Building on an already internationally recognised research pedigree in control of autonomous vehicles, this now extends to tackle the challenges of connected and autonomous transportation. With technological advances investigated in in-vehicle systems, vehicle to vehicle systems and vehicle to infrastructure, improving safety, decreasing congestion and increased freedom of movement is our forecasted impact. In the air, revolutionising health monitoring, risk analysis and mitigation, improved swarm/fleet technology and control, and exploration to new domains (i.e. agriculture) and their challenges give plentiful opportunity for inspired research.

The rapidly changing landscape of automotive technology, including electrification, connectivity and a zero physical prototyping ambition provides the exciting challenge of a new comprehensive approach to digital vehicle engineering. Providing a platform for integrated, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, development of sustainable and reliable digital twins, coupled with the latest AI and data-driven methods form the strategic research direction for digital tools that provide a more flexible and ambitious approach for all stages of the design, product development and manufacturing process.

With the surge for greater eco-friendliness, the emergence of alternative powertrains is key to the future transportation mix. Our research explores the breadth of options, with full electrification, hybrid technology, battery modelling, and hydrogen fuel cells. Though with a current predominance in the automotive sector, both for personal and public transportation, movements to explore the design of hybrid, self-generating and super-fast charging systems for electric aircraft provide new exciting opportunities. Maximising the decarbonisation of transport in a sustainable way is critical, where degradation phenomenon, system health monitoring, integrated through-life support, infrastructure and economic viability also pose challenging research agendas.

One future-proof focus for next generation transportation is tackling the reduction of emissions.

Complex aerodynamic research on novel gas turbine combustor designs for future aircraft, through both experimental and computational studies, is carried out alongside our long-established Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre and within the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral training in Future Propulsion and Power, in partnership with Oxford and Cambridge. On the automotive side, drag reduction through innovative aerodynamic design, supported by Jaguar Land Rover, and dynamic platooning architectures, coupled with radical developments and research innovations in automotive engine design, lightweight structures and composite materials, combine to create a future vehicle with net-zero emission potential.