Carlo van de Weijer, director of the Stratigic Area Smart Mobility (April 2018)

“Less stress on the road, no more unexpected delays caused by traffic jams, no negative impact on the environment, and no accidents anymore. It seems like an impossible task, because our growing population and prosperity may lead to even more traffic. However, at TU/e we see many opportunities for tackling mobility problems with technological solutions. We aim to achieve sustainable mobility without losing sight of the freedom and joy that cars have brought us.

By putting more intelligence in the mobility system. And by making cars smarter, cleaner, and safer. Cars that know exactly which route to take to avoid traffic jams. Cars that can brake, accelerate, and steer on their own, thanks to intelligent sensors that perform even better than humans do.

That increases safety. We see a bright future for electric power trains and focus a lot of our research in that area. We are also working on developing engines that run on sustainable fuels, with exhaust fumes that are cleaner than the surrounding environment. Going below zero emissions is our goal.

A productive and efficient traffic network calls for smart planning and communication. For well-organized logistics and traffic flows to ensure, for example, that there are no empty trucks on the road. For models that will provide insight into the future mobility needs of people, so we can act accordingly. And for Intelligent Transport Systems: vehicles that communicate with one another, their drivers, and the environment and can travel safely, without delays, through traffic. We develop the road towards in-car centric traffic management that will soon make those dynamic routing panels and other roadside equipment redundant.”