Preparing for large-scale CCAM demonstrations (CCAM Partnership) – Societal Readiness Pilot

Expected Outcome:

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

• Pave the road for forthcoming CCAM deployment and deliver a comprehensive large-scale demonstration plan for CCAM vehicles across Europe;
• Ensure the engagement of key stakeholders across the value chain in transport and mobility, including required industrial partners (such as OEMs and suppliers) and a range of end users and service providers, in preparing for demonstrations that will pave the way for subsequent implementations;
• Establish the foundation for future use case specific projects in different domains, such as public and private road transport and logistics, alongside the large-scale demonstrations;
• Outline a CCAM promotion strategy, supporting elevated public engagement and awareness;
• Responsiveness to a deeper understanding of the needs and concerns of diverse social groups involved in or potentially affected by the R&I development, thereby increasing the potential for beneficial societal uptake, and building trust in results and outcomes.

Scope:

In recent years, the work in vehicle automation has concentrated on technological advancements, human factors, extensive testing, and demonstrations to raise public awareness and facilitate market readiness. Even with the progress achieved, the challenges related to technical functionality as well as use, demand and affordability remain considerable.

To tackle these challenges, a sensible approach is needed to implement vehicle automation developments in real-life applications via large-scale demonstrations such as Field Operational Tests (FOTs) within Living Labs. Additionally, particular use cases for public road transport and logistics should be targeted. The validation of technical enablers (also considering technological readiness), understanding user behaviour, promoting acceptance and advancing societal readiness for both mobility of people and transport of goods remains a major focus. The tests and large-scale demonstrations should be conducted in both mixed traffic conditions and confined areas, where applicable. Ensuring interoperability of connected automated systems across various vehicle brands, regions, and Member States is essential.

Since successful large-scale demonstration activities require strong and early engagement from key stakeholders, comprehensive planning and preparatory actions, leveraging previous and ongoing efforts, are needed to ensure European competitiveness and leadership.

The action should leverage previous and ongoing projects at European and national levels on demonstration activities. It should consider the outcomes of the European software-defined vehicle of the future initiative. The frameworks and guidelines formulated by the CCAM Partnership shall be duly reflected^[1]. This is to optimise the return on investments and create a strong basis for future large-scale demonstration projects to boost an industry-wide European deployment strategy for CCAM.

Proposed actions for this topic are expected to address all of the following aspects:

• Define the prerequisites for performing large-scale demonstration projects, considering vehicle technology maturity and other technical enablers, physical and digital infrastructures, as well as approval frameworks for public road testing;
• Prepare and refine methodologies, test procedures and tools for the execution of field tests and efficient data management;
• Identify test and demonstration sites across Europe for CCAM functions, considering the extension of Operational Design Domains (ODDs), using vehicular communication technologies (V2X) that enables Traffic Management Systems (TMS) for improved traffic flow and operational efficiency;
• Initiate a cross-sector stakeholder forum for the definition of use case relevant projects in different domains and their implementation.

The proposed action is expected to foster the collaboration between public and private stakeholders to achieve common objectives and assess societal impacts. Engagement of key stakeholders, covering the whole CCAM ecosystem, such as mobility and transport users, , public transport, shared mobility and logistics operators, infrastructure providers, traffic managers, public authorities, and research institutions must be ensured. In addition, European industrial players such as OEMs and suppliers should be adequately represented.

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.

The project should build upon the results of the FAME^[2] project and on the actions under HORIZON-CL5-2024-D6-01-05^[3] to ensure complementarity between activities.

Projects resulting from this topic are expected to apply the European Common Evaluation Methodology (EU-CEM) for CCAM^[4].

[1] https://www.ccam.eu/

https://www.connectedautomateddriving.eu/

[2] Framework for coordination of Automated Mobility in Europe, grant agreement ID: 101069898.

[3] Robust Knowledge and Know-How transfer for Key – Deployment Pathways and implementation of the EU-CEM.

[4] See the evaluation methodology here.