Rémy Le Boennec, Researcher at VEDECOM Institute and LGI CentraleSupélec (Université of Paris-Saclay), in collaboration with Isabelle Nicolaï (LGI CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay) and Pascal Da Costa (LGI CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay), has set out a study within a research project dubbed the Institut VEDECOM New Mobility Offers Observatory [Observatoire des Nouvelles Solutions de Mobilité de l’Institut VEDECOM]. It is assessing fifty emerging mobility offers on the basis of sustainable development indicators and local characteristics. The aim is to help decision makers to construct their own relevant and viable scenarios for instigating new mobility initiatives in their territories. Here we feedback on the study that featured at the international Transport Research Arena (TRA2018) conference which took place from 16-19 April in Vienna.

Moving toward new uses for private cars and modes of transport

The traditional “either/or” view of private cars vs. public transport is waning and many now see the automobile as “public transport of tomorrow” that will supplement local government schemes in places and at times that are currently not competitive (sparsely populated areas, evenings, etc.). Heralded for their convenience, 64% of rural French people and 44% of those living in conurbations of more than 100,000 inhabitants use cars daily.[1] However, they bring with them their share of disadvantages (noise, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions), accidents and traffic jams. At the same time, the advent of inclusive transport concepts, which aim to provide tangible and affordable solutions to categories of the population that do not have access to “standard” forms of mobility, encourages a rethinking of getting from A to B and improvements to the institutional framework that encompasses this. Actually adopting new sustainable mobility offers requires overcoming both psychological and sociological obstacles. Despite encouraging signs of development, users who regularly go inter-modal, i.e. combine several modes of transport on the same journey, or multi-modal, meaning that they alternate between several transport modes on different journeys, still represent a very small percentage of the overall population.

The New Mobility Offers Observatory – a decision-making tool

This study, which was presented at the TRA2018 conference, was carried out to reduce both social and geographical costs. It also supports changes in behaviour and takes into account the profusion of new mobility offers in the decision-making process. The Observatory aims to assess new mobility offers for decision-makers, looking at the relevant socio-demographic and geographical characteristics of each type of area in terms of their specific population and employment density and population flows. For any given journey, each solution assessed has been compared to a private combustion-engine car used by a single driver. The particularities of each area are crucial. For example, though car-sharing solutions have proved suitable for city centres, they rarely are in less-densely populated areas. Likewise, Uber’s success is linked to the short distances to cover in city centres. The question is, how do we identify the characteristics of inter- and multi-modal users to transfer them to people who use cars exclusively, thus helping transport operators, both long-standing and new to the market, to design new offers that are appropriate for the target market and economically sustainable.

A specific solution for each area, including inside the Ile-de-France Region in France

The assessment carried out within the New Mobility Offers Observatory project will go hand in hand with establishing territorial profiling. For example, for the Ile-de-France Region in France, different types of areas have been identified, from central Paris to periurban and rural areas. The particularities of each type of area in terms of travel require the use of different mobility offers. In central Paris, long-standing (public transport) and emerging offers (shared bikes, kick-scooters and electric scooters) coexist, making it difficult to manage transport policies that best navigate the different solutions. In close suburbs, the use of bike- and car-sharing is often on top of long-standing public transport methods. In the rest of the Paris conurbation, public transport networks are still dense, but given the large distances covered, it is difficult to offer uninterrupted mobility services: for example, when you pick up a shared bike from one station you need to have the possibility of dropping it off in a more remote place. In the medium-sized towns in the rest of the Ile-de-France region (in periurban areas), mobility services are usually organised around the train stations. Lastly, in other municipalities of the Ile-de-France Region (and farther) that do not have a train station, outside of isolated experiments, we have seen a real lack of mobility offers that offer an alternative to private cars in those less densely populated areas.

An innovative, two-step method for developing specific transport scenarios for each region

To try to offer solutions to these various problems, the New Mobility Offers Observatory is assessing fifty mobility offers, most of them emerging ones. It uses an innovative, two-step method. The first involves attributing a consolidated score, based on 18 indicators, to each of the offers after a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The chosen indicators have been elaborated into assessment process measurement indicators and approved by a group of transport experts, including researchers, manufacturers and local authorities. The selected criteria cover the three fields of sustainable development: economic, environmental and social.

After being put through Diviz software, the results show that in very densely populated areas, such as central Paris, private combustion-engine cars are not very efficient (due to more environmental criteria in central areas), unlike less densely populated regions, where private car use is widespread, primarily out of habit and for practical reasons (saving time, etc.). For similar reasons, carpooling emerges as an environmentally friendly alternative in less-densely populated areas. Conversely, a private electrical car’s efficiency diminishes the further you travel from densely populated areas. The use of active-travel sharing solutions (e.g. Velib shared bikes in Paris) is only usually viable and practical in city centres. Driverless shuttles appear to work along the same lines, both because the speed of travel makes them less competitive than combustion engine cars in less densely populated areas, but also because environmental concerns are less widely felt (environmental criteria less weighted in less densely populated areas). Surprisingly, walking earned the highest score, regardless of the type of area under consideration, as much for economic (low cost to the user) as environmental or even social reasons (practised almost universally, trust in the method, etc.).

In the second stage, software called MICMAC is used to map influence and dependence between the 18 indicators. For each type of area, it compiles a matrix of the interactions between the different criteria, taken two by two. The final result is a criteria influence and dependence map that can be used to develop one or two territorial scenarios for designing innovative or hybrid mobility offer.

Three things to bear in mind when promoting more sustainable mobility

Many observation bodies are looking at the mobility of the future. The originality of the New Mobility Offers Observatory resides in the fact that it compares emerging offers such as carpooling, car-sharing and active modes, using scores obtained from MCDA. It is unique in that it offers public authorities additional elements in order to make more precise decisions about the solutions to take forward. Thanks to systematic monitoring, the Observatory will continue to assess and rank new mobility offers. After the mid-point results, three elements have emerged in favour of more sustainable mobility:

• Carpooling represents a similar spatial profile to private car use, with relatively higher efficiency in periurban and rural areas. However, it is still under-used.
• Active modes, particularly walking, need to be encouraged by public authorities everywhere, specifically by rolling out rules and infrastructure that guarantee that it is possible, safe and comfortable, and provides easy access to shops and businesses.
• Lastly, in less densely populated areas, walking obviously needs to be combined with other modes of transport. Efficient distribution of multi-modal transport information, which also gained high scores across all types of region, could be successfully deployed here.

A small part of a more global array of options to support transport decision makers

Going forward, The New Mobility Offers Observatory will be an integral part of a more global array of options for businesses and local government:

• New modes of transport (the Observatory): an assessment service for new mobility offers
• Business models: a business model soundness analysis service
• User experience: an on-the-ground analysis service for new modes of transport

Read the full article

Contact the author => mailto :remy.leboennec@vedecom.fr

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Remy_Le_Boennec

[1] Source: Chronos, ObSoCo, 2018

The 2019 mobilité@VEDECOM event took place on Thursday 11 April 2019 at the mobiLAB, attended by over 400 guests. To mark its fifth anniversary, the Institute for Energy Transition presented a wide range of research projects and results at 40 dedicated stands. It was an opportunity to award the Ecological and Inclusive Mobility Award to five of its young researchers at a ceremony attended by representatives of the French state and VEDECOM’s partner municipalities. It was also an opportunity to invite 10 startups from the world of mobility to MOBILITY SPOT – a combination of a hub, a fablab and prototyping workshops. We take a look back at this day of discoveries, meetings and shared experiences to uncover the secrets of the future of mobility.

Focus on the Institute’s three fields of research

The Institute’s three fields of research were in the spotlight at the fifth mobilité@VEDECOM event – vehicle electrification, self-driving and connectivity, and shared mobility and energy: three different fields bringing cross-cutting and systemic expertise in autonomous vehicles and mobility. R&D has been extended to include a training programme to share VEDECOM’s knowledge and encourage the development of skills among stakeholders in the mobility ecosystem, demonstrated via a number of lively events. Researchers also gave introductions to the innovative solutions put in place within the Institute: Entropy, the first startup created following a VEDECOM research project; demonstrations of the level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicle; Geloca, the vehicle localisation solution that uses land registry maps; MOOVE, the project for collecting driving data; the new 30 kW roadside induction coil charging stations; autonomous shuttles with expanded perception; pedestrian and driving simulators; and many more.

MobiLAB facilities supporting research activities

For the first time, the event took place within the Institute itself, between the mobiLAB and Hall A, at the edge of the test tracks. With the sun shining, visitors moved from demonstrations to conferences, from themed trails to workshops, and from simulators to autonomous shuttles. These visits were an opportunity to discuss topics ranging from artificial intelligence to road markings, from acceptability to mobile hyperplaces, from thermal comfort to embedded PMB, and more.

The vià GrandParis studio, located right in the middle of the reception area and hosted throughout the day by journalist Olivier Zanetta, held a range of interviews, putting the experts in the limelight. Debates featuring VEDECOM researchers and external guests were a chance to highlight the crucial questions that will shape the future of mobility. How can recharging and energy distribution – so essential to the development of electric vehicles – be managed? What challenges will arise during the roll-out of autonomous vehicles, aside from the vehicles themselves? How can we train ourselves in future forms of mobility, which will involve the transformation of existing jobs and the creation of new ones? What methods of travel will we use in the future ?

A startup village to breathe life into the roll-out of innovative mobility solutions

As a first step towards tackling all of these questions, a village of guest startups presented their innovative mobility solutions and services: Oribiky, the first eco-friendly self-service solution for electrically assisted cycles; Trialog, an engineering consultancy and expertise company that is involved in work to standardise communications between electric vehicles and charging stations; VOOX, which has designed a patented innovative technology that aims to simplify the exchange of data in industrial systems; Box2Home, which offers last-mile delivery solutions to businesses and professionals for heavy and/or large parcels; LCN, an engineering firm that works on real-time management of crossroads; and finally Cocoon, the three-wheeler with a passenger compartment from BlueMooov, which is particularly well-suited for urban journeys and which was previewed at the show.

Five years, five young researchers named winners of the Ecological and Inclusive Mobility Award

The high point of this anniversary year was the recognition of five young VEDECOM researchers for their scientific advances in the field of new forms of mobility. Roch El Khoury, Guillaume Bresson, Stéphanie Coeugnet-Chevrier, Mohamed Cherif Rahal and Elsa Yousfi received the Ecological and Inclusive Mobility Award from the Secretary-General for Investment, Guillaume Body, as well as from François de Mazières, mayor of Versailles and chair of Versailles Grand Parc, Olivier de La Faire, Yvelines departmental councillor, and Sylvie Piganeau, regional councillor. “We want to celebrate these young researchers who are the driving force behind all of these innovations that will change our lives and make us safer,” said Guillaume Body. It is also an opportunity to set three new challenges for VEDECOM: forge closer bonds with technical research institutes, strengthen partnerships and carry out the process of energy transition for future generations.

“Our 200 engineers and researchers work on a daily basis to bring about the future of mobility – a sustainable mobility. As an Institute for Energy Transition, VEDECOM is at the heart of the environmental and ecological revolution in the field of transport,” added Philippe Watteau, the Managing Director of the Institute. He also expressed his thanks to all VEDECOM teams in this anniversary year. The Institute is proud of its successes and confident about its future. VEDECOM is ready to embrace the next five years, which will feature three development focuses: entrepreneurship, consolidating VEDECOM’s role as an accelerator of innovation in the field of new forms of mobility at the Satory hub, and enhancing international awareness of the Institute’s research activities.

Ecological and Inclusive Mobility Award – an in-depth look at the winning researchers

Roch El Khoury is an engineer who received his doctorate in energy and processes from the École des Mines de Paris in 2015. Roch joined VEDECOM in 2015 to extend the results of his doctoral research, in digital simulation, to electric vehicles. He currently heads the research team working on passengers’ thermal comfort and optimising its impact on the driving range and energy consumption of electric vehicles.

PRIZE FOR: Outstanding practical use of results from research in the field of comfort

Guillaume Bresson received his doctorate in mobile robotics from Université Blaise Pascal (UBP), France, in 2014.  He was a post-doctoral student at Inria Paris-Rocquencourt, working on issues of perception for smart transport systems. He joined the VEDECOM Institute in 2015, where he has led work on the topic of localisation and mapping since his arrival. He is also joint project manager on the Automated Driving Vehicle project at the Institute.

PRIZE FOR: Scientific excellence in the field of autonomous vehicle localisation

Stéphanie Coeugnet – After receiving her doctorate in psychology and cognitive ergonomics from the University of Valanciennes in 2011, she joined VEDECOM in 2016 after four years of post-doctoral work on the design and assessment of MMIs. She manages VEDECOM’s research topic into the acceptability and ease of use of new mobility solutions and their MMIs.

PRIZE FOR: Acceptability of autonomous vehicles – Impact of human factors and new practices on the adoption of new autonomous mobility solutions

Mohamed-Cherif RAHAL. After receiving his doctorate in theoretical computer science from Paris Dauphine University in 2010, he moved to IFSTTAR for a post-doc, where he worked on issues of road-edge detection to improve traffic flow. He joined the VEDECOM Institute in 2013. He is currently a researcher working on autonomous vehicle perception and he is also the joint project manager of the Automated Driving Vehicle project. He leads three European projects (AUTOMATE, ADAS&ME and CoExist).

PRIZE FOR: Europe – VEDECOM’s successes in its involvement in several European projects (Automate, ADAS&ME & CoExist)

Elsa Yousfi joined the human factors team at the VEDECOM Institute in 2014 to begin her cognitive psychology thesis on human drivers retaking control of autonomous vehicles. She then continued her work within the Institute as a post-doctoral researcher into human factors as part of the European AutoMate project. She is currently head of psychological research and studies human behaviour on board autonomous vehicles.

PRIZE FOR: Human factors – Advanced research into the conditions for the safe return of control to the driver of an autonomous vehicle

Videos of the event  :  https://viagrandparis.tv/emissions/mobilab/

TV78 reportage inTwitter : https://twitter.com/TV78Officiel/status/1116364145794998274

H2020 European project HEADSTART (Harmonised European Solutions for Testing Automated Road Transport) was launched in January 2019. It is deployed by a consortium of 21 partners, from 9 different countries, one of which is VEDECOM Institute, under the coordination of IDIADA and Mr Álvaro Arrúe. The consortium’s vision is to define testing and validation procedures of Connected and Automated Driving functions including key technologies such as communications, cyber-security and positioning. The tests will take place in simulation and real-world fields with the aim to validate safety and security performance according to the key users’ needs.

The HEADSTART project will bring together the consortium with other European and national CAD stakeholders to cluster the most relevant existing initiatives, develop methodologies, procedures and tools and drive in a harmonized European solution for testing and validation of automated road vehicles. Within the lifetime of the project, relevant stakeholders will be able to join the experts’ network so as to configure together the methodologies used and also promote the project results’ adoption.

Within the consortium, VEDECOM is responsible for the first work package (WP1) with the objective of establishing the state of the art on testing and validation methodologies, identifying the needs of stakeholders, defining the requirements for key technologies and selecting the most relevant use cases in various traffic scenarios to be tested on proving ground or simulation for Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) certification.

VEDECOM is also contributing to WP2 to define a methodology for CAD testing and validation for the targeted use cases, taking into consideration the key technologies.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824309.

The inauguration of the trinational digital test bed took place on Wednesday, April 3^rd 2019, in Schengen (Luxembourg). On this occasion, VEDECOM presented the TRIICA project, whose main goal is to demonstrate the continuous compatibility for communicating vehicles with driving delegation between three countries in relationship with the infrastructures.

The event took place in the presence of the ministers of Transport of France, Germany and Luxembourg, as well as the Luxembourgish deputy prime minister and the minister of Transport of the Saarland. The creation of the site reflects the common will of the three countries to promote the development and experimentation of various technologies for automated and connected driving in a real-world and cross-border context.

Coordinated by VEDECOM, the TRIICA project is seeking its European partners

Philippe Watteau, CEO of the VEDECOM Institute, took the opportunity of the event to present the TRIICA project (Test and Research on Intelligent Infrastructure for Collaborative Autonomous driving) which was set up by VEDECOM in response to the Call for Expression of Interest published by the Ministries of the three countries in 2018. The project is coordinated by VEDECOM and carried by a consortium of 6 French partners (Cerema, Sanef, YoGoKo as well as the French subsidiaries of 3M and Continental). They aim to further extend the consortium to German and Luxembourgish partners.

TRIICA project’s main goal is to demonstrate the continuous compatibility for communicating vehicles with driving delegation between three countries while valorising the benefits of road infrastructures for the development of automated driving technologies.

Analysing and comparing risk situations for autonomous vehicles in cross-border regions

The first step will consist of detecting and analysing for each country different specific road signalling types, leveraging vehicles with perception capabilities that are representative of level 4 connected autonomous vehicles. This comparison will allow to identify risk situations generated by specificities of cross-border context. Horizontal and vertical innovative road signalling will be tested to assess their potential additional value for autonomous driving vehicle. Continuity of the connectivity management (roaming) in cross-border regions will also be considered. To conclude this first use case, specifications and recommendations will be issued to guide the development of vehicles with driving delegation and their infrastructures.

An enriched Local Dynamic Map (LMD)

The second step will aim to widen the AD vehicles’ perception by eHorizon which is a cloud service enriched by a local dynamic map (LDM) giving the opportunity to inform the vehicle of risk situations leading to a decrease of the current SAE level. The capacity of the vehicle to initiate a fall back safe-stop manoeuvre in an informed refuge zone will therefore be considered.

Designing a new autonomous vehicle prototype to demonstrate the pre-determined concepts

In a last step, a new prototype vehicle with driving delegation, designed by VEDECOM, will integrate specifications developed in previous use cases. This will allow to demonstrate the various driving situations considered in the first steps.

As the project coordinator of TRIICA, VEDECOM will be leading the different research and development activities as well as the experimentations and evaluation.