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Staff Profile

Professor Phil Blythe

Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems, Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering, and former Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Transport (2015 to 2021)

  • Address: Future Mobility Group
    School of Engineering
    Room 4.014 Stephenson Building
    Newcastle University
    NE1 7RU
Background


Introduction

Professor Phil Blythe CBE FREng CEng FIET FCIHT is Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems, Head of the Future Mobility Group and Director of the Mobility and Transport Centre of Research Excellence (NUCoRE).

 

Phil’s research focus has been in the interface between policy and technology in areas, such as: connected and autonomous vehicles; electro-mobility; decarbonising transport; and age-friendly and accessible transport. Previously, Phil was Chief Scientific Adviser for the UK’s Department of Transport (DfT). (2015-2021). In this role at the DfT he provides a challenge function to the Department on the use of science and engineering evidence in policy making and also ensuring the Department is best informed on new innovations and technologies that may impact on the delivery of transport schemes and policy.   During this time, among numerous roles, he was a Director of the Future Mobility Grand Challenge which was a cornerstone of the UK Governments Industrial Strategy. A number of these challenges were presented by Phil in a lecture to the Alan Turing Institute which is available on YouTube. He also led the science team that developed the underpinning science advice for the re-start and recovery of UK Transport during the Covid-19 pandemic and was a member of SAGE throughout the emergency. Phil is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year Honours 

 

Academic background

At Newcastle University Phil’s research portfolio covers a wide range of areas where ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) have been applied to transport including: His primary research is forward looking and attempts to bridge the technology-policy gap in terms of what technologies may evolve to meet future policy objectives or indeed influence future policy thinking, particularly in areas, such as: connected and autonomous vehicles; electro-mobility; decarbonising transport, resilience; and age-friendly and accessible transport. Internationally, Phil manages a portfolio of research projects funded by the UKRI (EPSRC and Innovate UK), Europe, Industry and Government (CCAV, DfT, DSIT and DCMS).

 

Phil established the first UK Masters module in ITS and this has proved to be highly popular with the MSc and undergraduate students and CPD (Continuing Professional Development) delegates following the ethos of research-led teaching, ensuring the most salient and up to date technologies and use cases form the foundation of the students learning experience.

 

Phil has been Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Investigator on more than 80 research projects with a total value to Newcastle of over £50m. His current portfolio of projects include the recently funded £10m National Hub for Decarbonised, Adaptive and Resilient Transport Infrastructure (DARe). A range of Innovate UK projects on the commercialisation of automated and driverless vehicles: for logistics (VCAL); urban public transport (SAMS); and mass transit (Cramlington Healthlink).As well as projects on smart traffic management and 5G (5GR); hydrogen vehicles (Zehyda 2); sustainable transport for the RAF (VITAL) and cyber security for EV charging.

 

Professional Activities

 Phil was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020 and he sits on their Steering Committee for the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC); he is a member of their Systems Thinking for Government working group; and supports the RAEng Policy Fellows Programme.

 

 Phil is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) and has held various roles including Trustee and Vice President IET. Phil was chair of one of the IET’s main boards, the Membership and Professional Development (MPD) Board which  oversees all things to do with membership, retention, engagement and professional development for the IET’s 150,000 members. He also chaired their Transport Policy Panel for ten years.

 

Phil is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transport (CIHT) and is also a Fellow of the Asian Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA)

 

In March 2012 Phil was awarded the Reece-Hills Medal for a lifetime personal contribution to ITS and was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2022.

 

Phil has held a number of patents for ITS and ICT related inventions, publishes widely and provides knowledge outreach and training courses in many aspects of ITS research.


Google Scholar: Click here.

 

 

Recent webinars and podcasts

Spotify Podcast discussing the DARe Hub recorded by Climate Perspectives (January 2024) Interview with Phil Blythe, Prof Intelligent Transport Systems, Newcastle University. • Climate Perspectives (spotify.com)


Podcast (Nov 2023): What does the future of transport look like? with Professor Phil Blythe - From Newcastle Podcast (ncl.ac.uk)


Podcast (March 2023) Highway News: https://highways-news.com/captivate-podcast/highways-voices-29-march-connected-and-automated-logistics-and-so-much-more-with-prof-phil-blythe/


Newcastle Discovery Talk (May 2022): What will transport look like in 2040? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP8DpGcxda4


DecarboN8 Webinar (June 2020): Decarbonising Transport by 2050 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw3s2Vzi_zc


Alan Turing Institute Lecture (Dec. 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anEs-VKDqIs



 

 

 

 


Research


Current Research

 

Since returning to Newcastle full time in 2021, Phils research has focused in a few specific areas:

 

Automated and Driverless Vehicles.  Connected and Autonomous Logistics through the DCMS funded project 5GCAL an the Innovate UK funded VCAL project both focusing on which have developed driverless logistics operations between Vantech and Nissan which are monitored by a remote teleoperator. Driverless public transport services through the Innovate UK funded SAMS (Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle) and the Cramlington Healthlink project. The automated vehicle projects are underpinned by smart traffic management included the Smart Corridor CITS (Cooperative ITS) projects funded by DfT and the EU and the recently DSIT funded 5GR project which is implement 5G smart traffic management in Sunderland and looking at the feasibility of green-light running for freight vehicles between Nissan and the Port of Tyne.

 

Decarbonised and Resilient Transport Infrastructure. Newcastle University lead the National Hub for Decarbonised, Adaptive and Resilient Transport Infrastructure (DARe) , which is a £10m joint investment from DfT and EPSRC.

 

Zero emission vehicles, with projects and demonstrators covering both electromobility and hydrogen Fuelled Vehicles. Electromobility research includes the EPSRC UK-Australia Centre in a Secure Internet of Energy: Supporting Electric Vehicle Infrastructure at the "Edge" of the Grid; and EPSRC Centre for Energy System Integration (CESI) and the EPSRC DecarboN8 Network.. Hydrogen Research Includes: The defence Innovation Fund VITAL Project (RAF Leeming as a sustainable living lab); Innovate UK funded ZEHYDA and ZEHYDA 2 (Hydrogen fuelled vehicles for airside operation at Teesside International Airport and RAF Leeming); and the EPSRC funded Network-H2 (A network for hydrogen-fuelled transportation) and the DecarboN8 Network.

 

 

 

Recent Research

In the period just before Phil was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser and through his time in that role, Phils research portfolio broadly covered three areas:

Electromobility – Researching the performance and use of electric vehicles and understanding how driver behaviour and recharging behaviour occurs, largely through demonstrations and trials of the use of electric vehicles and data a collection and analysis to inform decision maker and Government on what is required to further support the roll-out of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEV).

Key Electromobility projects:

  • LC Transform: electromobility challenges to decarbonise cities in UK and China (EPSRC)
  • iBuild: Business cases for new infrastructure – we focused in electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure (EPSRC)
  • RCN: Developing the business case for Rapid Charging Networks by understanding how EV usage changes with the availability of a rapid charging infrastructure (TEN-T and Nissan, BMW, Renault and VW)
  • Smart CEM: Exploring how ICT and ITS can support the roll-out of electric vehicles and manage their charging needs in four European Cities (EU 7th Framework)
  • SwitchEV: One of the first and largest EV demonstration projects which studied the use of EV’s and charging infrastructure in North East England through analysis of trip data from vehicle data loggers (Innovate UK, Nissan and One NE)

Key Electromobility publications:

  • Heidrich O, Hill GA, Neaimeh M, Huebner Y, Blythe PT, Dawson RJ. How do cities support electric vehicles and what difference does it make?. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 2017, Epub ahead of print.
  • Serradilla J, Wardle J, Blythe P, Gibbon J. An evidence-based approach for investment in rapid-charging infrastructure. Energy Policy 2017, 106, 514–524.
  • Neaimeh M, Wardle R, Jenkins A, Hill GA, Lyons P, Yi J, Huebner Y, Blythe PT, Taylor P. A probabilistic approach to combining smart meter and electric vehicle charging data to investigate distribution network impacts. Applied Energy 2015, Volume 157, 1 November 2015, Pages 688–698. DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.01.144
  • Neaimeh M, Hill GA, Hübner Y, Blythe PT. (2013) Routing Systems to Extend the Driving Range of Electric Vehicles. IET Intelligent Transport Systems 2013, 7(3), 327-336. DOI: 10.1049/iet-its.2013.0122
  • Robinson AP, Blythe PT, Bell MC, Hübner Y, Hill GA. (2013) Analysis of Electric Vehicle Driver Recharging Demand Profiles and Subsequent Impacts on the Carbon Content of Electric Vehicle Trips. Energy Policy 2013, 61(2013), 337-348. DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.05.074

Other Electromobility Resources:

 

Connected and Autonomous vehicles – Researching how vehicle and infrastructure can communicate together to improve and optimise the management of road traffic; explore how automated vehicles could evolve and how they could help groups such as vulnerable and older drivers to continue driving safer for longer; and examine the longer term impact of connected and autonomous vehicles in terms of congestion, emissions, safety, public acceptance and comprehension and likely emergent use cases and their benefit to to society and the economy. Much of the research in the interaction between the driver and the vehicle has been undertaken in the Newcastle DriveLAB.

Key Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Projects:

  • C-Mobile: Demonstrating Connected ITS systems and services at scale across Europe (EU H2020)
  • Gosforth Smart Corridor: Using C-ITS to manage express bus lanes, reduce emissions and protect vulnerable road users (Newcastle City Council/DfT)
  • Quantifying Driver Distraction: Investigating the impact of in-vehicle C-ITS on driver attention and distraction (Newcastle City Council/DfT)
  • Compass 4D: Coordinated deployment, evaluation and analysis of advanced cooperative systems deployments in eight European Cities (EU 7th Framework)
  • SiDE Social Inclusion through the Digital Economy: Explored how new technology and automation could help older drivers continue driving safer for longer (RCUK Digital Economy Hub)

Key Connected and Autonomous Vehicle publications:

  • Blythe PT. C-ITS and Automated Vehicles: Challenges and opportunities. In: Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (ICV 16). 2016, Chongqing, China: IET. September
  • Edwards SJ, Emmerson C, Namdeo A, Blythe PT, Guo W. Optimising Landmark-Based Route Guidance for Older Drivers. Transportation Research F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour 2016, 43, 225-237. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2016.10.017
  • Blythe PT, Edwards SJ, Hill GA, Goodman P, King R. Evaluation of an Urban Cooperative Mobility Systems. In: Intelligent Transport Systems European Congress. 2016, Glasgow: ERTICO. June
  • Edwards SJ, Partington D, Matthews B, Blythe P. Technology to support independent travel in the UK. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer 2015, 168(2), 140-149.
  • Emmerson C, Guo W, Blythe PT, Namdeo A, Edwards S. Folk in the road: In-vehicle navigation systems and older drivers.Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour 2013, 21, 173-180. DOI:10.1016/j.trf.2013.09.013
  • Guo W, Blythe PT, Edwards SF, Pavkova K, Brennan D. Effect of Intelligent Speed Adaptation Technology on Older Drivers' Driving Performance.IET Intelligent Transport Systems 2013, 7(4), 1-8. DOI: 10.1049/iet-its.2013.0136

Other Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Resources:

Smart Cities, Big Data and Internet of Things – Working with the Newcastle Urban Observatory and the Tyne and Wear Urban Traffic Control Centre to understand how we can efficiently collect data from fixed and mobile assets, use data science to analyse these many sets of data and determine practical uses of this data to run transport smarter and the city smarter to improve performance, reduce energy use and reduce carbon emissions.

Key Smart Cities, Big Data and IoT Projects

  • ITS Observatory: Project bringing together data and pan-European ITS research deployments (EU H2020)
  • Save-ME: Project that used big data and IoT to deliver a smart evacuation system for underground transport facilities
  • iBuild: Project that investigates new and innovative business modes for infrastructure funding – Phils focus being on EV charging infrastructure (EPSRC)
  • CESI Centre of Energy Systems Integration: Whole system thinking for future energy infrastructure for smart cities (EPSRC)
  • MESSAGE Project: Pervasive wireless sensors for environmental monitoring (EPSRC/DfT)
  • Viajeo Plus: Sharing best practice in Urban Mobility Solutions (EU)

Key Smart Cities, Big Data and IoT Publications

  • Blythe PT. Understanding the potential for big data in making transport services smarter in cities. In: Alan Turing Institute, Prestigious Lecture. 2017, London. November
  • Evans GD, Guo W, Blythe PT, Burden M. Integrated Smartcard Solutions: Do People Want One Card For All Their Services?. Transportation Planning and Technology 2015, 38(5), 534-551. 
  • Wardle, J, Blythe, PT, and Gibbon, J. The Provision of Public Charging Infrastructure in the UK. Is there a Business Case? Proc. Electric Vehicle Symposium, EVS28, 3-6 May 2015, Seoul Korea
  • Evans GD, Blythe PT, Panou M. Evaluating Transport Technologies for Mitigating the Impact of Emergency Events: Findings from the SAVE ME Project. International Journal of Transportation - Special Issue on Security in Surface Transportation Planning and Operations Vol.2, No.3 (2014), pp.73-94.
  • Blythe PT, An Integrated and Intelligent Low Carbon Transport System. In: Proc. IET Future Intelligent Cities, December 2014, London, UK
  • Varga L, Camci F, Boxall J, Toossi A, Machell J, Blythe PT, Taylor C (2013) Transforming Critical Infrastructure: Matching the Complexity of the Environment to Policy. International Journal of E-Planning Research, 2 (3) 38-49.

Other Smart Cities, Big Data and IoT Resources

 

Background: Older (Historic) Research Background

Looking back, Phil is best known for his pioneering research in the area of road user charging which put Newcastle the leading European Research Institution in ITS at the time.. In the early 1990’s he led major European Consortia which developed the basic technologies for road user charging and tolling (PAMELA; ADEPT; and ADEPT II) which largely formed the basis for the European DSRC-standards.

Much of this research was funded under the EU’s DRIVE 1 and Drive 2 research programmes in ITS. A summary of the DRIVE 1 projects can be found here and and similarly for Drive 2 here. During this time Phil was appointed chairman of one of the seven Areas of the Programme, Area 1 Automated Debiting which led to international recognition.  For the first ITS World Congress in Paris in 1994, the Commission produced a video of the activities and vision of the seven areas of the research programme which is worth viewing just to gain a historical perspective on early ITS innovation.

In the ADEPT projects he led the team that developed the first solution for multi-lane tolling, the race to develop this solution is chronicled in the Channel 4 Equinox documentary ‘ For whom the roads toll’ available here (a shortened version which just covers the ADEPT activities is available here). As part of this project he led the team that implemented the Cambridge Congestion charging trial in 1993-94 (Co-funded by EU, DfT and industry) and has been involved in most of the major road user charging research initiatives across Europe including the review of charging options for London (ROCOL) which delivered the feasibility study for the subsequent implementation of the London Congestion Charging Scheme in 1999/2000 which led to the implementation of the London Congestion Charging Scheme in 2003. During the first decade of 2000’s Phil advised many Government on road pricing and in the area of electronic payment, including being a member of the cabinet offices office of the e-Envoys smart card policy working group and the development of the National Smart Card payment card for Transport, ITSO.

Phil’s research evolved into more general ITS and in particular wireless systems and technologies to support mobility impaired and older travellers.  Significant funding for this came from both EPSRC and from a series of EU projects under the third to seventh Framework research programmes. This included research on smartcards for access to services (DISTINCT Project) which led to the University adoption of smart card systems for student cards, access cards and general campus cards – now even holding the Nexus Public Transport e-Payment App. Is available on current student smart cards.  The concept of assistive mobility services is captured well in a video from the EU ASK-IT project which included a major demonstration of the Technology across Newcastle in both the ASK-IT and Veritas projects. Much of the later work on this was undertaken in the RCUK Digital Economy Hub project SiDE and a compilation of some of the TV News Media reports on the research over this project can be found here.

Since 2010 Phils’ Research has focused in the areas of electromobility, connected and autonomous transport and smartcities/big data as covered previously on this page. However with both his University and DfT hats on he continues to advise and try and bring transport challenges and ensure a horizon scanning of new and emerging technologies and what they could potentially offer to together enable transport policy to be delivered better, more optimally and joined up. Hence the smart city, big data agendas are fused with Automation, new business models, reduction and transport emissions and mobility as a service. A Foresight project on the Future of Mobility which was launched earlier in 2017 to look the implications of this for future transport and future policy and to inform Government and other transport stakeholders.


Teaching

For the academic year 2023/24:


Undergraduate Teaching (2023/24)

Stage 2 CEG2004 Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems 2

Stage 3 CEG3009 Individual Project

Stage 4 CEG8422 Intelligent Transport Systems (Module Leader)

Stage 4 CEG8431 Technologies for Future Mobility (Module Leader)

Stage 4 CEG8099 Investigatative Research Project


Postgraduate Teaching (2023/24)

MSc Programme CEG8431 Technologies for Future Mobility (Module Leader)

MSc Programmes CEG8436 Transport Policy and Planning (Module Leader)

MSc Programmes CEG8422 Intelligent Transport Systems (Module Leader)

MSc Programmes CEG8496 MSc Project and Dissertation in Transport Engineering



Publications