Research Projects

The University of California Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS) administers two statewide research programs – the Statewide Transportation Research Program (STRP) funded by the State of California through the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), and the Resilient and Innovative Mobility Initiative (RIMI) funded by the State of California through a one-time allocation from the state’s General Fund. The STRP supports an annual research program with priorities set by the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, the Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, and the UC ITS Board of Advisors. RIMI is a multi-campus, multi-year research and engagement program organized around three pillars: Carbon Neutral Transportation, Emerging Transportation Technology and Innovation, and Public Transit and Shared Mobility. Equity and High-Road Jobs serve as cross-cutting themes that are integrated across the three RIMI pillars. All research projects funded through the STRP and RIMI are listed below.

Principles and Guiding Factors for Determining the Demand for EV Charging in Order to Maximize Usefulness and Impact in a Rural California- Part 1

Research Team: Gil Tal (lead) and Scott Hardman

UC Campus(es): UC Davis

Status: In Progress

Developing a Spatial Roadmap for Near- and Long-Term Hydrogen Planning

Research Team: Lew Fulton (lead), Chris Yang, Alan Jenn, Tri Dev Acharya, Daniel Coffee, and David Wong

UC Campus(es): UC Davis, UCLA

Status: In Progress

Lifecycle Emissions Assessment of Future Hydrogen Vehicles in California

Research Team: Timothy Lipman (lead), Arpad Horvath, Alissa Kendall, Lewis Fulton, Daniel Coffee, Stephanie Collins, and Pablo Busch

UC Campus(es): UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA

Status: In Progress

Policy Brief Series on the Role of Hydrogen in California’s Transportation System

Research Team: Lew Fulton (lead), Jeff Reed, Tim Lipman, Arpad Horvath, Stephanie Collins, Allissa Kendall, Pablo Busch

UC Campus(es): UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Exploring How the Mobility Needs of the Unhoused Population are Addressed in Regional Transportation Planning

Research Team: Mirle Rabinowitz Bussell (lead) and Jennifer Nations

UC Campus(es): UC San Diego

Status: In Progress

Using Connected Vehicle Technology to Develop a Secure Integrated Corridor Management System

Research Lead: Mohammad Abdullah Al Faruque

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Privacy-preserving Methods for Traffic Data Collection and Analysis

Research Lead: Wenlong Jin

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Will Transit Ever Recover From COVID-19? Lessons from Los Angeles

Research Team: David Brownstone (lead) and Henry Bernal

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Modeling the Interactions of Costs, Price, Choice, and Performance for Shared Mobility Systems with Subscription Service Possibilities

Research Lead: R. Jayakrishnan

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Synthesizing Research on Telecommuting and Metropolitan Spatial Structure

Research Lead: Jae Hong Kim

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

The Role of Medium and Heavy-Duty Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles in Achieving California’s Zero-Emission Truck Goals and a Carbon-Free Grid

Research Team: Stephen Ritchie (lead), Behdad Kiani, and Andre Tok

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Examining the Safety and Efficiency Implications of Several Autonomous Car-following Models

Research Lead: Wenlong Jin

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Developing Planning-level Analysis Tools for Connected Automated Vehicle Technologies and Services

Research Lead: Jiaqi Ma

UC Campus(es): UCLA

Status: In Progress

Autonomicity: Integrated Modeling for Field Tests of Shared-Autonomous Mobility Systems

Research Lead: Jay Jayakrishnan

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Best Practices in Implementing Tactical Transit Lanes

Research Team: Juan Matute (lead) and John Gahbauer

UC Campus(es): UCLA

Status: Completed

Seismic Advisory Board: Providing Technical Experts for Caltrans and California High Speed Rail Authority

Research Lead: Laura Melendy

UC Campus(es): UC Berkeley

Status: In Progress

Analyzing Telework and Travel in California Before, During, and After the Pandemic

Research Team: Michael McNally (lead) and Rezwana Rafiq

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

Real Options Models for Better Investment Decisions in Road Infrastructure under Demand Uncertainty

Research Lead: Ke Want

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: Completed

Autonomicity: Developing An Agent-based Model for an Urban Living Laboratory with Shared, Connected and Autonomous Transportation System Components

Research Lead: R. Jayakrishnan

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Status: In Progress

What’s behind Recent Transit Ridership Trends in the Bay Area?

Research Team: Brian D. Taylor (lead), Evelyn Blumenberg, Jacob Wasserman, Mark Garrett, Andrew Schouten, Hannah King, Julene Paul, and Madeline Ruvolo

UC Campus(es): UCLA

Status: Completed