Alternatively fuelled connected and autonomous vehicles: Contextualising the state of the art

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) embody an AI-based transformation of paradigm-shifting gravitas that may disrupt, if not planned responsibly, efforts to make sustainable transport planning a priority for mobility provision. Packaging CAVs with alternative fuels can likely stop that. Our study, a thematically organised narrative review, aims to identify and evaluate awareness, opportunities, challenges and policies that could promote or impede the shift to vehicles that combine the qualities of both connected autonomy and alternative fuelling – i.e., the Alternatively Fuelled Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (AFCAVs). Whilst pro-environmental beliefs and ease of use are important awareness-setting parameters, more and better focused training and campaigns can advance understanding about AFCAVs and their overall societal value. AFCAVs could facilitate cost-saving and encourage shared transport but could generate issues, such as battery pollution and excessive travel. At the same time, supporting policy for them is still scarce and underdeveloped. To date, alternatively fuelled vehicle technologies lack incentivisation, operate on insufficient charging infrastructure with limited geo-spatial coverage and face range anxiety issues. We propose that for AFCAVs to be successful, their travel costs must be low, their environmental value over other vehicles should be demonstrated in a trusted way, an enabling policy framework should be established pro-actively and finally they should be offered on a shared basis with public transport being at the epicentre of any service provision.