhance adoption of BEV (Naiek 2024, Harper 2024, Hendrickson 2025). Safety concerns addressed included BEV fires, vehicle weight and stopping distance. Enhancing adoption was informed from ownership characteristics compiled from the 2022 National Household Travel Survey and existing purchase subsidies (Wang 2024). In 2025-2026, we propose to extend this work to other vehicle types (notably trucks) and a focus on workforce training, particularly vehicle technicians and first responders to crashes and environmental hazards (such as floods). BEV have particular needs for avoiding electrical shocks and short circuits. We expect to contribute to a series of policy briefs on BEV in the next year.
Second, we will continue activities intended to promote adoption of effective vehicle automation. In our 2024-2025 project, we actively participated in National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) studies on road safety research (NASEM 2024), critical issues in transportation (NASEM 2024), a global Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Societies (CAETS) study on the e-mobility transformation (ICAETS 2024), and an empirical study of partial automation impacts. The weekly Safety21 Smart Transportation Dispatch (produced by project participant Karen Lightman) features safety improvements due to new technologies. In the coming year, we plan to actively comment on proposed federal and state rules regarding automation, respond to requests for information, and track performance of partial automation vehicles in a policy brief. This coming year has several likely rule-making activities, potential vehicle manufacturer announcements on partial automation, examination of the TESLA driving system, and possible implementation of the NASEM 2024 study recommendations. Monitoring and influencing these changes is a challenging task.
Third, project participants will continue to work with Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) in the planning for Pennsylvania Safety Transportation and Research Track (PennSTART), a safety, training and research facility for autonomous vehicle testing and emergency responders. The results of both tasks 1 and 2 can help inform appropriate test scenarios for PennSTART.
PennSTART capital expenditures will be used for project match. Carnegie Mellon researchers include Chris Hendrickson (Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus), Corey Harper (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering), and Karen Lightman (Executive Director of Safety21 UTC).
Full references appear in a supplemental information document due to space limitations here.
Description
Timeline
Strategic Description / RD&T
Section left blank until USDOT’s new priorities and RD&T strategic goals are available in Spring 2026.
Deployment Plan
Quarter 1 – Complete a policy brief on encouraging BEV adoption.
Quarter 2 – Develop a policy brief on first responder training for BEV. Interact with Penn Start on testing for vulnerable road users. Track regulations and manufacturer actions on partial automation.
Quarter 3 – Develop policy brief on partial automation performance and progress. Continue to interact with PennSTART on testing programs.
Quarter 4 – Revise professional papers and policy briefs as needed from reviews. Continue to interact with PennSTART on testing programs.
Expected Outcomes/Impacts
This project will have a variety of outcomes and impacts:
1. The literature and policy attention to battery electric vehicle safety is scant. Professional papers and policy briefs from this project will be a major incremental contribution. As the number of battery electric vehicles grows, safety concerns are likely to become important for prospective owners and for policy makers.
2. Most of the media and policy attention to vehicle automation focuses on more extensive and sophisticated automation. However, partial automation is proven to avoid and mitigate crashes. Moreover, partial automation continues to grow in the vehicle fleet. Enhancing this performance and extending to other vehicle types and situations is a goal of this work.
3. Aiding the implementation of PennSTART could help transform the state of use for automated and connected vehicles as well as emergency personnel training.
Expected Outputs
We anticipate several professional papers (on BEV truck safety), one or more policy briefs, proposed rule comments, and presentations at professional conferences such as the Transportation Research Board. PennSTART will begin construction and partial operation during the course of this project.
TRID
A Transport Research International Documentation (TRID) search for research projects was conducted for each of the project tasks.
First, a TRID search using the keywords ‘Battery Electric Vehicle Safety’ was conducted for research projects. Nine relevant projects were identified. Two are current Safety21 UTC projects from the current team; as stated above, results of this work will be used in the proposed project. Two additional Safety21 UTC project addresses safety standards for PennSTART and training for vehicle technicians. Other relevant complementary projects include a TCRP project on Battery Electric Bus safety, a NHTS responder and crash investigation project, a NCHRP on BEV and roadside infrastructure, and UC Davis projects on EV supply chains, efficiency policy, BEV trucks life cycle costs.
Second, a TRID search using the keywords ‘partial automated and connected vehicles’ found a NHTSA study on sensors for driver impairment, a Cooperative Research Program project on automation acceptance, a FHWA project on automation and freight movements, a NHTSA project on on road behavior of ADAS, and several IIHS studies on acceptance and driver attention.
Records of the searches and identified projects are included as supplemental information. We conclude that our proposed project is substantially different from existing research projects.
Individuals Involved
| Email |
Name |
Affiliation |
Role |
Position |
| cdharper@andrew.cmu.edu |
Harper, Corey |
Carnegie Mellon University |
Co-PI |
Faculty - Untenured, Tenure Track |
| cth@cmu.edu |
Hendrickson, Chris |
Carnegie Mellon School of Engineering |
PI |
Faculty - Adjunct |
| kh3m@andrew.cmu.edu |
Lightman, Karen |
Metro21 |
Co-PI |
Other |
Budget
Amount of UTC Funds Awarded
$95000.00
Total Project Budget (from all funding sources)
$190000.00
Documents
Match Sources
No match sources!
Partners
| Name |
Type |
| RIDC |
Deployment Partner Deployment Partner |
| Duquesne Light Company |
Deployment Partner_ Deployment Partner_ |
