Research hub looks ahead to zero emission transport world

Led by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow, the project is supported by a £46 million investment from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and 67 partners, including Ocado, Tesco and Transport for London (TfL).

Digital twins or digital replicas of the physical world will collect data in real time by sensors connected to infrastructure such as roads, railways or shipping.

It will enable real-world data to be analysed to test and improve different scenarios and the digital twin can then send back its solution for an improved process to the physical world in near real-time. Researchers suggest that it could help motorists reduce carbon emissions, for example through updating digital road signs with information on the shortest route out of traffic jams. It will also allow them to test how parts of a future decarbonised transport system that does not even exist yet, will work – for example electric road systems and alternative fuels.

By speeding up the way new systems are tested, it will help to identify the lowest-cost pathways to net zero carbon emissions, such as through helping logistics companies to identify the most sustainable routes, vehicle types and journey times.

Feryal Clark, minister for AI and Digital Government, said:

We see a technology future for British people which enriches and improves their lives. The research TransiT will now carry out is a prime example of how we’re supporting cutting-edge innovations to make that vision a reality. On top of saving the public time and money on the journeys they take day-to-day, this project will also harness the power of transformative digital technologies to cut carbon emissions – demonstrating the incredible impact technology can have in improving our public services, tackling climate change and beyond.

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