Car Mobility Research Articles

Pathways for GHG emission reduction in Norwegian road transport sector: Perspective on consumption of passenger car transport and electricity mix

Electrification of the transport sector is considered as a solution to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and achieve sustainable mobility. Specifically in the case of electrification of passenger vehicles, various industrial and policy initiatives have been introduced. In this article, we present and assess three approaches – pro-technology, pro-simplicity and mix (of the aforementioned approaches) – to achieve target emission reductions in the Norwegian road transport sector. We also assess the influence of including ‘Guarantee of Origin’ certification for the electricity production in accounting for typical consumption electricity mix in Norway.Results show that for the same reductions in tail-pipe GHG emissions, pro-technology, pro-simplicity, and the mix scenario offer 22%, 29% and 28% reduction in the life cycle GHG emissions respectively, compared to the reference scenario in year 2020. However, the pro-simplicity scenario requires 25% reduction in vehicle-km driven compared to the pro-technology scenario, which provides the same passenger car mobility as in the reference case. When the GHG intensity of the electricity mix used to power EVs is corrected to account for actual consumption mix in Norway, a 13% reduction in the net GHG benefit of pro-technology scenario is observed.

‘Let’s Have Some Music’: Sound, Gender and Car Mobility

This paper draws on a visceral approach to explore the role of sound/music for people who drive cars. We examine the ways in which gendered subjectivities emerge from the pleasures associated with listening to sound/music during short car trips. The first part of the paper reviews the recent literature on ‘feelings for cars’. We highlight why gender is often absent from the literature before offering a conceptual lens drawing on geographical feminist thinking to consider sound/music, feelings, gender and mobility. We draw on driving ethnographies to explore the role of sound/music in how gender is assembled with the flow of connections between bodies, spaces and affects/emotions. Considering the contextual pleasures of listening to sound/music on these trips and emergent gender subjectivities we provide a more nuanced interpretation of why people choose to drive cars. To conclude, we point to the implications for applied research for new context-specific transport and climate change policy.

Human mobility world lines on urban topologies

In this paper we show some urban geometries generated by different human mobility types, in particular car and pedestrian mobility. These dynamical morphologies have been observed in many cities by working the Physics of the City Lab. Here we present two examples of the Torino car mobility network, some pedestrian trajectories in Marseille places, and crowding examples during the Venezia carnival. The pedestrian trajectories have been drawn by one of us, Mariateresa Sartori, a Venetian artist, using many video movies turned in a well defined spacetime framework, performing an artscience project on complex cities from Venezia to Marseille developed by us at IMERA, Marseille (2011–2012). In particular the investigations on walking pointed out which pedestrian world lines in general don’t follow Euclidean straight lines but more complex paths we guess due to the individual free will.

The Future of Car Mobility 2014-2030: Material for a Debate on Framing Smart Mobility

Smart mobility, seen as car based solutions with greater fuel efficiency and shifts to cars that are essentially information technology-products, is sometimes presented as the way forward for car mobility. This article presents developments, visions and scenarios for a debate on the role and the frame of smart mobility in the future of car mobility. Sustainability and life style issues are introduced as important backgrounds. As for a majority of households smart mobility solutions are important, it can be concluded that an important minority of households is searching for other solutions than technological framed smart mobility.

On the effects of signal design in electric vehicle charging using vehicle-originating-signals

We study alternative signal designs for electric vehicle (EV) charging control based on vehicle-originating-signals (VOS). In the original VOS approach, the need-for-charge signal is proportional to a ratio between required and available charging times which results in a convex signal. We therefore consider alternative signal designs with different concavity and convexity and compare the results in terms of objective adherence and individual EV benefits. For the evaluation, we compare the original and alternative designs for the VOS approach on a load leveling scenario based on electricity demand, solar generation and car mobility data from Munich, Germany. Results show that significantly concave and extremely convex signals have a negative effect on both the error and the EVs, while linear and adaptively convex signals enable vehicles to achieve higher battery levels at earlier stages of the parking period with no significant effect on the error.

Social exclusion, vulnerable groups and driving forces: Towards a social research based policy on car mobility

Social research was, until recently, not very important in the transport and mobility domain. There was a bias towards technical studies, engineering studies and towards transport economics. Social science was essentially a fringe activity; psychology was used in traffic management, under the name “human factors”, and human geography focussed on the relationship between the characteristics of urban and rural space and the production of mobility. Sociological studies, cultural studies and governance studies were scarce in the transport and mobility domains.This state of affairs changed the last 15 years. The relations between social research and transport and mobility are intensified. In the scientific world there is now an ongoing production of studies that relate social, cultural and governance perspectives to transport and mobility. There is a stock of literature on social exclusion or inclusion in transport, on travel behaviour and on driving forces for car mobility. But is the body of knowledge that did arise in these 15 years used in the design and evaluation of transport and mobility policies? It looks like this research is first and foremost an activity within the boundaries of academia. The way in which results and insights of social research are included in the design, definition and evaluation of car mobility policies is the central theme in this paper. The paper is written from a policy-maker's perspective by someone who has some 20 years of experience in the relationships between transport policies in practice and transport research results.Three domains and ten themes give an overview of the field. A summary of results of social research on car mobility shows interesting results. However, not many of these results are included in the design of national policies on car mobility. We show the state of the art and try to identify and analyse reasons for the rather difficult dissemination of results and insights from social research into national car mobility policies, with a focus on more socially inclusive and equitable policy outcomes in mind.

Understanding the mobility-transformative qualities of urban park and ride polices in the UK and the Netherlands

Park and Ride (P+R) has emerged as a key element of the sustainable mobility packages of many urban areas in Europe. The present article explores the impact of the introduction of P+R on urban car mobility,especially its potential transformative impact, in two of the densest European states: the UK and the Netherlands. An analysis of six case-studies (i.e., cities)showed a degree of disconnect between stated policy aims and implementation in practice, and in some of the cases this difference was substantial. No obvious national contextual factor explaining implementation success was identified: in both contexts the (local) political will and practical tools to ensure transfer of parking capacity to P+R, were the key factors. The overall car restraining effect of P&R hoped for was mostly not achieved – mainly due to transfer from public transport-only trips and from cycling and because overall parking supply across city centres increased.

Companies and energy transition: The stakes of mobility. A case study in the cities of Lille and Lyon

Regarding energy transition in the area of mobility, the literature gives prominence to two types of actor which appear to play leading roles: public authorities and households. However, the role played by companies in this energy transition appears to have attracted only marginal attention. Nonetheless, companies influence mobility through the transport of goods, professional travel and commuter trips they generate. If they participate in the growth of this mobility, might they not also contribute to reducing it? What is the viewpoint held by companies regarding these questions? The aim of this article is to highlight the stakes of this energy transition in the domain of mobility in order to represent the viewpoint of companies. The results show that company managers are effectively concerned by the stakes of energy transition in the domain of mobility and that they have already taken measures in favour of more sustainable mobility. But this is more for economic (increased transport costs) and social (recruitment problems, turnover linked to the increased cost of car mobility) reasons than for environmental ones (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions).

EVs and post 2020 CO2 targets for passenger cars

This paper analyses what post 2020 targets may be necessary for the European CO2 legislation for passenger cars in order to reach the overall sectoral goal of 60% reduction of transport’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 relative to 1990, as defined in the European Commission’s White Paper. The required target levels are found to depend strongly on the contribution that passenger cars need to make to reaching the overall target, on the assumed growth of passenger car mobility, and on the extent to which biofuels could be available for fuelling passenger cars. To what extent electric vehicles and other low emission vehicles such as plug-in hybrids and fuel cell electric vehicles are needed to meet the post-2020 targets depends on the target level and on the minimum CO2 emissions that can be reached in conventional vehicles. Almost all assessed scenarios, require significant amounts of low emission vehicles to be sold from 2030 or 2035 onwards. Electric and plug-in vehicles are in the early stage of market introduction now, but developments are fragile could end up in a “valley of death”. Defining a sufficiently low passenger car CO2 target for 2025 may be an effective instrument to motivate manufacturers to continue their efforts in the marketing and further development of these vehicles. This is important for maintaining the momentum of the transition towards large-scale application of low CO2 emitting vehicles.

Travel patterns and the potential use of electric cars – Results from a direct survey in six European countries

A significant penetration of electrical drive vehicles (EDVs) in the fleet is possible only if their use is compatible with mobility patterns of individuals. Building on the analysis of car mobility patterns by means of web-based car trips diaries filled in by a sample of individuals in six European countries, this paper provides insights on how EDVs could fit mobility habits. Critical aspects related to driving behaviour, which should be considered to allow the penetration of electric cars in the market, are identified. Among others results, we show that average daily driven distance in 6 countries ranges from an average of 40 km (UK) to an average of 80 km (Poland) and the parking time after the last trip of a day amounts to more than 16 h per day. These findings show that the current drive and parking behaviours are in line with the range limitation of current EDVs and the potential need for a full slow recharge of an average EDV battery. Our results are a starting point for the estimation on energy demand profiles to assess how electrical energy supply can meet demand under the assumptions of a wide market share of EDVs. • Survey of car mobility patterns via car trip diaries for 6 European countries • Analysis of current drive and parking behaviors • Drive patterns seem to be in line with the range limitation of current EDVs offers • Park patterns support a full daily slow recharge of an average EDV battery • Findings can be used in prediction of electricity demand of EDV usage in the EU

Car mobility and camping tourism in Norway, 1950–1970

This article examines the development of car camping as a major leisure activity in Norway during the years between 1950 and 1970. In the 1920s, tourists travelling by bus, train and bicycle were the first to camp. A few years later, in the 1930s, a small number of car owners, armed with simple tents, established campsites near rivers, lakes and the seaside. By the late 1950s and 1960s, car camping boomed. This development took place in the same period that Norwegian car politics went through major shifts. From 1948 and during the 1950s, the political elite described the private car as a problem and a potential burden on the national economy. Consequently, authorities strictly limited importation and sale of private cars. They suddenly removed these restrictions in October 1960, however. From that point forward, the automobile joined the television as a vital element of modern Norwegian society. It is interesting that many soon associated car ownership with camping activities; indeed, camping became an argument for widespread car use, bolstering the case against government restrictions on private vehicles. Soon car imports increased and campsites proliferated.

Understanding the patterns of car travel

Are the patterns of car travel different from those of general human mobility? Based on a unique dataset consisting of the GPS trajectories of 10 million travels accomplished by 150,000 cars in Italy, we investigate how known mobility models apply to car travels, and illustrate novel analytical findings. We also assess to what extent the sample in our dataset is representative of the overall car mobility, and discover how to build an extremely accurate model that, given our GPS data, estimates the real traffic values as measured by road sensors.

Can innovative business models overcome resistance to electric vehicles? Better Place and battery electric cars in Denmark

This paper explores the geographical and policy context for an emergent business model from Better Place to deliver battery electric car mobility in Denmark. It argues that the combination of radically different technologies and a highly complex multi-agency operating environment theoretically provide the conditions and requirements for such an emergent business model. While focused on battery electric cars, renewable energy generation and smart grids, the paper has wider applicability to an understanding of the interplay between place, innovation and sustainability which suggests that diverse solutions are likely to be the characteristic solution rather than ubiquity and standardization. The paper argues, however, that the innovative business model, the deployment of electric vehicles, and the use of renewable energy systems, in this case largely based on wind power, while mutually supportive and contributing to wider policy aims with respect to the reduction of carbon emissions, may still fail in the face of entrenched practices. At the theoretical level it is concluded that theorization of business models needs a broader perspective beyond the typical ‘value creation, value capture’ rubric to better understand the wider role such models have in meeting societal goals, and to understand the structural impediments to organizational and technical innovation.

Crossing Borders on Cross Border Car Mobility

“We live in a world of lines and compartments. We may not necessarily see the lines, but they order our daily life practices, strengthening our belonging to, and identity with, places and groups, while - at one and the same time - perpetuating and reperpetuating notions of differences and othering.” (Newman, 2006, p. 143)

Optimised random structure vehicular sensor network

Providing proper coverage is one of the main applications of wireless sensor networks. In many working environments, it is necessary to take advantage of mobile sensor networks (MSNs), with the capability of having cooperation between sensor nodes and moving into appropriate positions, to provide the required coverage. However, in some applications such as intelligent transport system (ITS), where sensors are applied in complex dense urban environments, traditional MSN cannot properly cover the defined area. In this study, the authors study the use of a few unreserved selected cars as a vehicular sensor network (VSN) to cover a defined area and in this scenario, the sensors movements are assumed to be random from the network viewpoint. In the proposed random structure VSN, the coverage property is managed and controlled by introducing a suggested method for resource allocation and coverage control based on the real vehicle mobility model. Major advantages of this VSN are considering the real car mobility model, compatibility with the deployed infrastructure and processing simplicity and efficiency. The implementation results of suggested method verify the analytical results that are mentioned in the simulation section.

Driving Profile Generator

The driving profile generator is a tool to generate an arbitrary number of car driving profiles such that the resulting profiles are in the same form as those reported in the latest German Mobility Panel (MOP), a large field study that reports car mobility for about 12.000 individuals in Germany. The profile generator described in this report is able to generate simulated driving patterns for four different groups of persons: employees, part time employees, retired people, and unemployed people. Each generated profile comprises all car movements of an individual within one week. For each of these trips several different pieces of information are provided, in particular the start of the trip, the duration of the trip, and the kilometers driven throughout the trip. To make the generated driving profiles follow patterns similar to those in the empirically observed driving profiles of the MOP, the panel's database has been statistically analyzed and the results are used as the basis for the profile generator.

Smart Parking Pricing: procedure per una sosta perequativa

The relationship between city and car is in crisis and the difficult relationship is increasingly emphasized by the “breathing” difficulty affecting modern urban concentrations everyday. According to the APAT IV Report on the quality of urban environment in 13 urban areas (out of the 18 tracked) the thresholds of PM10 and NO2 exceed the limit allowed by law . As everybody knows, road vehicular transport is the main emission source of the two dangerous pollutants. Considering the levels of integrated pollution (air, noise, OEM) achieved by the major Italian cities, it is clear that it is necessary to think over the relationship between cities and cars in order to split the alliance. Most of the urban sprawl is due to the redesign of the urban pattern that, form the industrial revolution onwards, has introduced the motor vehicle, exceptional interpreter of the the’30s futurist culture. The implemented contrasting or discouraging policies have been established in many cities worldwide. The increasing use of road pricing, particularly in Anglo-Saxon forms of Congestion Charge, shows a widespread tendency to hinder the car traffic in the city center and to reject flows in the ring areas. The belief that in the city, or at least in its central parts, private vehicles circulation should be limited or even excluded is now widespread and shared also by the administrators. However, the other side of the coin should be considered as regards the demand for mobility not met by the Public Local Transportation (TPL) of many Italian cities. To foreshadow some possible solutions, it is therefore necessary to think from a new point of view, which considers factors such as: the effective polarization of mobility flows from the urban functions, the TPL availability representing the real alternative to private car mobility, the integration and the interchange opportunities in TPL network, the covering percentage of the municipal territory, service levels and efficiency. Where such requirements persist, apart form Road Pricing policies, new policies to control car-parking should be implemented, which would mainly consider the urban site of movement origin (i.e. the residence of the car owner), the potential accessibility and use of TPL in that area and the consequent pricing regulations of the destination parking-area which will consider also the level of functional density and the polarization of the target areas. This article is inspired by some stimulating papers in the international literature, including some linked to the Neapolitan transportation school, which has always been very sensitive to these problems, probably also because Naples urban reality is a meaningful example in this sense. The article describe a possible procedure to identify the different urban polarization due to urban functions allocated and envisage a method to charge the urban parking by considering the location dependent parking fee with a specific design for the city of Naples a very well-known city for its atavistic problem of urban parking.

Distinguishing traffic modes in analysing road safety development

Changes in mobility influence road safety. The effects of safety measures may even be overshadowed by the effects of temporary mobility fluctuations. Usually mobility is corrected for by defining risk as the ratio between fatalities and mobility. Due to lack of sufficient data, mobility is often approximated by car mobility. In this paper we will show that the resulting “general” risk is misleading. Stratification by traffic mode shows that the risk for car drivers, motorcyclists and truck drivers is roughly constant between 1950 and 1970 and that it has been decreasing exponentially afterwards. This contradicts the development of general risk, which has been decreasing the whole period between 1950 and today. Further stratification shows that stratification by traffic mode of the fatality alone is still insufficient. Changes in mobility of the other party in a crash are also important. The development of risk of car–car accidents differs significantly from that of single vehicle car accidents. A comparison between single vehicle motorcycle accidents and motorcycle–car accidents shows a similar discrepancy. Stratification of mobility by traffic mode, and of fatality data by the relevant traffic modes involved, can enhance the understanding of the influence of mobility on safety.

COMPLEXCITY: MODELING URBAN MOBILITY

We consider the problem of modeling urban mobility using the complex systems key of lecture. We discuss the properties of the Auto-mobilis model, a virtual simulator for private car mobility based on the individual citizen propensities and the existence of "chronotopoi", which are the primary causes of citizens' mobility requests. Auto-mobilis is a microscopic agent-based model that takes into account both the physical interactions and the cognitive dynamics. We present the current status of the project and discuss the applications to real situations. The model assumptions are justified by a comparison with GPS observational data on single vehicle trajectories.

The prospects for global green car mobility

The quest for green car mobility faces two major challenges: air pollution from exhaust emissions and global climate change from greenhouse gas emissions. Vehicle air pollution emissions are being successfully tackled in many countries by technical solutions such as low-sulphur fuels, unleaded petrol and three-way catalytic converters. Many researchers advocate a similar approach for overcoming transport's climate change impacts. This study argues that finding a technical solution for this problem is not possible. Instead, the world will have to move to an alternative surface transport system involving far lower levels of motorised travel.