Image: © VectorMine/Stock.adobe.com
Trinity College Dublin’s Prof Brian Caulfield is leading a research project that aims to increase the use of shared mobility and EVs in Ireland.
In March, a concerning report from IQAir revealed that air pollution was hitting troubling levels last year, with 92pc of the 134 countries studied showing below-par air quality standards.
Additionally, the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) in Ireland fell year-on-year for the fourth time in seven months in March, raising concerns that the Irish Government is falling behind in its plans to electrify the national fleet to meet climate goals.
Reducing emissions through the transport sector is a key part of hitting emission targets but these setbacks are an understandable cause for concern. That’s where research projects like Tract come in.
Tract is a set of shared mobility hub trials for the Dublin suburban region. The project aims to change mobility behaviour and produce results that demonstrate how emissions from transport can be reduced.
Brian Caulfield, who is a professor in transportation in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at Trinity College Dublin is leading the research project, which is funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Department of Transport.
“My teaching and research are all focused upon transportation, how to make it more efficient and more sustainable,” he told SiliconRepublic.com. “My research examines pathways for us to decarbonise our transport patterns and this can take place by either using or creating new technologies or changing existing behaviours.”
Caulfield is also editor of the International Journal of Transport Policy and much of his research is focused on how to improve policymaking and ultimately achieving a more sustainable transport system for all.
Time, innovation and patience
The first trial within the Tract project aims to first establish a shared mobility hub in the Sandyford region of South Dublin. There, shared bikes, cars and public transport services will be promoted to the residents and workers in the area.
Researchers will then examine how users interact with a smartphone app that provides them with information on these services, ultimately measuring changes in transport use and emissions reductions.
“Our second trial involves the development of a smartphone application to inform users of the potential cost and emission savings from switching to fully battery-powered electric cars. The smartphone application, which is due to be released within the next few weeks, will measure distances traveled by participants, estimate how much that would cost in their current petrol or diesel vehicle and then present them with information on how much they would save if the vehicle was fully battery electric,” said Caulfield.
Researchers on the project will monitor the use of the app and engage with participants to understand how this information may change their opinions on switching to battery EVs. The project has identified four user groups to determine how this information can be used to facilitate a transition to EVs – taxi drivers, those living in rural areas, those without driveways and the general public.
“Both pilots are very exciting in that they are engaging with the general public, providing information and services, and measuring how these interventions may change long-term behaviour,” said Caulfield.
“Reducing emissions in the transport sector will take time, it will take innovation and patience. It is hoped that these projects will provide policymakers with information on how successful behavioural change interventions can be in our mission to halve our emissions and transport by the end of the decade.”
Supporting researchers is vital
While the project is an encouraging step, work in the area of climate and emissions can seem like a impossible job when there is “simply too much to do”.
“Given the daunting task we face as a society to reduce our emissions in all sectors, we have never needed rigorous, peer-reviewed and excellent science that can inform policymaking in a timely fashion more,” said Caulfield.
“I have noticed over the past five years that the need for this type of scientific research has never been greater, policymakers and Government are looking to the scientific community in Ireland to produce viable options that could work at scale to reduce our emissions.”
However, he warned that it’s vital that these researchers are supported, especially at an early stage. “We need to provide greater career security and demonstrate pathways for them to pursue their own research agendas.”
When it comes to engaging with the wider public, Caulfield said he’s in a unique position where, rather than being based in a physical lab, he considers his lab to be the cities, towns and villages of Ireland.
“My team collect large amounts of data on how people move, how they interact with new and existing modes of transport, and then model scenarios in how we can improve these mobility patterns,” he said.
“Engagement with the public is vital for my research. It informs my research, makes it stronger and provides insights into new ways to think about mobility issues. Equally it is important to disseminate this (and all) research, it is important that it can make [an] impact with policymakers and the general public.”
Updated, 8.16am, 12 April 2024: This article was updated to clarify who funded the research project.
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
