Research Centers

The rapid adoption of shared mobility services and electric vehicles, coupled with the prospect of driverless vehicles, has the potential to radically transform how people and goods move in advanced and emerging economies. Three revolutions in transportation — shared mobility, electrification and autonomous vehicles — will fundamentally change transportation around the world. Rigorous research and impartial policy analysis are urgently needed to understand the impacts of these transportation revolutions, and to guide industry investments and government decision-making.

The Energy Modeling and Alternative Fuels Program uses a wide range of models and related tools to conduct research and create future scenarios to support the development of sustainable transport, with a geographic scope that includes California, the U.S. and the world. Research will focus on assessing fuels and vehicle technologies; considering sustainable energy pathways and comparing options; conducting environmental and cost analyses; investigating policy implications, needs and impacts; and comparing models and studies.

The EV Research Center originally launched as the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Research Center in early 2007, with the support of the California Energy Commission’s allocation of Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) funds for transportation research. The EV Research Center has grown significantly over the years, and collaborates closely with California utilities, automakers, regulators, and other research institutions on research aimed at understanding the adoption, utilization and impacts of transportation electrification.

Freight movement is on the cusp of major transformations in the U.S. and worldwide. Yet to achieve very low levels of CO2 as well as pollutant emission reduction goals, complementary solutions will be needed. The Sustainable Freight Program evaluates goods movement patterns, supply chain management strategies, intermodal dynamics, new vehicle technologies, and new fuel options, along with infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, and policy. Starting from the premise that the freight system is the economy in motion, our research is at the intersection of transportation, supply chain management, technology and policy.

The China Center for Energy and Transportation (C-CET) is the leading international center for the study of transportation energy activities in China, and the only center of its kind in North America.

The European Transport and Energy Research Centre (ETERC), established by ITS-Davis and having staff in France, Belgium, Germany and Sweden, supports the shift to sustainable transportation in Europe and builds stronger connections between Europe and California. These regions are leaders working toward the overarching goal of building sustainable and equitable transportation systems.

The Global South Center for Clean Transportation at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies supports advancement of clean transportation and energy transitions in developing countries. The center has a cross-cutting research portfolio across South Asia, Africa and Latin America, with strategic country-level programs in India, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya.

Partner Centers

The UC Davis Policy Collaborative leverages world-class university expertise and engages directly with decision-makers to deliver credible, relevant, and timely information and analysis to inform better energy and environmental policy.

The Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis (ITS-Davis) is the leading university center in the world on sustainable transportation, managing large research initiatives on energy, environmental, and social issues. It is home to more than 60 affiliated faculty and researchers, and more than 120 graduate students, and, with its affiliated centers, a budget of $20 million. We have a strong commitment not just to research, but interdisciplinary education and engagement with government, industry, and non-governmental organizations.

The National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST) is one of five national centers funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program, and the only national center focused on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) research priority area of Preserving the Environment. UC Davis leads the NCST consortium, with partner centers at CSU Long Beach, Georgia Tech, Texas Southern University, UC Riverside, USC, and the University of Vermont.

The BicyclingPlus Research Collaborative conducts applied research on travel by bike, e-bike, e-kick-scooter, skateboard, e-skateboard, and other similar travel modes.

The Road Ecology Center (REC) is the only center in the world that is devoted to road ecology research and education. Based at the University of California, Davis, it has hosted US and international scholars and has collaborated with entities in US counties, states, and other countries. The REC includes research in road effect zone modeling, field analysis of wildlife movement and collisions, online informatics to support volunteer scientists, air and noise pollution, impacts on water quality, transportation planning for sea level rise adaptation, and GIS modeling of connectivity and disturbance.

Dedicated to providing knowledge, the Pavement Research Center uses innovative research and sound engineering principles to improve pavement structures, materials, and technologies.