“LEVITATE – Societal Level Impacts of Connected and Automated Vehicles” of the Horizon 2020 framework programme on transport research of the European Commission (2018-2022)

LEVITATE aims to develop a wide-ranging evaluation framework to assess the impact of connected and automated transport (CAT) on all aspects of transport and individual mobility as well as at societal level. This framework will be used to evaluate the impacts of CAVs on individuals, the mobility system and society using a wide range of indicators. The timescales for the forecasting will include:

• short term – CAT at an early stage of implementation, technological capability is broadly in line with present day
• medium term – CAT becoming more widespread, increasing capability of technologies. Increasing penetration of more highly automated vehicles in fleet
• long term – ubiquitous highly integrated transport systems, vehicle fleet is predominantly automated, personal mobility, vehicles and infrastructure have adapted to the new technologies.

The outcomes of Levitate will include a set of validated methods to measure the impacts of existing technologies and forecast that of future systems. The methods will be applied to a series of scenarios including those of the present day to provide a range of impact studies of new and future mobility technologies. Based on the Levitate approach a new Connected and automated mobility decision support tool will be developed to provide an evidential basis for future mobility policymaking.