A new University of Michigan study finds that automation and electrification of long-haul trucking can reduce urban health impacts and environmental damages.
A new University of Michigan study finds that automation and electrification of long-haul trucking can reduce urban health impacts and environmental damages.
For long-haul routes below 300 miles, electrification can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas damages by 13%, or $587 million annually, according to the study. For long-haul routes above 300 miles, electrification of just the urban segments facilitated by hub-based automation of highway driving can reduce damages by 35%, or $220 million annually.
“It’s the first study we know of that simultaneously studies a realistic model of automation and a realistic model of electrification—things that are feasible in the near term—and assesses their environmental benefits,” said lead author Parth Vaishnav, assistant professor at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability.
Vaishnav explains more about the study, which was published online April 22 in the journal Transportation Research Part D.
Read more at University of Michigan
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