Infusing Sustainability into Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Principal Investigator(s):

Krishnakumar Nedunuri, Professor of Environmental Engineering – Central State University
Director – C.J. McLin International Center for Water Resources Management
Ramanitharan Kandiah, Professor of Environmental Engineering & Program Coordinator – Central State University
Deng Cao, Associate Professor of Computer Science – Central State University
Edison Perdomo, Associate Professor and Chair of Social & Behavioral Sciences – Central State University

Project Abstract:
This proposed project will focus on addressing safety, sustainability, and equity dimensions in CAV manufacturing and deployment. It will review the security issues, types of cyberattacks, and security approaches in specific types of V2X communications focusing on how cybersecurity plays a role in ensuring the security of the traffic control applications and enabling technologies being developed by CCAT. The project will make recommendations on appropriate cybersecurity approaches needed for specific CCAT applications. It will aid in the design of inclusive cyber security infrastructures in CAVs enabling low-income population and under-represented minorities to gain access to the technology while reducing transportation-related disparities during the development and deployment phases. The project will address several research gaps in understanding how connected and autonomous vehicles would lower the impacts from climate change. It will address conflicting factors such as minimizing carbon footprint, aggravation of environmental impacts and depletion of natural resources due to the expansion of CAVs and reduction of conventional fossil-based automobiles. It will study the role renewable energy plays in CAV manufacturing. The project will also investigate any disproportionate impacts on minorities from climate change or relief in transitioning from fossil-fuel-based automobiles to CAVs.

Research Thrust(s): Central State University

Award Year: 2023

Research Focus: Cybersecurity, Equity

Project Form(s):