1655202 - Automated Transit Network Systems with Battery-Electric Vehicles in Automated Mobility Districts

Research has been underway over the past 5 years at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to understand the evolution of Automated Mobility Districts (AMD), a term used to describe multiple transport modes operating automatically in an integrated fashion to serve dense urban settings and other like activity centers.  Early examples of automated/autonomous, electric vehicles (A/EVs) in what could be considered prototypes of AMDs have typically been small to medium size vehicle technologies.  These new systems are defined as “automated transit networks” (ATNs) in the latest issue of the ANSI/ASCE 21-21 Automated People Mover Standards.  ATN systems with vehicle capacity up to 25 passengers (seated and standing) are characterized by the capability to provide on-demand service from off-line stations, thereby accommodating a direct ride between a passenger’s origin and their destination stations. 

The technical paper and presentation provide an overview of the NREL research program findings and conclusions achieved to date with respect to automated/autonomous battery-electric vehicles operating in managed fleets.  A summary of research is described addressing the ongoing assessment of how implementation costs will be impacted by the electrification of vehicle systems with battery-electric propulsion and the required provision of the associated battery-charging infrastructure.  Further, the presentation summary describes how the NREL research is investigating the increased complexity of fleet management when the system electrification involving battery charging during the operating day must be managed in an integrated manner with the fully automated fleet operations.  In particular, the potential implications for automated system operations are discussed with respect to increasing the fleet size to achieve objectives of high-levels of passenger-service and mobility, thereby impacting the battery-electric vehicle duty cycles.