Samueli School Distinguished Lecture: Future Mobility - the Transition to Smart Cities and Connected/Automated Vehicles

Abstract: Mobility is undergoing dramatic transformations that will radically change the way we move and access work and leisure time. This presentation presents a broad overview of the technologies and challenges ahead of us in the medium and long term, touching on various topics related to smart cities and smart mobility. The city of Columbus, winner of the U.S. DOT Smart City program, is implementing a number of programs related to mobility, data exchange and EV adoption, which will be reviewed in the presentation. Looking more closely at vehicle technology, the seminar also includes an overview of the ARPA-E NEXTCAR program, describing how vehicle connectivity and automated driving capabilities can considerably enhance the fuel economy of a light-duty passenger car. Finally, the talk closes with some considerations on the challenges that we face in the adoption and implementation of these new technologies.

Bio:  Giorgio Rizzoni is the Ford Motor Company Chair in Electromechanical Systems and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and electrical and computer engineering at Ohio State University (OSU). He received his bachelor's degree in 1980, his master's degree in 1982, his doctorate in 1986, all in electricial and computer engineering from the University of Michigan. Since 1999 he has been the director of the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research, an interdisciplinary university research center in the OSU College of Engineering. His research activities are related to modeling, control and diagnosis of advanced vehicles, energy efficiency, alternative fuels, the interaction between vehicles and the electric power grid, vehicle safety and intelligence, and policy and economic analysis of alternative fuels and vehicle fuel economy. He is currently serving as principal investigator on a 2017-2020 ARPA-E NEXTCAR program that aims to tie vehicle automation and connectivity to powertrain control and fuel economy. He has contributed to the development of graduate curricula in these areas and has served as the director of three U.S. Department of Energy Graduate Automotive Technology Education Centers of Excellence: Hybrid Drivetrains and Control Systems (1998-2004), Advanced Propulsion Systems (2005-2011, and Energy Efficient Vehicles for Sustainable Mobility (2011-2016). Between 2011 and 2016, he served as the OSU site director for the U.S. Department of Energy China-USA Clean Energy Research Center - Clean Vehicles. Rizzoni is a fellow of SAE (2005) and IEEE (2004) and a recipient of the 1991 National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award and numerous other technical and teaching awards.  

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