Passenger Commercial Vehicles Research Articles

Power Management Strategy of a PEM Fuel Cell-Battery Powered Electric Vehicle

A MATLAB-Simulink based mathematical vehicle simulation model is developed in this investigation to analyze power management strategy of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell and battery powered electric vehicle. The vehicle simulation model incorporated a real-world commercial passenger vehicle operator’s drive cycle inputs and associated vehicle dynamics to determine accurate estimation of total onboard power requirements and withdrawal of power from the fuel cell and battery sources to meet the demand. The power management strategy is designed to meet the vehicle’s onboard power demand based on the availability of hybrid combination of fuel cell and battery power sources. The fuel cell stack is the primary power source of the vehicle. The fuel cell is also charging the battery with excess power produced onboard and hence controls the state-of-charge of the battery. Battery is used as a supplemental power source for meeting the vehicle’s peak power demands. The parameters are optimized to implement the power management strategy by considering the battery state-of-the charge, the drive torque and the vehicle drive performance. The model simulation results with optimized parameters showed that the power requirement of the electric vehicle was significantly affected by the combination of fuel cell and battery power management system as well as the operating behaviors of the end user (driver).

The effects of COVID19 on public and paratransit drivers in developing countries: A case study of Bangladesh and Nigeria

IntroductionPublic and paratransit services in low- and middle-income countries were severely hit by COVID-19 and related mitigation measures. This has affected both passengers and service providers. While there is now an abundance of studies investigating the effects on passengers, the literature on the impacts of the pandemic on drivers or service providers is scarce. As such, this study investigates the implications of the pandemic for commercial passenger vehicle drivers in the global south taking one South Asian country (Bangladesh) and one African country (Nigeria) as case study countries. MethodsThe study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) qualitative approach to explore and explicate the subjective experiences of drivers using semi-structured interviews. Using purposive sampling technique, thirty participants were recruited between March and April 2021. The recorded interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using NVivo software. ResultsThe analyses identify key challenges faced by drivers into five distinct themes including personal and social, physical, and operational, health and wellbeing, governance and regulation, and bad enforcement and policing related challenges. Participants reported immense hardship due to the bans on operations and lack of passengers, eliminating or reducing their only opportunities for earning a livelihood. There was a consensus among participants that they were abandoned by their governments during the pandemic and were left with no other choice than to work in risky situations. They either had to use the little savings they had or borrow money to feed their families, further reducing their opportunities for the future. Apart from facing reduced income, debt crisis, and unsustainable workload challenges, drivers reported mental health consequences of the pandemic including depression, suffering anxiety, fear of risk infection and helplessness. ConclusionsThis research concludes the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and its following containment measures on the health and wellbeing, personal and working lives of public and paratransit drivers in developing countries are substantial. The pandemic has seriously affected transport workers, which also amplified earlier inequalities. Development of non-discriminatory policies, fair and stringent enforcement, and provision of targeted financial support along with awareness raising campaigns are essential to reduce the effect pandemic had on drivers.

Understanding evolving user choices: a neural network analysis of TAXI and ride-hailing services in Barcelona

Urban mobility stands as a fundamental element worthy of consideration by both society and its leaders. Often, decisions in this realm are made by governing figures without duly factoring in the preferences and needs of citizens. In our study, we delve into the changes that have unfolded within Barcelona from the standpoint of its users. The primary aim of this article is to observe the preferences that these users hold regarding the array of mobility options available to them in the urban environment. To this end, we’ve incorporated various aspects of significant relevance and contemporary presence in today’s society, such as mobility and sustainability, focusing specifically on the two most frequently used types of commercial passenger vehicles (CPV) within urban contexts: taxis and ride-hailing services. To gather the necessary sample data, a survey was conducted with a significance level of 95%. Following an exhaustive examination of the existing literature surrounding these concepts, we proceeded with the analysis of the sample using neural networks. The outcomes garnered encompass user receptiveness to the technological evolution shaping the sector, the utilization of mobile applications, a predisposition to opt for fixed tariffs, and the pivotal role of new blockchain-based technologies (NFTs and fan tokens) in influencing user decision-making.

Ergonomic and Anthropometric Evaluation of Locally Manufactured Vehicle Seats.

Most of the cars are imported as cargo vehicles and then converted into commercial passenger vehicles in Ethiopia. Seats are locally manufactured and installed as part of the conversion to passenger cars, with little regard permitted for the standard specifications required. A descriptive survey, an ergonomics assessment of passenger seats was conducted, and subjective evaluations of seat comfort were collected. For long journeys, there are problems of discomfort, back pain, and human fatigue. Anthropometric measurements of respondents and locally manufactured seats were used to conduct an objective evaluation of seat attributes. The findings revealed that the passengers' body proportions and the seat dimensions differ significantly and are not given any preference during design and fabrication of the seat. This study recommends the anthropometric dimensions of the Ethiopian passengers for the design and manufacturing of the vehicle seats.

Assessment of the internet impact on road transportation industry operational efficiency

The Internet of Things has been driving the development of China's transportation industry. This paper used a dynamic direct distance function Data Envelopment Analysis model with internet access as the input index to more comprehensively assess the efficiency and the improvements needed in the application of internet technology in the road transportation industries. It was found that (1) the average total efficiency was higher when the internet influences were considered than when they are not considered. (2) The commercial passenger vehicle, freight vehicle, passenger traffic, and freight volume efficiencies in most provinces were positively affected by the internet.

A Preliminary Study of Greenhouse Gases Emissions of Lagos Commercial Vehicles: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines at Work

Abstract Nigeria deployed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) top-down approach which generalizes transport emissions, is not detailed to localize solutions based on sectors. This identified gap was filled using IPCC’s Bottom-Up approach. Quantitative research design was employed using a descriptive survey to determine fuel consumption, vehicle and drivers characteristics through the use of a 30-item instrument named GHG emission estimation instrument (GHGEEI) to estimate the quantity of GHGs from vehicular emissions of commercial road passenger transport activities within the selected routes in Iyana-ipaja, differentiate emission estimates by vehicle categories (Tricycle referred to as ‘Keke’, Shuttle,‘Danfo’14, 18 and 22-seaters) and determine the relative contribution of each commercial road passenger vehicle type according to its age, fuel type, number of engine plugs, and frequency of service. Quota sampling technique was used to identify the strata and their frequency in the population and then convenience sampling was used to select 15% of the quota population for each stratum. Results from the study showed that 10,259.88kg/CO2e, of Carbon dioxide (CO2), 3.65kg/CO2e of Methane (CH4), and 0.58kg/CO2e of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) was emitted daily on the selected areas.

Double parking in New York city: a comparison between commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles

Double parking in New York city: a comparison between commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles

The Opportunities and Challenges Overview: Implementing Performance Based Standards Regulation for High Capacity Passenger Vehicle in Malaysia


 
 
 Road accidents involving heavy commercial passenger vehicle (HCPV) in Malaysia have always been in the spotlight and various efforts have been taken with much attention given on operational issues. At present, the weight and dimensions of HCPV in Malaysia generally regulated under prescriptive standards regulations which do not provide clear safety outcomes and often limits the flexibility about how to achieve it. This paper provides an overview of opportunities and challenges of implementing Performance Based Standards (PBS) regulation for HCPV vehicle in Malaysia based on the Australian PBS regulation implementation for heavy vehicle. It was found that Tail Swing, Braking Efficiency and Maximum Stable Inclination Angle under the existing regulation have or partly met the PBS approach. The opportunities for implementing PBS regulation were explained in terms of the possibility adopting PBS approaches in the existing regulation and second, the institutional readiness to develop and implement it. However, challenges were expected, for example increase in cost of vehicle’s assessment. Implementing PBS regulation for HCPV in Malaysia will provide various benefits such as increase productivity, efficiency and most importantly safety.
 
 

Detecting Nuclear Materials in Urban Environments Using Mobile Sensor Networks.

Radiation detectors installed at major ports of entry are a key component of the overall strategy to protect countries from nuclear terrorism. While the goal of deploying these systems is to intercept special nuclear material as it enters the country, no detector system is foolproof. Mobile, distributed sensors have been proposed to detect nuclear materials in transit should portal monitors fail to prevent their entry in the first place. In large metropolitan areas, a mobile distributed sensor network could be deployed using vehicle platforms such as taxis, Ubers, and Lyfts, which are already connected to communications infrastructure. However, performance and coverage that could be achieved using a network of sensors mounted on commercial passenger vehicles has not been established. Here, we evaluate how a mobile sensor network could perform in New York City using a combination of radiation transport and geographic information systems. The geographic information system is used in conjunction with OpenStreetMap data to isolate roads and construct a grid over the streets. Vehicle paths are built using pickup and drop off data from Uber, and from the New York State Department of Transportation. The results show that the time to first detection increases with source velocity, decreases with the number of mobile detectors, and reaches a plateau that depends on the strength of the source.

WITHDRAWN: Assessment of stress and safety practice level of heavy commercial passenger vehicle drivers using multi-grade fuzzy

Abstract Drivers’ Stress and Safety Practices (SSP) are very important for transportation organizations to save people’s lives, reduce fines and keep insurance premiums low. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the SSP level of heavy commercial passenger vehicle drivers in a transport organization using Multi-Grade Fuzzy (MGF) approach. The overall SSP index was calculated as 5.51 which indicate that the case transport organisation’s practice level is ‘moderately good practices’ and has scope for improvement. The stress and safety practice attributes are classified based on Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). The results found that the weaker attributes of the case transport organisation were work timing, pragmatic trip scheduling, work-life balance and degree of freedom at work, which the organization has to improve. Using this framework, the any transport organisation can better evaluate their drivers’ SSP level.

Moan Noise Diagnosis and Research of Certain E-axle BUS

As the mainstream power system of new energy commercial vehicles, the E-axle system directly drives the wheels. Since there is no suspension, the drive motor and reducer are directly assembled on the axle, connected to the body or frame through leaf springs and shock absorbers. Without the traditional engine noise masking, the NVH problem of E-axle poses a great challenge to NVH engineers. This article is aimed at the obvious Moan problem in a commercial passenger vehicle with E-axle under medium and high speed conditions, with the “source-path-response” theory used in analysis. Based on the investigation and analysis of test results and CAE methods, the main reason is that the imbalance excitation of the first axis of the E-axle is too large. By changing the speed ratio of the reducer, the first axis rotating speed of the E-axle corresponding to the same vehicle speed is reduced, then the high-speed Moan noise of this vehicle can get reduced.

DETECTING NUCLEAR MATERIALS IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS USING MOBILE SENSOR NETWORKS

Radiation detectors installed at major ports of entry are a key component of the overall strategy to protect countries from nuclear terrorism. While the goal of deploying these systems is to intercept special nuclear material as it enters the country, no detector system is fool proof. Mobile, distributed sensors have been proposed to detect nuclear materials in transit should portal monitors fail to prevent their entry in the first place. In large metropolitan areas a mobile distributed sensor network could be deployed using vehicle platforms such as taxis, Ubers and Lyfts which are already connected to communications infrastructure. However, the potential geographic coverage that could be achieved using a network of sensors mounted on commercial passenger vehicles has not been established. Here we evaluate how a mobile sensor network could perform in New York City using a combination of radiation transport and Geographic Information Systems. The Geographic Information System QGIS is used in conjunction with OpenStreetMap data to isolate roads and construct a grid over the streets. Vehicle paths are built using pickup and drop off data from Uber, and data from the New York State Department of Transportation.

Use-stage life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of the transition to an autonomous vehicle fleet: A System Dynamics approach

Autonomous vehicles are predicted to enter the commercial passenger vehicle market soon. Being a new technology, there is significant uncertainty surrounding its performance, adaptations by users, and influence on the wider transport and energy systems. In this uncertainty are several possibilities for autonomous vehicle technology to underdeliver on its promise of safety, efficiency, and flexibility; and, instead, become a net burden on society. The aim of this study is to develop insights into the medium- and long-term impacts of autonomous vehicles adoption on the use-stage greenhouse gas emissions. In the study, a System Dynamics approach was applied to develop a stock-and-flow model that simulates the technological intervention of replacing a conventional vehicle with an autonomous vehicle under scenarios related to vehicle adoption, induced vehicle demand, vehicle fleet turnover, vehicle ownership, vehicle efficiency, and the energy-supply greenhouse gas intensity. The results indicate that the internal-combustion-engine vehicle fuel efficiency and the electricity-supply greenhouse gas intensity have the largest influence on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, but that the benefits can be negated by inefficient autonomous vehicles and induced demand. Based on these insights, recommendations to manufacturers include minimising energy consumption and adopting low-greenhouse gas vehicle technologies. Recommendations to governments include managing vehicle travel speeds, incentivising ride-sharing, and continuing support of renewable electricity supply. Shared recommendations include co-planning and preparing for data collection and reporting by autonomous vehicles, themselves, to support the facilitation of a low-greenhouse gas transition. The suggested future work focusses on developing the model, possibly in conjunction with other methods and tools, to support further exploration of other greenhouse gas emitting processes.

\u201cIndiscipline\u201d in context: a political-economic grounding for dangerous driving behaviors among Tro-Tro drivers in Ghana

This paper attempts a better explanation for the causes of dangerous driving behaviors among “Tro-Tro”(minibus) drivers in Ghana. The current media, policy, and academic coverage of the problem reveals an immutable discourse that considers the behaviors (such as over speeding) as a function of moral failure, indiscipline, or bad attitudes on the part of the drivers. Often little consideration is given to the context of the behaviors and their influences. This paper provides an alternative explanation that considers the behaviors as predictable actions that are systematically connected to the Tro-Tro industry. Tro-Tro drivers operate within a precarious work climate marked by problems such as low wages; cut-throat competition; high level of job insecurity; imposition of non-negotiable throat-cutting daily fees by car owners and harassments from bribe-demanding corrupt police officers. The exigencies of meeting these numerous financial and other demands of their work, not moral failure, are what fuel dangerous driving behaviors among the drivers. Based on this analysis, the present public policy of using penal populism (i.e., heavy fines and prison sentences) to address road trauma in Ghana is ineffective for inducing safer driving behaviors among Tro-Tro drivers. Interventions to reduce road transport problems involving such commercial passenger vehicles in Ghana and other developing countries similarly situated must be broad, more-wider reaching and include initiatives that also address the range of political-economic causes, motivations, and constraints that incentivize the drivers to drive dangerously. The paper contributes to the sustainable development goals of ensuring safe and sustainable transport (SDG 11.2), and reducing deaths and injuries from road accidents (SDG 3.6).

Increasing fuel economy of commercial transport by using a hybrid power train

Undoubtedly, the issue of increasing the fuel economy of passenger commercial vehicles is one of the most important, since the annual increase in the cost of fuel leads to an increase in the fixed costs of not only transport companies, but also small and medium-sized businesses. Using a hybrid power train (HPT) can reduce fuel consumption in the urban cycle, which is important for commercial vehicles used to deliver goods and passengers within the city, especially when it comes to megacities where traffic is difficult and average speeds are not high. Unfortunately, the cost of cars with a HPT, such as Toyota Prius, Lexus RX 450H, Ford Fusion Hybrid and others, remains quite high and cannot be fully compensated just at the expense of fuel economy.

On-road NOx emissions of a modern commercial light-duty diesel vehicle using a blend of tyre oil and diesel

As a potential means of offsetting diesel fuel usage and reducing the environmental impact of used tyres, this study investigates the NOx emissions of a modern commercial passenger vehicle run on a blend of diesel and tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO). The test vehicle was driven on a route representative of the driving expected by a courier. Vehicle drivability with the TPO/diesel blend, compared to neat diesel, was not reported to be perceived differently by the automotive industry experienced driver. Additionally, the NOx emissions were comparable between the neat diesel trip and those run on the blend of TPO/diesel. Interestingly, the results showed that short transients had a substantive impact on aggregate NOx emissions—making conclusive on-road comparisons between fuels difficult. Despite this, the data collected for this study indicate that there is no substantive NOx emissions degradation when running the TPO/diesel blend.

Framework for sustainable management of end-of-life vehicles management in India

Automobile manufacturing requires different metals-steel, aluminium, copper, lead, chromium, nickel and zinc, as well as significant amounts of plastic, glass, rubber and fabric. Analyzing the direct and indirect raw material requirements in the Indian automotive sector during the period 1997–2007, it was found that the material requirement of the sector doubled in a period of 10 years [1]. End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) can also be an important source of secondary raw materials, such as metal and other materials, which if salvaged and/or reused/recycled, can be again fed into the economy thereby helping to close the loop of sustainable resource circulation and reducing the demand for virgin raw materials. Estimates suggest that steel scrap worth INR 115 billion can be generated in India from retired vehicles (that include two wheelers, three wheelers, private cars, commercial passenger and commercial goods vehicles) [2]. In this paper, the authors attempt to use the shared responsibility based framework to explore and develop a business model with a structure of stakeholder engagement for improving sustainability of ELV management in India. The management of end of life vehicles in the country has significant scope for improvements in material recovery and the proposed shared responsibility based framework can help in this context.

Investigation of a Novel Coaxial Power-Split Hybrid Powertrain for Mining Trucks

Due to the different working conditions and specification requirements of mining trucks when compared to commercial passenger vehicles, better fuel efficiency of mining trucks could lead to more significant economic benefits. Therefore, investigating a hybrid transmission system becomes essential. A coaxial power-split hybrid powertrain system for mining trucks is presented in this paper. The system is characterized as comprising an engine, a generator (MG1), a motor (MC2), two sets of planetary gears, and a clutch (CL1). There are six primary operation modes for the hybrid system including the electric motor mode, the engine mode, the hybrid electric mode, the hybrid and assist mode, the regenerative mode, and the stationary charging mode. The mathematical model of the coaxial power-split hybrid system is established according to the requirements of vehicle dynamic performance and fuel economy performance in a given driving cycle. A hybrid vehicle model based on a rule-based control strategy is established to evaluate the fuel economy. Compared with the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) and the conventional mechanical vehicle system using a diesel engine, the simulation results based on an enterprise project indicate that the proposed hybrid system can enhance the vehicle’s fuel economy by 8.21% and 22.45%, respectively, during the given mining driving cycle. The simulation results can be used as a reference to study the feasibility of the proposed coaxial hybrid system whose full potential needs to be further investigated by adopting non-causal control strategies.

Assessing the Future Vehicle Fleet Electrification: The Impacts on Regional and Urban Air Quality.

There have been significant advancements in electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years. However, the different changing patterns in emissions at upstream and on-road stages and complex atmospheric chemistry of pollutants lead to uncertainty in the air quality benefits from fleet electrification. This study considers the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in China to investigate whether EVs can improve future air quality. The Community Multiscale Air Quality model enhanced by the two-dimensional volatility basis set module is applied to simulate the temporally, spatially, and chemically resolved changes in PM2.5 concentrations and the changes of other pollutants from fleet electrification. A probable scenario (Scenario EV1) with 20% of private light-duty passenger vehicles and 80% of commercial passenger vehicles (e.g., taxis and buses) electrified can reduce average PM2.5 concentrations by 0.4 to 1.1 μg m-3 during four representative months for all urban areas of YRD in 2030. The seasonal distinctions of the air quality impacts with respect to concentration reductions in key aerosol components are also identified. For example, the PM2.5 reduction in January is mainly attributed to the nitrate reduction, whereas the secondary organic aerosol reduction is another essential contributor in August. EVs can also effectively assist in mitigating NO2 concentrations, which would gain greater reductions for traffic-dense urban areas (e.g., Shanghai). This paper reveals that the fleet electrification in the YRD region could generally play a positive role in improving regional and urban air quality.

Simulation and Experimental Research on Vehicle Ride Comfort and Suspension Parameters Optimisation

With the development of vehicle technology and the improvement of living standards, people’s ride comfort requirements for vehicle are also increasing. Especially for commercial passenger vehicles, the ride comfort is related to physical and mental health of passengers. Since the suspension is a major chassis system that affects the ride comfort of vehicle, so for how to make the vehicle to maintain good ride in a variety of driving conditions, the design and improvement of suspension are essential. The research content of this paper is simulating and optimizing the suspension parameters based on kinetic model of vehicle. First, a kinetic model of vehicle for minibus system is established. Then, test verification is carried out for the ride comfort of vehicle model. The results show that the established vehicle model can be used for simulation and optimization of front and rear suspension systems through the application of genetic algorithm.