J. Sam Lott
J. Sam Lott is the Principal of Automated Mobility Services, LLC. He continues his 45+ years of consulting work in the field of automated transit technology. Building on his earlier career during which he became internationally known in the field of automated guideway transit systems, his new area of practice is focusing on the field of automated/autonomous roadway vehicles (AVs). His work in this new field began the study of how this paradigm shift in automation technology will impact the transit industry. In 2017 he served as the Principal Investigator for the Transportation Research Board project titled “Impacts of Regulations and Policies on Connected and Automated Vehicle Technology Introduction in Transit Operations” – NCHRP 20-102(02) while working under the auspices of the Texas Southern University Center for Transportation Training and Research.
Currently he is serving as a special consultant to the Mobility Innovations and Equity Team, working under the auspices of the Center for Innovative Mobility Systems at the National Renewable Energy Lab (Dept. of Energy). He is assisting NREL with developing the concept of Automated Mobility Districts through application of AV technology to provide transit and ride-sharing fleet services within a geographically defined urban district, major activity center or campus domain.
Working in concert with Dr. Stan Young of NREL, Sam has published multiple papers and made multiple conference presentations over the last 5 years concerning these research activities now underway with NREL. One of these technical papers titled Safe Operations at Roadway Junctions – Design Principles from Automated Guideway Transit, which concerned the application of intelligent roadway infrastructure, was selected by the Society of Automotive Engineers for publication in the 2022 SAE International Journal of Advances and Current Practices in Mobility.
In August of 2022 Sam’s research findings publication with Dr. Young as coauthor has been released under the auspices of NREL – The Automated Mobility District Implementation Catalog 2nd Edition: Safe and Efficient Automated Vehicle Fleet Operations for Public Mobility. This report documents the trends and advancements in Automated Vehicle technology for applications in urban settings that are prototypical of future Automated Mobility Districts.
Sam’s research now underway in 2023 and the associated technical papers he is producing are turning the focus of his work to the electrification of automated/autonomous vehicle systems. His assessment of the impacts on operational performance of the fleet operations resulting from alternative battery charging strategies, and the implications of providing appropriate power supply infrastructure to support the fleet operations are being documented and published in partnership with Dr. Young during 2023.