Topic 5: Digitalization and digital technologies for sustainable vehicle and transport solutions, and transportation systems

On the way to solutions for sustainable vehicles and transport systems, it is essential to recognize the decisive influence of social perspectives on the success and acceptance of these solutions. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the current landscape of sustainable vehicle and transportation solutions often ignores the social dimension. This shortfall underscores the urgent need to prioritize societal perspectives in the development and implementation of sustainable transportation initiatives, fostering inclusive, resilient, and sustainable mobility ecosystems. Incorporating diverse societal viewpoints supports the development of transportation systems that address the needs of all community members, promote inclusivity, and enhance overall public acceptance and support for sustainable mobility solutions.  

This topic invites to submit contributions that aim to explore the intersection of societal perspectives and sustainable transportation, focusing on the vital role of social, cultural, and socio-economic factors in the development and implementation of sustainable vehicle and transport solutions. Experts and researchers will share insights on integrating societal considerations into sustainable mobility solutions’ design, deployment, and acceptance and attendees will gain valuable perspectives to foster equitable, inclusive, and effective strategies for advancing sustainable vehicle and transport initiatives. This interdisciplinary gathering features presentations and discussions on the impacts of sustainable transportation on various stakeholders. 

Contributions shall focus on, but it are not limited to, the following research questions and topics: 

1. How can digitalization and digital technologies facilitate more sustainable and circular vehicle and transport solutions by, for instance, supporting more sustainable vehicle designs, sustainable supply chain management, or end-of-(first)-life vehicle management? 

2. How can digitalization and digital technologies support the pursuit of circularity strategies, such as repair, (predictive) maintenance, repurposing, or recycling, to support the circular transition of the transport sector?  

3. How can digitalization and digital technologies (particularly data sciences approaches) enable privacy-preserving product life cycle data exchange within the transport ecosystem and along respective value chains? 

4. What is the role of digital technologies and digital tools (e.g., the digital product passport) to foster and enhance collaboration among transport ecosystem actors and stakeholders?  

5. What is the role of consumers in a digital and circular transport sector, and how can digital technologies foster sustainable purchasing decisions by consumers and their involvement in enabling more sustainable vehicle and transport solutions? 

6. How can digital technologies support the advancement of existing sustainability management methods (e.g., risk assessment, integrated assessment models, life cycle (sustainability) assessment and optimization, circularity assessment, or strategic environmental assessment), as well as the development of new data-driven sustainability methods?  

7. How can digital technologies support the ESG data collection and respective due diligence and information disclosure measures (cf., EU taxonomy, Corporate Due Diligence Directive, Corporate Sustainability Reporting directive) in a transport sector context? 

8. What are the environmental and social sustainability impacts of digital technologies over their lifetime?  

Given the nature of these topics, a wide variety of studies are invited, ranging from the proposition of technical and methodological concepts and prototypes over single and multiple-case studies of the implementation of different digital technologies , to deductive empirical studies investigating antecedents and potential effects on all system levels.