Smart Columbus

Easton CEAVAutonomous First-and-Last-Mile Transit for Columbus

Presented by

Katie McLaughlin

Tim Rosenberger

Andy Wolpert

10/10/2017

Introduction to CEAVs

Connected Electric Automated Vehicles (CEAVs)

• Connected to the Connected Vehicle Environment

• Electric, battery powered with charging infrastructure

• Automated driverless operations

• Transit Vehicles that are accessible and shared

CEAV Shuttles• Numerous automotive and

technology companies have begun to develop AVs

• Most are electric-powered

• Most are small, light-duty vehicles

• A handful are developing higher capacity CEAV shuttles, and new products may come to market

CEAV Shuttle Specs

Local Motor’s Olli (USA)

EasyMile(France)

2getthere(Netherlands)

Navya(France)

Passenger Capacity

12 (9 seated) 12 (6 seated)PRT: 12 (8 seated)

GRT: 24 (12 seated)15 (11 seated)

Maximum Speed 25 mph 25 mph 25 mph 28 mph

Advertised Range

32.4 miles Up to 14 hours 45 miles 9 hours

Special Features IBM’s WatsonCan install steering wheel and brakes

Requires magnets for guidance

Wireless charging

All vehicles are electric-powered, have features for ADA accessibility, and can be driven in

both directions. They can also all be tracked remotely for real-time monitoring and control.

CEAV Operating Opportunities

• Ideal for first mile / last mile transit service

• Corridors with insufficient demand for a full-sized bus or train

• Circulation within campuses and employment centers

• Mobility as a Service

• Provide travel options that together create a comprehensive

and efficient transportation network

CEAV Operating Constraints

• Should not have large overlap with existing transit service

• Limited running speed and ability to interact with mixed traffic

• In Columbus, cannot safely operate on roads like Morse or

Stelzer

• Limited range and charging capacity

• Ride hailing capability, accessibility to be determined

• Cannot operate under all weather or roadway conditions

CEAV Shuttles Alternatives Analysis

CEAV Shuttle Waymo Minivan Innova Tesla

Road Legal* No Yes, FMVSS Yes, underspeed Yes, FMVSS

ADA Compliant Yes Maybe No No

Electric Yes No Yes Yes

Possibility for a mixed fleet with one ADA compliant vehicle?

*Per current Ohio Revised Code

CEAV Operating Constraints

• Limited range: a major disadvantage of electric vehicles

• Range impacted by speed, passenger load, hills, temperature

• Recharging complicates operator scheduling

• Even in AV applications, it increases fleet requirement

CEAV Operating Constraints

• WSP developed “BOLT” simulation

tool to comprehensively analyze

electric vehicle conversions

• Accounts for impacts to staffing,

operations, fleet, facilities, costs

• Allows agencies to accurately

evaluate electric vehicles

CEAV Operating Opportunities

• Transit is an ideal early adopter of AV technology

• Existing AVs can safely operate under full autonomy on pre-

programmed routes in constrained environments

• A shared public AV fleet will promote public acceptance of

emerging AV technology

• Lower-capacity shuttles can fill existing gaps in a transit

network in a more cost-efficient way than the existing fleet

“Sunny Day” Scenario• Passenger arrives at a stop – may or may not know when next CEAV is

arriving

• CEAV arrives at passenger’s boarding stop and opens doors

• Passenger boards CEAV

• CEAV continues autonomously through its programmed route

• Passenger sees their stop is next, prepares to alight

• CEAV arrives at passenger’s alighting stop and opens doors

• Passenger alights CEAV

• CEAV continues autonomously through its programmed route

“Cloudy Day” Scenario – Example• CEAV is traveling autonomously through its programmed route

• A vehicle ahead of the CEAV stops in the roadway

• The CEAV must arbitrate whether the other vehicle is stopped due to traffic

ahead of it (and perform car following) or because it has become disabled

• The CEAV determines the other vehicle is disabled, decides to pass it

• When opposing traffic is clear, the CEAV passes the other vehicle

• A trained human operator may need to step in

• Because the CEAV had to wait, it is behind schedule, but it continues its

normal route and may eventually return to schedule

Smart Columbus Easton CEAV Project Overview

Project Overview

Goals of CEAV Deployment• Improve safety and mobility of travelers by reducing

walking distances from current stops to final destinations

• Encourage transit use by expanding locations served and implementing efficient schedules and integrated solutions

• Reduce vehicle trips by offering solutions to support a ‘park-once’ approach in the retail area

• Reduce traffic congestion and GhG in the region

Proposed Concept

• Deploy up to 6 connected CEAV shuttles on three

separate routes, all in a live environment – interacting

with other vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, and other

forms of transportation, in the Easton area

• Integrate the CEAV with the City’s Enhanced Human

Services elements including multi-model trip planning

application and common payment system

• Expand the CV Environment to the region

Implementation Activities

Involve Working Group, with representatives from

the City of Columbus, OSU, Steiner, ODOT,

USDOT, USDOE, COTA, and the consulting team, throughout the process.

CEAV Shuttle Operation

Regulatory Update/

Exception

Operations Planning

Vehicle Procurement

COTA Integration

Marketing/ Customer Comm’ns

Infrastructure Upgrades

Transit Planning Considerations

Transit in Easton• COTA routes primarily bring

people to and from Easton

• They are not oriented to providing circulation within Easton area

• Stop spacing relatively wide within Easton Area

• Earlier COTA Easton Circulator was discontinued due to low ridership

Potential Under-Served Travel Markets

Peak Periods Mid-day Evenings / All Day

Distributing workers, shoppers using COTA

to access Easton

Office workers going to lunch, running

errands

Shoppers(“park once”)

Circulator Best Practice• Fast

• Provides a direct trip that is the same in both directions, to the extent possible

• Round trip run time 30 minutes or less

• Frequent• 10-15 minute minimum

headway

• Free• Should be fare-free to the user

Route Concepts

• COTA developed two proposed route

concepts considering these constraints

• Both assume an average speed of 10 mph

• With 5 peak vehicles (and 1 spare), 10

minute frequency on each route is possible

• If a higher frequency is desired, just one

route will be pursued

Route Concepts

Ride Hailing Options

1. Stop at every stop – simple but inefficient

2. Stop only when a boarding or alighting is requested• Alightings can be requested onboard

• Boardings are more challenging – smartphone application, interface at stop

3. Allow end-to-end ride requests along a route (no predefined stops)• Request via smartphone application or central interface (not a

button)

• Possibly only during off-peak hours

Conclusions

Conclusions

• Pre-determined routes simplify some challenges for AVs,

though many constraints still exist

• CEAV shuttles could enhance existing transit networks,

especially by providing a first-mile / last-mile service

• New services can (and must) be responsive to local user

needs and operating environments

Thanks for Listening!

Any Questions?