ASTRA MODEL
Assessment of Transport Strategies (ASTRA) is a familiy of European integrated assessment models (IAM) that integrate transport, technologies, energy, environment and economics into a consistent mathematical simulation model. ASTRA is implemented as simulation model using the System Dynamics method. So far, national ASTRA models have been developed for Germany and Italy, as well as a European ASTRA model.
We use ASTRA models for scenario analyses and impact assessments of transport policy, technology diffusion and climate mitigation policy. The model enables to measure transport impacts, environmental effects and macro-economic impacts. The German ASTRA model differentiates 56 economic sectors, quantifies the German fleet for 7 size segments and 8 drivetrain technologies. Transport demand for passenger and freight is modelled at the level of 39 German NUTS-II zones.
The European ASTRA models covers the 27 European Member State as well as United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland each by a separate macro-economic model differentiating 25 economic sectors. The car fleet model of each country considers seven drivetrain technologies but no size segements. The transport system is modelled at the level of NUTS-I zones for international traffic and NUTS-II zones for regional traffic of both passenger and freight transport and, considers also the cross-border transport flows driven by the ASTRA trade model.
In recent years the German ASTRA model in particular is applied to develop and assess the national greenhouse gas mitigation strategy for the transport sector as part of the Mobility and Fuels Strategy (MFS) of the Government. The model is used to assess the impact of the European CO2 standards for cars and of the EV purchase subsidies on the diffusion of electric mobility in Germany. The European ASTRA model was applied several times to assess the impact of the European climate strategy as well as to assess the growth and jobs impacts of European Renewables Policy and the TEN-T policy.
M-Five is one of the ASTRA development partners. Our experts drive the ASTRA model development since its beginning at the end of the 1990ies. Further information on ASTRA can be found at the models website www.astra-model.eu
