Haibo Chen is a Professor in Intelligent Transport Systems at the Institute for Transport Studies of the University of Leeds. He is also the head of the “Spatial Modelling and Dynamics (SMaD)” research group (department equivalent) and the leader of the “Connected and Shared Mobility” research theme at the Institute. He has served as the principal investigator for nearly twenty international research projects. He produced a substantial amount of research outputs contributed to the award of the Queen's Prize for 40 Years of Continuous Excellence in Transport Research and Education to the institute in 2008. Over the past five years, Professor Chen has been involved in over ten European Union-funded projects as a technical director, academic leader, and research coordinator, with a total funding exceeding 60 million euros. He has published over two hundred research articles, including more than a hundred high-quality SCI papers.
Driven by the Paris Agreement which sets an ambitious target for CO2 emissions to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 (compared to 2010 levels), The recent research and development (R&D) programs in the European transport sector have been very much focused on the decarbonisation of all the transport activities including the systems, infrastructure, and services that are used to move people and goods. In this talk, Professor Chen from the Institute for Transport Studies of the University of Leeds will present the framework of the current European R&D programme Horizon Europe and the results of his research in several EU-funded projects, which aim to improve energy efficiency of the transport vehicles and the user acceptance of net-zero mobility in Europe, including (1) modification of drivers’ behaviour to adapt for lower-emissions; (2) a cloud-based real-time powertrain control model for long-haul heavy duty vehicles; (3) comparative life cycle assessment of electric cars and bikes; and (4) user acceptance of connected and autonomous vehicles (e.g. willingness to use, city readiness). This talk will also shed light on how these projects contribute to the EU Smart Mobility strategy and Green Deal target.