Car Fleet Research Articles

EV-share development: speed vs interest to adopt

Transport is a notable source of greenhouse gas emissions. While the mobility habits of people have an effect on a large share of the emissions, the development of the car fleet also plays a major role. In this study, Finnish SALAMA-model is used to calculate nine different scenarios, examining how changes in both the car fleet turnover speed and interest towards electric vehicles (EVs) affect the amount of EVs and total emissions from the passenger cars in Finland up to the year 2040. With the baseline scenario (normal interest and car fleet turnover speed) 28% of cars in use would be EVs (total of PHEVs and BEVs) by 2030. In contrast, scenario with higher interest and faster turnover suggest that nearly half of all cars could be EVs. When focusing on CO2 emissions, only the scenario with the fastest turnover speed with high interest aligns with the Finnish targets for 2030. Thus, car fleet development is only a part of the emission reduction, and other measures are also needed. Based on the results, it should be noted that even though many current and past policies are often focused on increasing interest towards EVs, any solutions driving faster turnover of the car fleet would also significantly impact emission reduction.

The political climate trap

We develop a simple political-economic model of a climate trap. We apply our model to gasoline taxes, which vary dramatically across countries. Externalities cannot fully account for this. Our model shows that group interests, resulting from the composition of a country’s car fleet, can explain differences in gasoline taxes even among countries with identical fundamentals. Endogenous car ownership can yield multiple equilibria. This can lead to a political climate trap, where a low gasoline tax reflects the views of a majority, but another majority would benefit from transitioning to a high-tax equilibrium with fewer emissions.

Electric vehicles in |Brazil as an alternative to the reduction of air pollution caused by fossil fuels

The pollution has increased of significant form since 1° Industrial Revolution. The atmospheric pollution is most significant for provoking illnesses and deaths in the whole world and the main cause is the derivative of the fosseis fuel burning. In Brazil the happened pollution of the transport represents the main generating source of pollution. Although 88% of the fleet of cars produced in Brazil have engines flex that they emit little pollutant gases, exists 36% of the composed national fleet for models with superior age of 20 years, that use gasoline and diesel and are responsible for emitting about 150 times more pollutant than the new models. In 2016, had died in the world about 6,5 million people due the pollution of air and in Brazil, had been approximately 22 a thousand people and the perspective is that 36 thousand deaths occur up to 2040. Brazil has assigned international agrements to reduce the emission of CO2 and, internaly, creat the Program of Control of Air Pollution by automotive vehicles. Although these initiatives, little is had advanced in the reduction accomplishes of the emission. It is necessary to rethink the question of the use of the electric vehicles as alternative to assist in the reduction of the emissions of pollutant gases.

Optimal Fleet Policy of Rental Vehicles with Relocation: A Simulation Study

Popularity of one-way car rentals poses a challenge to rental car fleet management and brings to focus the importance of a strategic decision for rental car operators: whether to implement a single-fleet or a multifleet model. The single-fleet model allows movement of vehicles between regions, whereas the multifleet model does not. It is not obvious whether a single-fleet model is optimal due to its pooling effect, or a multifleet model due to shorter car relocation times. In practice, different rental car operators use different models. To answer this conundrum, we develop two simulation models and compare them in terms of fleet utilisation, branch service level, relocations, and operating profit. We have taken the New Zealand rental car industry as an example as the country consists of two well-defined regions: the North Island and the South Island. The results indicate that a multifleet model has a higher service level at key centres and higher utilisation. At the same time, the single-fleet model is relatively more profitable at the expense of a lower service level in key centres due to vehicles accumulating in the South Island due to a significant volume of one-way southbound travel. Overall, the implementation of either model should depend on the strategic goals of the rental car operator. Our work will be useful for practitioners considering whether or not to pool their fleet when allowing for one-way rentals with subsequent relocation.

Energetic and economic analysis of the Electric Vehicles charge impacts on public parking lots

This work addresses the energy and economic impact of electric vehicle (EV) charging services in public car parks; related to the evolution of EV penetration in the Spanish car fleet in the next 5 years. All this in the framework of the transition towards green and smart mobility. A statistical methodology has been developed to plan the number of EV charge stations to deploy in public car parks, estimate their energy demand (in minute intervals), and finally calculate the monthly energy costs. Specifically, this methodology is used to analyse the evolution of operating costs; as well as the investment costs due to the EV charging services of a public car park located in a centric area of Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Examining the long-term reduction in commuting emissions from working from home

To develop effective climate strategies, it is necessary to model the long-term impacts of combined policy measures. This study examines how an increase in working-from-home (WFH) practices, coupled with higher private car fleet penetration of electric vehicles (EVs), could change commuting patterns and associated emissions. Simulations for the Dublin Region show that if half of white-collar workers were WFH and EVs made up one-third of the fleet as forecasted for 2030, emissions from travel activities could be reduced by up to 35% for carbon dioxide (CO2) and 25% for particulate matter (PM). However, transitioning from a moderate to a high WFH scenario may not deliver significant benefits in terms of travel length, modal shift, and emissions reduction. In addition, a decrease in commuter trips can lead to an increase in other trips. This suggests that there is a need for additional measures to discourage car usage when commuter trips decline.

Sustainable supply chain design: A case of collaborative wholesale distribution

We assess the cooperative network design's efficiency outcomes in Morocco's food wholesale distribution. Before joining the collaborative coalition, we provide decision-makers with an initial preference instrument to assess the environmental and financial effects of cooperative freight distribution. We assess the practicality of incorporating decisions from the Facility Location Problem (FLP) and Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) into partnerships for sustainable freight transportation. The coalition utilizes a 3PL provider's fleet of cars, therefore the Vehicles are exempt from having to go back to the consolidation depot; as a result, the fundamental issue becomes an open location routing problem (OLRP). Although there have been several studies on open location-routing problems, their application to horizontal shipper collaboration is new. For diverse collaboration scenarios, our computational approach is founded on two-echelon OLRP under a multiple objective and periods’ framework. Every shipper involved in the partnership needs to receive gains. Therefore, evaluating the benefits to each individual shipper is essential for an effective and durable collaboration. This study addresses the issue of profit allocation to determine the collective and individual shipper's savings. By considering not just economic variables but also environmental factors, the Open LRP may help firms plan and optimize their collaborative supply chains in a more sustainable manner.

Intelligent Control of Electric Vehicle Drives using Swarm Robotics

This study investigates the incorporation of swarm robotics into the control mechanism of electric vehicles (EVs), introducing an innovative intelligent control framework that utilizes the concepts of decentralized decision-making. The research entails a methodical inquiry that encompasses the design of system architecture, the creation of a model for swarm robotics, the modeling of electric vehicle drive, the integration of swarm robotics with EV control, the development of algorithms for intelligent control, and the execution of real-world tests. The fleet of electric cars, propelled by a collective of independent robotic entities, displayed remarkable flexibility in adjusting to fluctuating surroundings. Findings demonstrated disparities in operating duration, distance traversed, mean speed, and energy expenditure during several iterations, highlighting the system’s adeptness in promptly reacting to instantaneous inputs. Significantly, the swarm-propelled electric cars successfully attained varied operating durations, showcasing the system’s adaptability in accommodating environmental dynamics. The swarm-driven system demonstrated its navigation effectiveness by effectively covering various distances, highlighting its versatility and extensive coverage capabilities. The system’s ability to effectively balance energy economy and performance is shown by the collective regulation of average velocity. The energy consumption study demonstrated the system’s efficacy in optimizing energy use, with certain experiments showing significant savings. Percentage change studies have yielded valuable insights into the comparative enhancements or difficulties seen in each indicator, so illustrating the influence of decentralized decision-making on operational results. This study is a valuable contribution to the ever-changing field of intelligent transportation systems, providing insight into the immense potential of swarm-driven electric cars to completely transform sustainable and adaptable transportation. The results highlight the remarkable flexibility and optimization skills of swarm robotics in the management of electric vehicles, paving the way for future advancements in the quest for intelligent, energyefficient, and dynamically responsive transportation solutions.

Determination of control parameters based on the characteristics of a calibrated vehicle

The calculation of control parameters when using traffic light control systems is carried out taking into account the indicators of the design car, fixed in methodological and regulatory documents. Over the past decades, the technical and dynamic parameters of motor vehicles have changed significantly. This change is primarily an improvement in dynamic indicators, which affects the process of traffic flows, which requires mandatory consideration when organizing traffic, in particular when using traffic light control systems and determining the parameters of their operation. The heterogeneity of the composition of the fleet of passenger cars in the urban traffic flow is determined and the calculation of the dynamic parameters of cars prevailing in the flow is carried out. The indicator "calibrated car" is introduced as a conditional transport unit having averaged indicators of technical and dynamic parameters of modern vehicles, prevailing in traffic flows. This indicator allows you to expand the previously used indicator of the design car in terms of dynamic parameters, in relation to the process of managing urban traffic flows when using traffic light regulation. Keywords urban traffic flow, calibrated car, calculated car, traffic light regulation, dynamic parameters, transport delay

Developing a Methodological Framework for Assessing Absolute Sustainability in Battery Upscaling within Planetary Boundaries

The electrification of transportation has accelerated greatly in recent years with the support of policymakers. However, this transformation raises the crucial question of the sustainability of such a change. In parallel, the concept of Planetary Boundaries has recently emerged as a framework for quantifying the human pressure on the Earth System. A real interest in applying the Life Cycle Assessment methodology in relation with the Planetary Boundary framework is growing to evaluate the absolute sustainability of products or services. In fact, this could be an opportunity to establish sustainable thresholds for each technology that should not be exceeded. This paper aims to develop a methodology for evaluating the absolute sustainability of the deployment of batteries in the context of the electrification of the French private car fleet. Several sharing principles are used for assigning a Share of the Safe Operating Space, and a prospective LCA is conducted based on different de-carbonization pathways. As a result, this work will provide insights into the development of a go/no-go strategy for the ecodesign and the upscaling of the electric batteries in a prospective perspective.

Modern approach in railcar fleet management

The operation of railway transportation has a number of peculiarities. The transfer of the railcar fleet to the ownership of operating companies has obviously led to changes in the management of railway transportation. The analysis of the total freight turnover and the number of managed railcars shows that 20 largest railcar fleet operators are market leaders. Despite a number of advantages, the ownership of rolling stock by private companies causes a number of problems, the most acute of which are surplus and deficit of the railcar fleet, accumulation of “abandoned” trains. Such problems are especially evident in the logistics chains of international transportation corridors. In this regard, it is advisable to analyze the controlling actions of all participants of the transportation process, to assess the degree of participation of each operator. Solving the problems of railcar fleet management using the restrictions of pulling cars on the main infrastructure tracks with seeming advantages leads to the increasing railcar turnover and, as a consequence, the growth of the operating railcar fleet, i. e. potential surplus. Regulation of the railcar fleet should be carried out using the system of technical standardization. However, the system itself is subject to revision, especially with regard to the planning period by reducing the latter. Increasing the dynamics of regulation will make it possible to meet the transportation needs in time, avoid accumulation of “abandoned” trains, specify the operating car fleet managed by companies - operators and bring railway transportation closer to the logistic principles of freight delivery. For this purpose, it is expedient to study in detail the technology of interaction of all railway transportation participants, especially including them in multimodal transport corridors.

ПІДВИЩЕННЯ БЕЗПЕКИ РУХУ НА ТРАНСПОРТНИХ РОЗВ’ЯЗКАХ В ОДНОМУ РІВНІ

Introduction. A significant share of traffic accidents occurs precisely at intersections and junctions Therefore, there is a need to increase road safety on them, taking into account modern requirements and best global practice, namely the organization of roundabouts at intersections Problem Statement. The increase in the car fleet is significantly ahead of the rate of growth of the road network. In this regard, traffic conditions worsen, the number of traffic accidents increases, the capacity of roads decreases, which leads to a decrease in road efficiency and an increase in the cost of road transportation. In such conditions, the issue of increasing road safety, in particular at intersections, becomes especially urgent. Purpose. Study of traffic safety at intersections, determination of the causes of traffic accidents and formulation of proposals to reduce their number. Materials and methods. In the article, the method of statistical data processing was used to analyze traffic safety on highways. Results. The causes of traffic accidents were analyzed, in particular at intersections, and it was determined that roundabouts are safer than other types of intersections.

EMISSIONS OF GREENHOUSE GASES IN TERNOPIL TOWN DURING THE SPRING OF 2023

The paper analyses the sources of air pollution in Ternopil town. The tendency of change in climatic conditions due to greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles is considered. It has been established that cars are the main source of changes in the atmospheric and ecological state. They produce 72% of pollution, while enterprises in the city produce only 28%. The study revealed a lack of statistical data on pollutant emissions into the city's atmosphere from mobile sources. The decision was made to collect the data on our own and to create the relevant peak load schedules by day of the week. Also, for better understanding, the percentage of transport is illustrated on the example of the central street of Ternopil (Ruska Street). The study found that passenger cars make up the bulk of the traffic flow per day - 89%. The busiest days are Tuesday - 57,912, Monday - 46,464 and Friday - 45,360. The lowest number of cars is observed on weekends, with 27,240 on Saturday and 28,544 on Sunday. According to the Begg's formula, modified by Shapovalov, the average level of carbon monoxide pollution on Ruska Street in the spring of 2023 was 52.95 mg/m³, which exceeds the MPC (5.5 mg/m³) by 10.9 times. We analysed the main works that addressed the problem of air pollution in the town and allowed us to better understand the situation. Attention was paid to this issue in the works of L.V. Yankovska, where the problem of motor transport in Ternopil town is repeatedly raised. N.P. Stetsko in her work «Transport and Technogenic Load on the Air Environment in Ternopil Region» examines in detail the issue of air pollution in Ternopil region. In his work "Complex green zone of Ternopil town, geoecological principles of sustainable functioning", I.R. Kuzyk examines the green zone of the city, production of oxygen and assimilation of carbon dioxide. In the work of I.R. Kuzyk is also conducting an analysis of the increase in the share of pollutants in the structure of the city's atmospheric air.
 In the current work, the problem of using generators is considered. According to the state customs statistics, during the 11 months of 2022, almost 354,000 generators worth 355 million US dollars were imported into Ukraine. After the massive missile strikes on the Ukrainian power grid, the "Epicentr" network reports a 5-7 times increase in demand for generators. It was investigated that in the central part of Ternopil town (according to the schedule of blackouts) in week 1, a gasoline generator produces 0.0476 tons of emissions. Valova Street is taken as an example. Its length is 170 meters, and its width is 8 meters. This is a street with two-sided buildings. On the first floor there are public institutions, on the second - residential apartments. There are 12 generators in this area that work simultaneously for several hours in a row. In addition to the above, the situation regarding the country's car fleet, which is similar for all cities, was analyzed. In particular, attention was drawn to the predominance of Euro-2 and Euro-3 cars. When Euro-5 standards are in force in the country from 2016. At the end, ways to resolve the situation are proposed. These measures include the improvement of environmental monitoring systems, the transition to alternative energy sources, the creation of traffic-free zones, and others.
 Key words: atmosphere; greenhouse gas emissions; Ternopil town; generators; transport load.

Participation and sensemaking in electric vehicle field trials: A study of fleet vehicle-to-grid in Australia

Vehicle-to-grid is a niche technology that has the potential to benefit electricity markets and support more renewable energy in the grid. However, interest from prospective users in adopting V2G is not well understood, particularly in the context of fleet vehicles. Technology-oriented field trials can contribute to the development of niche technologies. Trials usually focus on making engineered systems work, institutional embedding and testing business models. However, through the participation of users they also provide the opportunity to explore processes of problem definition and the formation of social, ethical and cultural meanings. This article presents findings from the Realising Electric Vehicle-to-grid Services project, an Australian trial of vehicle-to-grid in a government-owned light passenger car fleet, aiming to explore co-productive processes as essential aspects of participatory technology development. Our data comprises interviews with organisational actors responsible for facilitating and mediating the trial, as well as others in similar organisational roles. Adopting ecologies of participation as a framework, it reveals the productive effects of these actors in mediating the local embedding of vehicle-to-grid. These findings challenge the framing of vehicle-to-grid as being a question of consumer acceptance and suggest that, for this promising technology to contribute to a more sustainable future, the electricity sector must accept more risk.

The effects of higher bioethanol blends on greenhouse gas emissions from the UK passenger car fleet at various time horizons during the transition to net zero: A review

There is a need to minimise the Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) of petrol-powered cars during the transition to net zero. This research examines the effects on GHG from the recent adoption of E10 as the standard 95-octane petrol grade in the United Kingdom (UK). Also, it considers the potential of using higher bioethanol blends within the national car fleet and the effect of increased lifetime mileage due to the growing incidence of extended vehicle ownership. A comprehensive fleet turnover model and a separate numerical model to predict the GHG emissions for various powertrain types using different bioethanol blends were developed. Sensitivity studies that model the effects of different annual mileage using E10 and applying the proposed UK fleet composition scenarios at 10-year intervals from 2020 to 2050 were conducted. The results support the claimed percentage reduction of GHG emissions arising from the UK petrol car fleet using E10 when compared to E5 and establish that using a higher bioethanol blend such as E15 would provide still further reductions in most instances except in the case of plug-in hybrid vehicles where an increase in GHG emissions was observed at the 2030 and 2040 time horizons. An increase in annual mileage creates a linear increase in GHG emissions, although the rate of increase is not the same for each propulsion type. Such an increase can potentially disrupt the achievement of the UK's 2050 net zero target and future periodic carbon budgets.

Ship recycling—estimating future stocks and readiness for green steel transformation

This article addresses ship recycling. Often criticized for dire health and safety conditions at breaking destinations in the Global South, our article considers ship recycling as a potential future source for secondary steel in green transformations. It represents an analysis of forthcoming changes in the regulatory framework, an initial assessment of steel stocks based on publicly available data, and a local case study. Here, the article assesses the capability of Bremen, a city in Northern Germany, to gain a relevant future market share. Our results indicate (a) the regulatory framework is dynamic due to the entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention in 2025 und the current revision of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation; (b) the future market is significant, roughly equivalent to the entire current US car fleet in terms of steel stocks; (c) the ability to act locally depends on a variety of critical factors, including political will, entrepreneurial capital, and space requirements. The article concludes with an outlook on the importance of such a development for the transition towards ‘net zero steel’ and provides a perspective on future research needs.

The Impact of Autonomous Vehicles on Cities

Autonomous vehicles are a double-edged sword, bringing happiness and convenience to peoples lives but also silently creating various crises and bad effects. The purpose of this article is to explore and analyze the implications of autonomous vehicles, with a focus on their impact on cities, as they are and will be massively linked to smart city systems and operate on urban roads. In this paper, the author has analyzed the findings and data from many past literature and research sources and summarized them based on his own research and ideas. The findings of this article show that the positive impacts of self-driving cars are mainly in the areas of ease of travel and self-driving car fleets. The negative impacts are mainly reflected in three different aspects: safety hazards, environmental pollution and energy consumption. Of course, self-driving cars have different impacts in various fields, and these impacts need to be explored by more researchers.

Solar parking lot management: An IoT platform for smart charging EV fleets, using real-time data and production forecasts

The fast transition to the electrification of the energy system, combined with an exponential growth of the market share of electric vehicles, is leading to a tight interrelation between electric energy production and transportation, two prominent sectors in fossil fuels consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Accelerating this process, the management of electric fluxes, aiming at optimizing production and demand coupling, plays a crucial role in reaching the net-zero emission target. The proposed software platform is designed to optimally manage the energy fluxes for a solar powered parking lot, serving a fleet of electric vehicles; the real-time knowledge of energy production and demand, in conjunction with forecasted power generation, allows the maximization of renewable energy self-consumption, thus reducing the exchange with the external grid. The software platform can work either in design mode, allowing the dimensioning of the various parking lot components, or in real-time mode managing instantaneously the energy balance. As a case study, it is tested on the 2019 parking lot mobility data of a research center, assuming a complete transformation of the then existing fleet of employees' cars to electric vehicles. A comparison of the resulting energy flows with those projected by an established commercial tool is performed, as well as a preliminary economic evaluation. Both consistency of the simulation results and favorable economics validate the presented smart charging algorithm and Internet of Things platform for the real-time energy management of a solar parking lot.

Mechanism for Development of Transport and Logistics System: Electric Transport Infrastructure

In the Republic of Belarus in 2021, the volume of electricity consumption at car charging stations increased by about 38 % compared to 2020 and amounted to about 10 million kW∙h. Belarusian experts noted that the operation of an electric car is about 2 times more profitable for its owner than a car with an internal combustion engine. In general, for the economy, under the condition of equality of environmental pollution at the stages of extraction of natural resources and the disposal of electronic waste, the electric car retains a win. Renewal of the fossil fuel vehicle fleet with vehicles powered by renewable energy sources is a task that requires the implementation of a mechanism for adapting the transport and logistics system to modern challenges of the global economy. To date, the number of electric vehicles and rechargeable hybrids in Belarus is slightly more than 10 thousand units. An increase in the public electric transport fleet was noted – over 100 elect-ric buses. In turn, the development of the IT sector and the need to switch to the production of vehicles for environmentally friendly types of the Euro-7 standard, the introduction of which is expected from 2025, prompted global car manufacturers to produce electric vehicles and rechargeable hybrids, which are superior in environmental parameters to fossil-based counterparts fuel and correspond to the time of growth of the disposable income of the mass consumer. In order to avoid the loss of economic benefits with the renewal of the car fleet with electric vehicles, the paper examines the mechanism for adapting the infrastructure of the motor transport service to the modern challenges of the global economy.

STUDY OF THE LIFE CYCLE OF RAILWAY TRANSPORT SERVICES USING DIGITAL METHODS IN LOGISTICS SYSTEMS

The article is devoted to the study of the life cycle of railway transport services in freight transportation. The features of the service are describe as a type of product. A parametric model of the life cycle of providing services by rail is construct from the moment of loading goods into wagons at the departure station to the moment of unloading at the destination station. There are the comparison of the service life cycle and the turnover of the car. Other operational indicators, features of their calculation and interrelation are also analyze. It is propose to minimize the service life cycle by digitalizing the rationing of operational indicators. It is present the calculation algorithm using by digital methods. The elements of the program interface for calculating and rationing operational indicators are given. The life cycle of the service is comparable to the turnover of the car, but does not take into account the empty mileage of the car. Minimizing the life cycle of products is an important aim, because it will reduce costs, increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of rail transport for cargo owners. Digitalization of the process of calculating and rationing operational indicators can solve this problem.
 Purpose. The purpose is to apply the product life cycle period to the railway transport service during freight transportation with the subsequent search for opportunities to improve the quality of services provided.
 Methodology. The article used the analysis of the provision of transportation services from the standpoint of quality management, modeling, as well as the creation of an algorithm and a program for digitalization of a number of operations.
 Results. The cargo transportation service is differentiate into stages of the life cycle period. It is present a parametric model. They are outline the ways of minimizing the life cycle, which will reduce costs, increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of railway transport for cargo owners. Digitalization of the stage of calculation and rationing of operational indicators can solve this problem
 Practical implications. It is advisable to apply the results obtained in the railway transportation system, in the work of operators and transport and logistics companies, in the management of the car fleet.