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Module

CEG8431 : Technologies for Future Mobility

  • Offered for Year: 2025/26
  • Module Leader(s): Dr David Golightly
  • Lecturer: Professor Colin Herron, Professor Phil Blythe, Mr Simon Edwards
  • Owning School: Engineering
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 2 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 5.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

This module aims to examine what forms mobility will take in the near future, what scenarios might influence the forms of that mobility, and what technologies will underpin those future transportation networks. The module does this by focusing on five example areas. The aims being:

1. Provide some base material through workshops and seminars on key challenges in different sectors of transport and mobility, which will include:
• Electromobility and the wider decarbonization of transport;
• Future Freight and Logistics;
• Smart Port Operations;
• Automation of road transport; and
• Smart Cities

2. Introduce the students to a range of stakeholders who will present their role in future mobility and the challenges thy have going forward, asking the students to discuss the challenges and opportunities and coming up with visions of how future transport can tackle their challenges.

3. Through visits to stakeholders and facilitated, challenge based workshops, create and environment where the students can discuss and debate the challenges and come up with innovative solutions, backed up by evidence and references.

4. Understand how the above processes and experience enable them to transition into transport, mobility and logistics professionals.

5. Utilize the experience of engaging with leading edge companies and stakeholders in future mobility will enrich their understanding of what is and where future transport and future mobility is evolving.

The module will be challenge led, with lectures enhanced through a series of visits and workshops co-created with stakeholders who can elaborate on the challenges they have.

Note that the module includes contributions from external speakers from industry, therefore the precise structure and format of lectures may vary from year-to-year, based on speaker availability.

Outline Of Syllabus

Workshops and seminars on key challenges in different sectors of transport and mobility, which will include:
•       Electromobility and the wider decarbonization of transport;
•       Future Freight and Logistics;
•       Smart Port Operations;
•       Automation of road transport; and
•       Smart Cities

The module will be delivered as a series of lectures and internal workshops to cover policy, energy, future modes, and technology deployment.

These areas will be reinforced by field trips to relevant local organisations deploying future technology – typically VANTEC – logistics supplier to Nissan); Smart and net zero ports (hosted by the Port of Tyne); smart cities; 5G vision and automated public transport (hosted by the Sunderland City Council’s smart cities

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion115:0015:00Individual Essay based on topic discussed and debated in workshop 4 (50%)
Structured Guided LearningLecture materials31:003:00Future Mobility UK Foresight Programme;
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion114:0014:00Group Coursework on a topic related to either workshop 1, workshop 2 or workshop 3 (50%)
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture21:002:00Module introduction and recap. Familiarisation with topics/reading list.
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching14:004:00Students attend the whole of the group presentation, however each group will only be presenting for a short time (e.g. 10 minutes.
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesWorkshops14:004:00Electromobility and Decarbonization with the Faraday Battery Centre
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesWorkshops11:001:00Final discussion and debate on the future of transport, based on the outcomes of the module.
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesFieldwork18:008:00Smart Cities, 5G and Automation (day visit and workshop hosted by Sunderland City Council’s Smart Cities team)
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesFieldwork18:008:00Smart Ports of the future (day visit and workshop hosted by Port of Tyne)
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesFieldwork18:008:00Future Logistics and Freight (day visit and workshop hosted by Vantec Logistics @ Nissan)
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study133:0033:00n/a
Total100:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The delivery of this module combines traditional lecture, workshop-based activities, and site visits with discussion and groupwork. This combination allows students to learn the fundamentals of new technologies, as well as the process of development and deployment. Groupwork allows the problem-based exploration of different technologies with the formative assessment allowing groups to present and learn from each other on a range of applications. The site visits allows students to both see technology in action, and to hear about the constraints affecting their use along with plans for the future. The coursework allows students to self select both an innovation and a location that they are familiar with, and describe the various aspects of technology design and deployment necessary for successful, sustainable transport innovation.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Report2M100Individual Report
Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Description Semester When Set Comment
Prof skill assessmnt2Mgroup work and group presentations will form part of the workshops that are held on the day-visits to the different stakeholders
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The written report will test students understanding of the concepts of automated driving, the use of simulation in studying new technologies and their ability to apply data processing and statistical techniques to that data – skills that are required by industry. [M1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19]

The formative assessments based on workshops all students to further develop their wider context of thinking (critical for masters students) and their knowledge of key technology and innovation topics (eg Artificial Intelligence).

Reading Lists

Timetable