Research area 02 of 05
Mobility Systems
Vehicles, fuels, materials and travel behavior treated as one connected system.
How we study it
Mobility research at the Center connects vehicle design and materials with fuels, infrastructure and the way people actually travel. Electrification is examined together with the upstream materials and downstream end-of-life questions it creates, so trade-offs surface early instead of after deployment.
Focus within this system
- Vehicle and battery life cycle analysis
- Materials and lightweighting trade-offs
- Fuels, infrastructure and travel demand
Trade-off storyline
Electrification and the materials it depends on
A short, qualitative walk-through of how the boundary you choose changes the answer you get.
Step 01 · Boundary
An electric vehicle is often compared with a conventional one at the tailpipe. A life cycle view adds battery materials, electricity supply and end of life.
Step 02 · Shift
Use-phase emissions become lower and more dependent on the grid, while material and battery production become a larger share of total impact.
Step 03 · Consequence
The strongest levers sit outside the vehicle: how electricity is generated, how batteries are made, and what happens to them afterward.
Go deeper
Evidence behind this system
Published research, factsheets and teaching materials from the Center's library.
Factsheets
Short, regularly updated briefs that summarize a system or technology in a few pages, written to be read by non-specialists and cited with confidence.
OpenPublications
Peer-reviewed articles, reports and dissertations from Center faculty, staff and students. More than 1,000 publications have been produced by the Center.
OpenData & Educational Materials
Teaching materials and supporting resources that make the Center's analytical methods usable in classrooms and practice.
Open