Shaping the future of tomorrow’s transport

What form will tomorrow’s transport take? The researchers at the Integrated Transport Research Lab in Stockholm might have the answers.

The Integrated Transport Research Lab (ITRL) at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology is located in what to the outside world looks like a suburban garage. But behind the doors of this unassuming building lies a high-tech laboratory, bustling with activity.

On the floor, truck models roll along projected lanes, and quiet conversations are being held everywhere about ongoing projects. It’s here that ideas for tomorrow’s transport solutions are developed and tested.

ITRL is a joint initiative between KTH and Scania. It brings together researchers from several areas to work closely with the business community and conduct the research that could solve transport-related environmental challenges globally. In 2014, Scania became the primary funder of ITRL, and the operation, which had up until then been relatively vehicle-focused, reoriented itself towards solving major community problems.

A holistic view of the transport system

Ulf Ceder is Senior Manager at Scania’s Research & Development Support office and oversees future transport solutions.

“Harald Ludanek, Scania’s Head of Research and Development had a vision of shifting ITRL’s focus towards system solutions,” Ceder says. “Scania has a holistic view of the transport system in which different forms of transport, infrastructure, policy, and business models are all linked together. We can’t produce these kinds of solutions by ourselves, and instead need to do it in cooperation with customers, cities, and other partners.”

Recently, rapid progress has been made, and six months ago Swedish telecom giant Ericsson also opted to become a partner in ITRL. Scania and Ericsson are together investing 7.5 million euros over a seven-year period. KTH and other financiers are contributing an equivalent sum.

Peter Georén is Head of ITRL. “In seven years, this will be Europe’s most important forum for transport research using a systemic approach,” he says. “We will have commenced research worth 20 million euros nd will have become a hub for KTH’s 400 or so transport researchers.”

KTH’s research currently focuses on four different research programs. These are: efficient goods transport in urban environments; automation and multimodal goods transport; automated public transport; and next generation private car transport.

Long-term strategies needed

Transport in urban environments is an issue that is becoming all the more important across the world. The number of vehicles on the roads is steadily growing. One study predicts the number will surpass two billion by 2030. This is a direct consequence of global urbanisation.

According to a UN estimate, by 2050 over 20 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities. As a result, new, long-term strategies are needed to ensure the system doesn’t collapse. Scania says it sees its partnership with ITRL as central to finding new solutions.

Ulf Ceder explains: “Cities are primarily seeking solutions for their increasingly large congestion costs. So, Scania’s solution isn’t to sell more cars or trucks. We have to be able to help cities with solutions for their problems. For our part, this represents a different and more complex approach to business, involving other solutions.

“Among the problems we face today is large-scale waste in the transport system. Loads that are significantly under capacity and poor use of infrastructure capacity. This isn’t a problem we can solve ourselves, but through cooperation with others our knowledge of flows and modular thinking will benefit both Scania and the community. It’s an important part of our sustainability work.”

“Scania will take the lead in sustainable transport”

When academia with its core of knowledge, the corporate world with its commercial drive, and the community with its list of demands all come together to produce solutions for shared problems, the results can be extremely long lasting. Scania and Ericsson’s respective expertise within the transport sector and the coming 5G network technology make it possible to create a unique testing ground.

“Scania will take the lead in sustainable transport, and we will achieve this by contributing to development,” says Ulf Ceder. “We can contribute knowledge and solutions that help create the required conditions for a better environment, more efficient transport, and new business opportunities for us as a company. It’s a win-win situation.”

Shaping the future of tomorrow’s transport

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