Imagine a time when driverless vehicles are the norm, accidents are rare, traffic flows freely, and energy efficiency is maximized with integrated systems that connect vehicles, buildings, and the grid. The technological breakthroughs that will get us there are in development through TennSMART.
TennSMART’s vision is to elevate Tennessee and the Southeast region to the forefront in the collaborative research, development, and deployment of intelligent mobility solutions.
Together, TennSMART members from smart cities, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, fleet operators, software developers, utilities, and regulators will shape America’s mobility future.
Research and development is focused on the following:
- Connected and automated vehicles – Leveraging high performance computing, data science, and advanced sensors and communications protocols to develop technologies and algorithms for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid interactions that enable smart routing, alleviate congestion, improve safety, and increase the efficiency of the entire transportation system
- Electric vehicles – Advancing wireless charging technologies that allow vehicles to charge on the go, to automate the charging process, and to share energy back and forth between vehicles, buildings, and the grid for maximum energy savings and convenience
- Cybersecurity – Developing systems and technologies that validate the trustworthiness of messages from vehicles and the infrastructure, address identity and privacy needs, and explore best paths to provide the computing power necessary in a connected world
- Freight efficiency – Exploring new paradigms in freight transport including the development of hybrid electric heavy-duty powertrains, truck platooning technologies, automated multimodal freight delivery, and unmanned aerial systems
- Multimodal commuting – Facilitating mode shifting to optimize energy efficiency and convenience in passenger commutes through the development of smart technologies that increase connectivity between various forms of transportation