Urban Logistics Innovation, Lead by Lyon

Lyon, France

Lyon’s LUTB (Lyon Urban Truck & Bus) research and development cluster is developing heavy hybrid vehicles for low-carbon urban logistics. The effects of their innovative solutions will “radiate across the world”. 

In July 2005, the Centre of Excellence label was granted to the Lyon Urban Truck&Bus 2015 research cluster, founded by Renault Trucks (Volvo Group), Irisbus-Iveco (Fiat Group), IFP Energies nouvelles, the French National Institute for Transport & Transport Safety Research (INRETS), the Greater Lyon Area and the Lyon Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCI).

Lyon Urban Truck&Bus (LUTB) represents one of the 10 French transport clusters, and its unique goal is to sustainably meet the challenges raised by the growth in the need for mobility of people and goods in urban environments. Recent governement funding granted to LUTB has had a “huge impact” on the cluster’s development of heavy hybrid vehicles for low-carbon urban logistics, whose whose effects will “radiate across the world”, according to Isabelle Rivière-Cazaux, Director of Innovation and Development at LUTB.

LUTB has five areas of focus for their research and development projects:

Engine Driveline & Powertrain, which aims to develop a high-performance, environmentally friendly powertrain for diverse urban transport applications. This includes engine optimisation for diesel, controlled ignition, fuels, alternative fuels and post treatment, as well as hybrid motor development of subsystems (batteries, supercapacitors, electric motors), integration & energy optimization.

The Integrated Safety & Security arm designs solutions to improve the safety and security of industrial vehicles, including improving user safety in accidents involving industrial vehicles through use of active (prevention) and passive (protection) measures, plus the safety of passengers, and safety of other road users, such as pedestrians. They are also designing and integrating security enhancements for passengers and goods.

The Architecture & Comfort team design tomorrow’s urban vehicles to meet the challenges of sustainable development and mobility in the city, using technology, new materials, use of hybrid motors and new concepts. They also concentrate on system performance, and vehicle comfort, which involves lighter vehicles, reduced vibrations and noise, improved accessibility and new innovative architecture.

Transport System projects create comprehensive transport solutions, including communication between vehicles, infrastructures and the urban system, as part of the drive for sustainable development. Technologies employed include communication (GSM, GPRS, UMTS, V2V & V2I etc), measurements, data management (traffic, logistics, urban entities etc) and vehicle adaptation. System performance work aims to improve passenger and freight mobility, safety and security, environment and traffic congestion and quality of service. Research is ongoing into itineraries, regulation, communication platforms, supervision, identification of entities and connection between the vehicle and the system.

Modelling & Management of Urban Mobility is the fifth area of focus, and aims to understand the dynamics of passenger and freight mobility in urban and semi-urban areas. They work on the optimisation of the public road network determined by usage, urban process, real-time modelling of journey times, implementation/coherent use of data, urban and lifestyle factors, freight mobility, business travel, and the true cost of transportation.

For further information on LUTB's projects and on logistics in Lyon, contact Emmanuelle Sysoyev, Press Officer at Invest in Lyon, on +33 (0)4 72 40 57 15, or email sysoyev [@] aderly.com.