The road transport sector is undergoing change. Increasingly, digitalization and automation augment may eventually displace tasks previously performed by human drivers. Furthermore, Software as a Service (Saas), Automated Vehicles (AVs), Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) and micromobility, are services that are expected to become increasingly prominent in the near future. The same is true for infrastructure asset management tools, such as digital twins. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is studying these topics within the Norwegian context, characterized by challenging topography, adverse weather conditions, and dispersed populations and goods-producing industries.

We believe that digitalization and automation in the road transport sector necessitates interdisciplinary cooperation between government agencies and regulators. This research center aims to showcase initiatives that we and our partners are partaking in to safely usher in the future that vehicle automation will bring.

• Which parameters characterize the automated road user?
• How must roadways be designed to accommodate automated vehicles?
• How do we ensure that AVs are reliable in Nordic conditions?
• Which types of communication infrastructure (e.g., GPS, cellular) is necessary, and how do we guarantee their reliability?
• How do automated vehicles detect road markings, and should we change our road marking standards to better accommodate them?
• How does automated freight transport, such as truck platooning, change the conditions for export businesses and transport and logistics providers?
• How are drivers affected by the shift in responsibility?