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Automated vehicles are those which are capable of sensing their environments in order to perform at least some aspects of the safety-critical control (like steering, throttling, or braking) without direct human input. As a guide for planners and policymakers, the objective of this thesis is to develop a strong foundation for anticipating the potential impacts resulting from advancements in vehicle automation. To establish the foundation, this thesis uses a robust qualitative methodology, coupling a review of literature on the potential advantages and disadvantages of vehicle automation and lessons from past innovations in transportation, with recent trends of the Millennial Generation, carsharing services, and a series of interviews with thought-leaders in automation, planning, policymaking, transportation, and aviation. Five significant findings emerged from this thesis: (1) the impacts of vehicle automation differ depending on one’s visions of what automation means, how it is implemented, what the automation does, and where it operates; (2) current limitations of vehicle automation to perform all aspects of the dynamic driving task in all driving conditions make it difficult to move from level-4 to level-5 automation; (3) level-5 automation is required to have any effect on carsharing, mobility, and quality of life; (4) assuming effective planning and policymaking techniques, housing preferences, urban growth, and increases in total VMT will likely not be significantly impacted by vehicle automation; (5) human drivers may never be allowed to disengage their attention from a partially-automated vehicle, specifically in applications where drivers are expected to reengage their attention in safety-critical situations. From the perspective of understanding the bigger picture, this thesis developed a proposed future scenario of vehicle automation in the next five to ten years that is used to suggest guiding principles for policymakers, and key recommendations for planners, engineers, and researchers.

This thesis engages in an initial exploration of the spatial experiences of older youth in the suburbs of the West Island of Montreal. Adopting a Lefebvrian spatial lens, the goal of this thesis is to outline the characteristics of the lived experiences of older middle class youth in a constructed suburban environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a largely Anglophone college with students aged 18 to 19 years of age. I begin my thesis by reviewing the literature on urban youth geographies, aimed at analyzing the influence of the built urban environment. I argue that the suburban experiences of older youth varies from those of children, inner city youth, and marginalized youth who are most represented in the literature. Then, I present the important considerations of doing research with youth participants and the ways in which my conceived methods were altered during my fieldwork, leading to adjustments in sampling, and subsequent impacts on the conclusions of this thesis. I continue by presenting the themes that emerged during the interviews, which I illustrate by sharing the reflections and everyday experiences of participants. From these accounts, I draw links between the similarities and differences among participants, the literature, and Lefebvre's theories. In this analysis, I reflect upon the differences between available youth literatures and the young people from my sample, leading me to further explore broader literatures that enable me to contextualize more characteristics of my sample and concepts related to the lack of illegitimate spaces in the suburbs, the significance of private space in the suburban environment, play, resistance, and the use of alternative spaces, in a way that differs from the accounts from marginalized urban youth literatures. I argue that the young people from my sample feel less marginalized, therefore engaging in less obvious forms of resistance, while still finding ways to shape their identities and play while being limited by some of the conditions of the built suburban environment.

No / Braking system characteristics, brake system performance and brake system component design parameters that influence brake pedal ‘feel’ in a passenger car have been studied using the simulation modelling package AMESim, in particular to model the linear and nonlinear characteristics of internal components. A passenger car hydraulic brake system simulation model incorporating the brake pedal, booster, master cylinder, brake lines and calipers has been developed to predict brake system response to assist in the design of braking systems with the desired brake pedal force / travel characteristic characteristics to create good brake pedal ‘feel’. This has highlighted the importance of system components, in particular the master cylinder and caliper seal deformation, and the operating characteristics of the booster in determining the brake pedal force / travel characteristic. The potential contribution of these 3 components to brake pedal ‘feel’ improvement has been investigated, and the results of the AMESim model have been verified using experimental measurement data. The model can be used in the future to provide an accurate prediction of brake system response at the design stage thereby saving time and cost.

A interstep between a regular car and a fully self-driving car is a teleoperated car, where the driver controls the car remotely in situations that the self-driving AI isn't equipped to handle. The cognitive load of regular driving is known, and how long it's safe to drive without taking a rest, but it has not been that well explored when it comes to teleoperated driving. This paper examines which screen set-up would be preferable for the operator to use, comparing the cognitive load while using a driving simulator on a conventional computer screen and a head mounted display. The data that was able to be analyzed points to there not being any noticeable difference between the two in terms of cognitive load, but the participants noted the HMD has several advantages over the conventional screen. Despite this, the majority of the participants preferred the conventional screen due to cybersickness and discomfort from the HMD. / Ett mellansteg mellan en vanlig bil och en helt självkörande bil är en fjärrstyrd bil, där föraren fjärrstyr bilen i situationer som den självkörande AIn inte kan klara av. Vi vet hur stor den mentala belastningen är när det gäller vanlig bilkörning, och vi vet hur länge det är säkert att köra utan att behöva ta rast, men när det gäller fjärrstyrda bilar har detta inte undersökts så mycket. Den här rapporten undersöker vilken form av skärm som skulle vara att föredra att använda, genom att jämföra den mentala belastningen mellan en vanlig datorskärm och VR glasögon när man använder en bilsimulator. Resultatet pekar på att det inte var någon märkbar skillnad mellan de två alternativen när det gäller mental belastning, men deltagarna noterade att VR glasögonen hade flera fördelar över den vanliga datorskärmen. Trots detta så föredrog majoriteten av deltagarna att använda den vanliga skärmen då VR glasögonen gav dem åksjuka och var obekväm.

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have become increasingly prevalent in modern society, with multiple companies pursuing avenues to advance technology. Despite the promises of safer driving, mitigating accidents and reducing stress, mixed opinions exist on the reliability and trustworthiness of the technology. While many factors form opinions regarding AVs, the component of personal values in AV discourse has not been well-documented. This research focuses on understanding which personal values are most prominent in AV discourse and how individuals prioritize these personal values. We studied two AV-focused data sources to gain perspective: 24 TED Talk transcripts and 20,000 Reddit user posts. Next, we scored the prevalence of personal values using the Personal Values Dictionary (PVD). Our results found that self-direction, achievement, power, stimulation, and conformity had an overall positive inclination in AV discourse. However, we also found value conflicts between both data sets, indicating a potential dissonance between professional opinions and those of typical consumers. Our findings provide insight into values literature and issues consumers bring up when discussing or adopting AVs. Our research on value conflicts can also link to consumers' potential adoption of AVs. Thus, we provide potentially useful perspectives for companies to address these concerns directly in their AV production, advertising, and design philosophies.

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Sustainability and the role of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the shift to more sustainable transportation are gaining more and more attention in society today. However, only 4.3% of new passenger car registrations in Sweden were BEVs in 2019. High purchase prices are considered a major barrier to BEV purchases. But the purchase price alone does not reflect what the consumer pays for owning a vehicle. Previous research shows that BEVs could be cheaper compared to conventional vehicles such as internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) from a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) perspective. Lack of knowledge about TCO can lead to uneconomical purchase decisions. Moreover, lower adoption rates of BEVs, although BEVs can be more cost-effective and better for the environment in the long run. This paper reports on an exploratory research process including the development and user study of a TCO tool aimed for the public. The purpose is to better understand how a TCO tool influences peoples’ inclination towards purchasing a BEV. Based on an iterative design process, a web application was developed to help car consumers calculate and visualize TCO of new passenger cars. The web application was then used in a user study consisting of think-aloud evaluations and semi-structured interviews with car consumers about the prototype. The conclusion point towards an interesting direction for a TCO tool moving forward. This study suggests that a TCO tool can make users aware of the cost benefits of owning a BEV. However, more research is needed to understand if this realisation is enough to have an effect on BEV purchases. / Hållbarhet och elbilens roll i skiftet till mer hållbara transporter är två områden som får allt mer uppmärksamhet i samhället idag. Trots det var det endast 4.3% av alla nyregistrerade personbilar som var elbilar i Sverige under 2019. Höga inköpspriser anses vara ett stort hinder som begränsar försäljningen av elbilar. Dock reflekterar inte inköpspriset vad konsumenten faktiskt betalar för att äga en bil. Tidigare forskning visar att elbilar kan vara billigare i jämförelse med konventionella fordon såsom förbränningsbilar baserat på den totala ägandekostnaden (TCO). Brist på kunskap om TCO kan leda till oekonomiska inköpsbeslut. Men också lägre försäljning av elbilar, trots att elbilen kan vara mer kostnadseffektiv och bättre för miljön i längden. Denna uppsats beskriver en undersökande forskningsprocess med målet att utveckla ett TCO-verktyg för allmänheten. Därtill genomfördes en användarstudie för att studera hur verktyget påverkar människors benägenhet att köpa en elbil. Utifrån en iterativ designprocess, utvecklandes en webbapplikation. Detta med syftet att hjälpa bilkonsumenter beräkna samt visualisera TCO för nyproducerade personbilar. Webbapplikationen användes sedan i en användarstudie bestående av think-aloud utvärderingar samt efterföljande intervjuer med bilkonsumenter kring prototypen. Slutsatsen tyder på en intressant riktning för användandet av ett TCO-verktyg i framtiden. Denna studie pekar på att ett TCO-verktyg kan hjälpa användarna att förstå kostnadsfördelarna med att äga en elbil. Dock behövs mer forskning för att svara på om denna insikten är tillräckligt för att ha en effekt på elbilsköp.

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