Advancing remote operations to enable the sustainable and smart mobility of people and goods based on operational and societal needs (CCAM Partnership) – Societal Readiness Pilot

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Comprehensive set of principles, guidelines and requirements for remote operations that clarify operational complexities (e.g., safety, (cyber-)security, liability, privacy, certification and operator training, interoperability, cross-border operations) is defined, and a standardised approach to extend the Operational Design Domain (ODD) of CCAM solutions is established;
• Infrastructure prerequisites, particularly in technology and communications (safe and reliable communication, especially considering SNS components for the automotive sector^[1]) are defined, which are critical for the successful implementation of remote operation capabilities, outlining the technical standards and investments necessary for seamless integration with current transport systems, while appreciating the potential environmental impact;
• Safety validation methodologies extended to remote operations favouring acceptance and trust of road users in such CCAM systems;
• Identification and description of at least two economically viable business cases for remote operations complementing the ODD of CCAM solutions, analysing the economic costs and benefits, market potential, and scalability factors, and providing a clear value proposition for public or private stakeholders for each use case;
• Understanding the human factors of the entire system (including the in-vehicle and remote perspective), as well as legal requirements and working conditions for remote operators, addressing cognitive load, fatigue and stress, ergonomic considerations, and the identification of essential skills. Establishment of key conditions for job quality, safety, up-to-date competences and acceptance of working conditions in diverse cultural contexts;
• Responsiveness to a deeper understanding of the needs and concerns of diverse social groups involved in or potentially affected by the R&I development, considering gender and other social categories, and thereby increasing the potential for beneficial societal uptake, and building trust in results and outcomes;
• Policy and governance recommendations in view of establishing new or updating existing legislation to cover remote operations, e.g., through clear descriptions of stakeholder roles and responsibilities that may vary for different types of remote operations.

Scope:

This topic aims at exploring the operational and societal conditions and prerequisites for complementing the ODD of CCAM solutions through remote operations, as defined by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)^[2]. Here “remote operations” is to be understood as the remote monitoring, assisting, and operating the Automated Driving System (ADS) by a person located externally. The vehicle operates with a high degree of automation (SAE Level 4), but a human operator can monitor its actions and surroundings remotely and intervene, if needed. Intervention ranges from providing strategic guidance and tactical commands to determining vehicle manoeuvres and taking over control in scenarios that include, but are not limited to, emergency responses, system malfunctions, ADS system limits, or complex navigational challenges unforeseen by the CCAM system.

The topic invites proposals to explore two use cases that should focus on remote operations on urban and rural public roads and/ or confined areas, dealing with at least two of the following areas:

• Transport of people: use cases that enhance public transport services (i.e., by fleets of remotely operated shared vehicles, including, if relevant, on-demand responsive transport) improving accessibility and mobility for users in all their diversity in terms of all characteristics (e.g., age, gender, disability, etc);
• Transport of goods: use cases that optimise logistics (e.g., remotely operated delivery vehicles in urban environment), improving efficiency and sustainability;
• Combination of people and goods transport: use cases of integrated solutions (e.g., remotely operated vehicles that transport goods during off-peak hours and convert into passenger transport services during peak times), improving vehicle utilisation, while addressing congestion and reducing environmental impact.

For each of these use-cases, operational and societal aspects that would enable remote operations of multiple ADSs must be evaluated in terms of business models, infrastructure needs, safety assurance, legislation, as well as organisational aspects that may include cultural elements. Additionally, operator’s skills, performance and situational awareness of the remote operator must be addressed. The analysis of potential rebound effects and questions related to energy sufficiency and sustainability should not be neglected. Where applicable, the use of generative AI should be considered.

This topic aims to understand all the different components of the complex ‘system-of-systems’, combining technological advancements with a focus on human-centred design/ interfaces, as well as societal needs, considering their implications from the start. This will enable to lay the foundation for the development of advanced demonstrator use cases, integrating the various components in next phases, although technological adaptations of existing approaches to reach an integrated system-of-systems should already be validated in the relevant environment here.

Technological components of the system-of-system are foreseen to include e.g. infrastructure support, communications, cyber-security, key enabling technologies (possibly including generative AI, etc.). Proper selection of existing technology enablers and related SW developments to implement the remote operation functions is essential. Societal aspects must be identified (e.g., user-centric design, working conditions), through the inclusive engagement of stakeholders for problem formulation and concepts development, co-creation and co-assessment of deployment and operations.

Stakeholders could include user groups and public advocacy organisations, mobility companies, technology providers, public agencies, planners, community groups, industry associations, first responders, social partners^[3] and workforce representatives. These should be involved in building awareness, trust, and support for remote operations, identifying skill gaps and skill transferability of operators as well as training needs. Additionally, various stakeholders should be engaged to examine unanticipated implications (e.g., environmental, social equity etc.) and to co-develop solutions, as well as other pre-conditions making remote operations feasible (e.g., policy, governance, territorial planning, infrastructural readiness, integration into Traffic Management Systems (TMS), organisational and legislative requirements etc.).

The dimensions of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) – reflection, inclusion, anticipation, and responsiveness – should guide the exploration of the technological components of the system-of-system to achieve societal readiness, involving relevant Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines (e.g., psychology, geography, Science and Technology Studies, sociology, ethics).

The safety assurance of remote operations entails the development of a corresponding validation methodology, as the remote operator with the wireless communication system and the related interfaces becomes part of the system to be validated. Proposed actions shall develop the basic principles of such a methodology considering the framework provided by EU 2022/1426, building upon, to the extent possible, the results of the SUNRISE^[4] project and seeking close coordination with actions under HORIZON-CL5-2023-D6-01-02^[5], HORIZON-CL5-2024-D6-01-02^[6] as well as HORIZON-CL5-2024-D6-01-03^[7].

This topic is a Societal-Readiness pilot:

• Proposals should follow the instructions applying to the Societal readiness pilot, as described in the introduction of the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme 2025 for Climate, Energy and Mobility. They entail the use of an interdisciplinary approach to deepening consideration and responsiveness of research and innovation activities to societal needs and concerns.
• This topic requires effective contribution of the relevant SSH expertise, including the involvement of SSH experts in the consortium, to meaningfully support Societal Readiness. Specifically, SSH expertise is expected to facilitate the socio-technological interface and enable the design of project objectives with Societal Readiness related activities.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Projects resulting from this topic are expected to apply the European Common Evaluation Methodology (EU-CEM) for CCAM^[8].

[1] See SNS calls for further linkage.

[2] https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Informal%20document%20No16e_0.pdf

[3] As per the legal basis of Art. 154 of the TFEU.

[4] Safety assurance framework for connected and automated mobility system, grant agreement ID: 101069573.

[5] Generation of scenarios for development, training, virtual testing, and validation of CCAM systems.

[6] Scenario-based safety assurance of CCAM and related HMI in a dynamically evolving transport system.

[7] Orchestration of heterogeneous actors in mixed traffic within the CCAM ecosystem.

[8] See the evaluation methodology here.