Independent Automotive Industry Research

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CAR Research Agenda

Our 2024 research agenda is focused on the following three priority research pillars:

  • Energy & Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Labor, Economics & Policy


The specific research identified within each of these priority research pillars was selected following an expansive review of the current and near-term needs of the automotive industry and its adjacencies (e.g., the technology industry, the battery industry) and by our stakeholders, including our nearly 70 private sector and public sector partners.

Our Three Priority Areas & Research Pillars:

Energy & Sustainability
  • EV AFFORDABILITY: Defining the key challenges impacting the affordability of electric vehicles.
  • BATTERY INDUSTRY NEEDS: Categorizing and quantifying the needs of the automotive battery industry in the U.S.
  • MATERIALS CIRCULARITY: Assessing opportunities to reuse or recycle EV battery components and materials.
Technology Advancements
  • SOFTWARE-DEFINED VEHICLES: Evaluating the benefits and efficiencies enabled by software-defined vehicles.
  • V2X COMMUNICATION: Analyzing the safety, environmental, and other opportunities provided by V2X communication technology.
  • VEHICLE SALES AND DISTRIBUTION: Understanding the auto manufacturer, dealer, regulator, and consumer dynamics around new technology-enabled sales and distribution models.
Labor, Economics, and Policy
  • U.S. ECONOMIC IMPACT: Calculating the current economic impact of the auto industry on the U.S. economy.
  • ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Assessing economic development opportunities in auto industry adjacencies (e.g., semiconductors, EV batteries, hydrogen).
  • LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: Identifying the gaps between E.U. and U.S. regulatory requirements on vehicle life cycle assessment and reporting.

Research Request

Looking for tailor-made research led by independent industry experts? Put us to work with a research project on a topic that supports your organization’s efforts in the industry.