UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center

The Transportation Sustainability Research Center was formed in 2006 to study the economic, social, environmental and technological aspects of sustainable transportation. It is housed at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Detailed descriptions of the center's research can be found by following the links below. You may also download a brochure. Or view a PDf of the most recent TSRC Overview.

research areas

Transportation Propulsion and Fuels: hydrogen, electric and hybrid (including plug-in) vehicles, life-cycle analysis of biofuels, tar sands and other non-traditional sources, greenhouse gas and other transportation-related emissions and low-carbon fuel standards.

Advanced Vehicles and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): smart cars, smart parking, goods movement, and freight handling.

Policy and Planning: smart growth, alternative land use, transit, carsharing, and car-free housing.

Mobility for Special Populations: non-traditional modes, transit, and non-motorized travel.

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co-Directors: Dan Kammen, Tim Lipman, and Susan Shaheen
main office: Madonna Camel (510) 665-3467; madonna@tsrc.berkeley.edu
Media Inquiries: Phyllis Orrick (510) 643-2591; itspubs@berkeley.edu
Mailing Address: Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California Richmond Field Station, 1301 S. 46th Street, Building 190, Richmond, CA 94804-4648 (University mail code 4648). Map and Directions to TRSC Richmond Field Station Office at Building 190
phone: (510) 665-3461 Fax: (510) 665-2128
Campus Office: 2614 Dwight Way, 2nd Floor, Mail Code 1782. Berkeley, CA 94720-1782 (University mail code 1782) Map and Directions to TSRC Berkeley Campus Office in the 2500 block of Hillegass off of Dwight Way
Phone: (510) 642-4501; Fax: (510) 642-5483
General inquiries: tsrc@tsrc.berkeley.edu

Research News and Highlights

NEW in the Data Bank July 2009 California Independent System Operator (CAISO) grid ancillary service (regulation and spinning reserves) requirements and price

Spring 2009 ACCESS magazine (from the University of California Transportation Center): Saving Fuel, Reducing Emissions, Making Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles Cost-Effective, article by Daniel M. Kammen, Derek J. Lemoine, Samuel M. Arons, and Holmes Hummel.

May 13, 2009: Electric-drive-vehicle developments: a California perspective Talk delivered to the Swiss Silicon Valley Association Study Tour at Swissnex by TSRC Post-Doctoral Scholar Brett Williams.

FINAL NOTE-Economic Assessment of All-Electric Vehicles: Posted May 19, 2009: This note extends the analysis of Lemoine, Kammen, and Farrell's paper, An innovation and policy agenda for commercially competitive plug-in hybrid electric vehicles" to cover the case of all-electric vehicles (EVs). We pay particular attention to grid impacts, break-even battery costs, and the three ways in which EVs could dramatically change the results we obtained for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

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© 2009 UC Regents

This page last updated:
June 29, 2009

recent headlines

June 10: Getting Green Energy Where It's Needed in LA...DAN KAMMEN: The real issue for transmission is that it requires federal coordination and oversight. You can't do it state by state. You have to build out regional resources...And so this is another place where the Obama administration's role is going to be vital.

June 9: Fuel emissions focus 'too narrow'... Policymakers must consider more than just "tailpipe" emissions when assessing the impacts of different modes of transport, say researchers.... [B]ased on passenger kilometres travelled, off-peak urban bus services were more carbon-intensive than flights by commercial aircraft.

June 9: All Washed Up for Jatropha?
The drought-resistant "dream" biofuel is also a water hog.

June 1: Dan Kammen one of three scholars from the University of California, Berkeley, appointed to the state's new Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee, a group charged with helping California implement the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32).

June 1: Dan Kammen in "Smart People" on smartplanet.com He discusses ways to reduce carbon emissions through "smart homes," as well as "smart grids" using vehicles that are either purely or partially electric.

May 30: Beefing up the green fleet Taking advantage of increased supply, car rental firms expand hybrid offerings...Even as the recession and lower gas prices have chilled demand for hybrid vehicles, many car rental companies are adding to their fleets of Priuses and other gas-electric cars to lure a growing number of city dwellers attracted by high-mileage and "green" appeal....From 2004 to 2008, car-sharing membership grew by an average of 53 percent annually, according to a UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY study released in November. SUSAN SHAHEEN, one of the study's coauthors and DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY'S INNOVATIVE MOBILITY RESEARCH GROUP, said the US car-sharing market's estimated 310,000 members and 6,090 cars will continue to expand and attract conventional rental companies....

May 21: "Renewables: America's next heavy industry
How three manufacturers in three Midwest states are picking up where the auto sector is laying off."

Go to complete TSRC headlines page.