Low-carbon Transport and Mobility in a Digital Society: Applying Smart City Concepts in Curitiba, Brazil 

Background

Decarbonisation of the transport sector is a challenging task. The transport sector is a sector that is hard to decarbonise due to the complexity of techno-economic factors, spatial context and various interests of multiple stakeholders engaged in transformation. Zero-emissions transport fleets are recognised as one of the solutions. The adoption of electric vehicles poses technological, economic and social challenges. Cities play an essential role in the transition to a climate-neutral transport sector. As cities become more populated, policy instruments and behavioural changes are needed to meet the increasing challenges and smarter and more efficient technical solutions.

Task description

Students who choose this project will actively define the tasks to feasibly achieve their research goals within the established timeline. The supervisor will support the student in designing the project milestones. Still, the student is responsible for ensuring that The research contributes to developing scenarios for low-carbon transport and sustainable mobility in Curitiba, specifically on urban transport solutions. The study may investigate the following topics, but not limited to:

• The assessment of Curitiba city's readiness to improve the uptake of zero-emissions vehicles and/or mobility-as-a-service systems regarding public policy readiness at the national and city level. The research can explore how enabling policies and other measures in the EU cities have increased the share of zero-emissions vehicles. Challenges and barriers to policy implementation in other cities will be considered to identify suitable policies for the case of Curitiba.  
• The evaluation of city infrastructure and future urban planning to prepare for high share zero emissions vehicle uptake. The research should explore the sectoral coupling between sectors or within transport sub-sectors. The earlier may include system integration between energy generation, transport infrastructure and low-carbon solutions for the urban transport sector. In comparison, the latter may assess the connection within various transport sectors (e.g. bus and passenger car).

Methodology

The specific research design and methodology are to be determined by the student. The research design should adhere to a structured problem-solving approach to identify critical challenges, distil these into focused, achievable goals, formulate a systems-level architecture, and apply available resources responsibly to develop a technical solution. Such resources may include policy analysis, expert interviews, energy systems modelling, participatory methodology, multi-criteria analysis, and techno-economic assessment.

Learning outcomes

After completing the thesis work, the student will be able to:

• Conduct an assessment of low-carbon transport solutions in a smart city context.
• Demonstrate ability to identify synergies and trade-offs of upscaling zero-emissions vehicles within the integrated energy systems.
• Demonstrate ability to apply systems-level thinking to develop a technical solution and communicate results coherently in a scientific manner.
• Formulate policy recommendations to increase the uptake of zero-emission vehicles in urban areas.

Criteria for evaluation

Critical criteria in the complete work and method development and metric for the final assessment are:

• Fulfilment of the ILOs for Master Thesis at KTH's ITM School;
• The student's initiative and independence in developing the overall research design;
• A critical and system perspective and critical discussion of the assumptions and results;
• Consideration of the literature;
• The ability to communicate the results of scientific work clearly and coherently.

If the work is of good quality and the student and project partners are interested, the research project will be designed to be suitable for a peer-reviewed publication in a high-quality journal.

Prerequisites

Students should be familiar with policy analysis or techno-economic assessment strategies, have an enthusiasm for sustainability and climate action, and have the ability to work independently to lead a research project by identifying critical problems and delivering a systems-level solution.

Specialisation track

Transformation of Energy System (TES)

 Other

The research performed by a student will contribute to the implementation of the project working with Smart Cities and low-carbon transport and mobility in a digital society.

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Supervisors