History of ITS-Davis
ITS-Davis was established in 1991 as an Organized Research Unit under the UC Davis Office of Research and as a branch of the multi-campus Institute of Transportation Studies research unit. (The other ITS branches are at UC Berkeley and UC Irvine.)
Following is a list of some of the important milestones in the Institute's history:
| 2007 - | ITS-Davis researchers join with UC Berkeley researchers to craft policy plan for California's low-carbon fuels standard |
| 2007 - | Third major research consortium, Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (STEPS) launched to analyze and compare four fuel pathways: hydrogen, biofuels, electricity and fossil fuels; Joan Ogden and Dan Sperling are co-directors |
| 2006 - | UC Davis wins competition for prestigious Energy Efficiency Center; ITS-Davis plays key role and Andrew Hargadon appointed chair |
| 2006 - | ITS-Davis celebrates 15th Anniversary |
| 2006 - | ITS-Davis wins three-year, $3 million California Energy Commission contract to administer the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Center; Tom Turrentine named director |
| 2006 - | UC Davis awarded $25 million grant from Chevron to study cellulosic biofuels. Bryan Jenkins of UC Davis Bioenergy Research Group to collaborate with ITS-Davis |
| 2005 - | ITS-Davis awarded a University Transportation Center by U.S. DOT; Susan Handy appointed director of the sustainable transportation themed center |
| 2005 - | U.S. DOE re-designates UC Davis as a GATE Center of Excellence |
| 2004 - | Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visits UC Davis to launch California Hydrogen Highway Network; Joan Ogden serves on advisory panel |
| 2004 - | Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visits UC Davis to launch California Hydrogen Highway Network; Joan Ogden serves on advisory panel |
| 2003 - | Second major research consortium, the four-year, $4 million Hydrogen Pathways Program, launched to evaluate technical, economic and environmental characteristics of hydrogen as a transportation fuel |
| 2003 - | ITS-Davis, with John Muir Institute of the Environment, launches Road Ecology Center |
| 2003 - | Friends of ITS-Davis annual giving program established |
| 2003 - | Pavement Research Center directed by John Harvey begins move to Davis campus from Berkeley |
| 2003 - | Hydrogen-enriched natural gas bus begins testing at UC Davis |
| 2002 - | Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle Demonstration and Market Research Program launched |
| 2001 - | CarLink II tests seamless technologies for carsharing reservations, billing, and vehicle management |
| 2001 - | UC Davis team from Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering wins first place in FutureTruck competition with plug-in hybrid SUV |
| 2001 - | Institute launches Nissan Hypermini city electric vehicle demonstration directed by Ken Kurani |
| 2000 - | Researchers launch project on fuel cells as auxiliary power units for heavy-duty trucks; directed by Harry Dwyer and C.J. Brodrick |
| 2000 - | Zhang receives National Science Foundation CAREER Award |
| 1999 - | Shaheen is first recipient of Honda endowment for new mobility studies |
| 1999 - | Pew Center on Global Climate Change funds series of reports on transportation in developing countries; ITS-Davis researchers collaborate with researchers from around world |
| 1998 - | National Science Foundation awards ITS-Davis a $2.7 million "IGERT" grant for interdisciplinary graduate education |
| 1998 - | U.S. DOE establishes two Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Centers of Excellence on campus |
| 1998 - | ITS-Davis's first major research consortium, the five-year Fuel Cell Vehicle Modeling Program, launched; Robert Moore directs program to analyze performance, efficiency, and emissions |
| 1998 - | Research begins on CarLink I, nation's first smart commuter-based carsharing program; vehicles hit the road in 1999 |
| 1998 - | Professor Debbie Niemeier receives National Science Foundation CAREER Award |
| 1997 - | UC Board of Regents approves new interdisciplinary Transportation Technology and Policy (TTP) graduate group; Patricia Mokhtarian appointed chair |
| 1997 - | TTP accepts first class of new students in fall |
| 1997 - | UC Davis team from Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering directed by Andy Frank wins first place in FutureCar competition with plug-in hybrid sedan |
| 1994 - | ITS-Davis Board of Advisors created |
| 1992 - | ITS-Davis establishes information systems laboratory and advanced electric propulsion technology laboratory, now directed by Andy Burke |
| 1992 - | Four-year, $3.5 million Neighborhood Telecenters project launched to investigate the impact of telecommuting |
| 1991 - | UC Board of Regents approves UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies; Professor Daniel Sperling appointed director |
| 1988 - | First Biennial Asilomar Conference |
| 1987 - | Faculty establish transportation research group and begin process to create Institute |
| 1987 - | Mark Delucchi pioneers the development of a lifecycle emission model that is later enhanced and adopted by state and national policy-makers for widespread use |