Personal Transportation Sector Research Articles

Carbon Emission Variations for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles after Coronavirus Disease 19: An Empirical Case in Chongqing, China

Owing to the lockdowns associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic, carbon emissions were significantly reduced. However, the accurate impacts on the personal transport sector since then remain unclear. To further investigate the influence of sudden public health emergencies on actual carbon emissions from personal electric vehicles, this paper examined the travel patterns and corresponding carbon emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) operating in Chongqing, China, before and after COVID-19. The results revealed that the pandemic has reshaped the travel patterns of vehicle drivers, with a 9 % reduction in the postpandemic fleet average daily travel mileage. Currently, the total daily carbon emissions of a PHEV with a range of 80 km (PHEV80) are 6.24 kg, which is 13 % lower than emissions from conventional vehicles and 32 % higher than those from electric battery-powered vehicles before the pandemic. Since COVID-19, there has been a 24 % decrease in carbon emissions from PHEV80 vehicles for the fleet and a 30 % maximum increase for individuals. Furthermore, considering the integration of 50 % renewable energy into China’s power grid by 2025, PHEVs can better mitigate the fluctuations in carbon emissions associated with sudden public health emergencies compared with conventional vehicles.

Pandemic as a Driver of Diversification of the Bolt Platform: Launching Food Courier Service in Budapest

Bolt, a ride-hailing company providing “on-location platform-determined work”, became a global platform operator in the personal transport sector within a year after its foundation in 2013. Presently, the company is among the first five fastest growing European firms. The Hungarian operation was founded in 2016. In contrast to the Uber, this company,originally called Taxify but rebranded as Bolt in 2019, respects the country’s regulation on personal transport. The aim of the case study is to identify some key characterists of the platform that allowed the company to adapt to sudden societal shifts caused by the COVID19 pandemic. The paper is structured around five sections: 1) an overview on the ride-haling service globally and than focusing on Bolt itself, 2) an outline of the service diversification of Bolt under the worldwide social-economic and health crisis created by COVID-19, 3) the platform workers’ motivation, earnings, working conditions, skills match, algorithmic mangement/autonomy and employment status, 4) a summary of the practice of representation or the forms of voice of the workers, an 5) an overview ofkey impacts of COVID-19 that have been felt by platform workers. The descriptive analysis is ended by the concluding remarks.

Electric vehicle adoption: can short experiences lead to big change?

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) offer a promising pathway to decarbonizing the personal transportation sector, but PEV sales remains low. Prior research has found that direct experience with PEVs increases consumers’ stated purchase consideration, but these studies have used relatively long exposure times (days to months) with a PEV. To assess the effect of shorter exposure times (e.g. minutes) on stated purchase consideration, we conducted an experiment at the 2019 Washington D.C. Auto Show. Participants (n = 6518) were asked to rate their level of consideration to adopt a PEV before and after riding in one of four different PEVs for just 3–5 min. We find that the experience of riding in a PEV on average had a significant, positive effect on participants’ consideration ratings. We also find that the vast majority of respondents were unable to correctly answer basic knowledge questions about refueling a PEV and federal subsidies available for purchasing a PEV. These results suggest that while consumer knowledge about PEVs remains low, short rides or drives in a PEV could be an effective, more scalable strategy for increasing PEV consideration across larger populations.

Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe

The long-term transition towards a low-carbon transport sector is a key strategy in Europe. This includes the replacement of fossil fuels, modal shifts towards public transport as well as higher energy efficiency in the transport sector overall. While these energy savings are likely to reduce the direct greenhouse gas emissions of transport, they also require the production of new and different vehicles. This study analyses in detail whether final energy savings in the transport sector also induce savings for material resources from nature if the production of future vehicles is considered. The results for 28 member states in 2030 indicate that energy efficiency in the transport sector leads to lower carbon emissions as well as resource use savings. However, energy-efficient transport sectors can have a significant impact on the demand for metals in Europe. An additional annual demand for 28.4 Mt of metal ores was calculated from the personal transport sector in 2030 alone. The additional metal ores from semiprecious metals (e.g., copper) amount to 12.0 Mt, from precious metals (e.g., gold) to 9.1 Mt and from other metals (e.g., lithium) to 11.7 Mt, with small savings for ferrous metal ores (−4.6 Mt).

The Battle between Battery and Fuel Cell Powered Electric Vehicles: A BWM Approach

The transition to a more sustainable personal transportation sector requires the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. However, a dominant design has not yet emerged and a standards battle is being fought between battery and hydrogen fuel cell powered electric vehicles. The aim of this paper is to analyze which factors are most likely to influence the outcome of this battle, thereby reducing the uncertainty in the industry regarding investment decisions in either of these technologies. We examine the relevant factors for standard dominance and apply a multi-criteria decision-making method, best worst method, to determine the relative importance of these factors. The results indicate that the key factors include technological superiority, compatibility, and brand reputation and credibility. Our findings show that battery powered electric vehicles have a greater chance of winning the standards battle. This study contributes to theory by providing further empirical evidence that the outcome of standards battles can be explained and predicted by applying factors for standard success. We conclude that technology dominance in the automotive industry is mostly driven by technological characteristics and characteristics of the format supporter.

A multi-dimensional well-to-wheels analysis of passenger vehicles in different regions: Primary energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and economic cost

This paper proposes an exergy-based well-to-wheels analysis to compare different passenger vehicles, based on three key indicators: petroleum energy use, CO2 emissions, and economic cost. A set of fuel pathways, including petroleum-based fuels, compressed natural gas, biofuels, and electricity are considered in five representative national energy mixes, namely Brazil, China, France, Italy, and the United States of America. Results show no fundamental difference in the fossil fuel pathways among the five scenarios considered. Compressed natural gas vehicles and electric vehicles can completely displace oil consumption in the personal transportation sector. Compressed natural gas vehicles also reduce CO2 emissions by over 20% compared to gasoline vehicles. Emissions from electric vehicles greatly vary depending on the electricity mix. In low-carbon electricity mixes electric vehicles reach almost-zero CO2 emissions, while the use of biofuels leads to the lowest CO2 emissions in carbon-intensive electricity generation mixes, where vehicles running on E85 could reduce CO2 emission by over 50% compared to gasoline vehicles. Hybrid electric vehicles show the lowest overall economic cost, due to improved efficiency and low cost of petroleum-based fuels. Vehicles running on electricity are characterized by significantly higher capital cost and lower operating costs. Thus, different electricity generation costs impact minimally the overall cost. These results can be used to inform decision-makers regarding the multi-dimensional impact of passenger vehicles, including environmental impact, economic cost, and depletion of primary energy resources, with particular focus on petroleum.

Modeling Indian four-wheeler commuters’ travel behavior concerning fuel efficiency improvement policy

The present study examines the relation between the Indian commuters’ travel behavior and their support for vehicle fuel efficiency improvement policy towards energy conservation and environment protection. Data was collected through an attitudinal questionnaire survey conducted among selected commuters in south India. The set hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling approach. The data analysis results revealed that the Indian commuters have a supporting attitude for vehicle fuel efficiency improvement policy towards fuel consumption and emission abatements. The modeling results also show that this policy has a positive influence in shaping the travel behavior of the commuters. This in turn shows that the implementation of this policy will modify the commuters behavioral intention leading to a travel behavior of having more car trips and hence longer travels. Besides the awareness over the threats of fuel consumption and emissions, the Indian commuters are interested in having more travel activities with fuel efficient cars. This shows the existence of direct rebound effect in the Indian personal transport sector. This behavior of the commuters can offset the benefits, which are expected out of the fuel efficiency improvement policy and reduced car use, of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission abatements in the country.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Alternative Policies in Conjunction with Energy Efficiency Improvement Policy in India

Energy efficiency improvement is often advocated for fuel conservation and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in Indian personal transport sector. However, in the long run, this policy is found to induce direct rebound effects as it leads to more car trips and hence longer travels. Attempts have been made in this paper to test the effectiveness of alternative energy policies in conjunction with energy efficiency improvements in personal transport sector of India with the help of a system dynamics model. Four alternative energy policies considered in conjunction with the energy efficiency improvement policy are carbon tax imposition, car sharing, car scrappage, and a combination of all of these. Simulation results show that while the combined policy gave the best scenario in terms of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the car sharing policy gave the best scenario in terms of direct rebound effect values.

Coordinating plug-in electric vehicle charging with electric grid: Valley filling and target load following

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) shift energy consumption from petroleum to electricity for the personal transportation sector. This work proposes a decentralized charging protocol for PEVs with grid operators updating the cost signal. Each PEV calculates its own optimal charging profile only once based on the cost signal, after it is plugged in, and sends the result back to the grid operators. Grid operators only need to aggregate charging profiles and update the load and cost. The existing PEV characteristics, national household travel survey (NHTS), California Independent System Operator (CAISO) demand, and estimates for future renewable generation in California are used to simulate PEV operation, PEV charging profiles, grid demand, and grid net load (demand minus renewable). Results show the proposed protocol has good performance for overnight net load valley filling if the costs to be minimized are proportional to the net load. Annual results are shown in terms of overnight load variation and comparisons are made with grid level valley filling results. Further, a target load can be approached in the same manner by using the gap between current load and the target load as the cost. The communication effort involved is quite modest.

Policy in motion: reassembling carbon pricing policy development in the personal transport sector in British Columbia

British Columbia’s carbon tax is an example of a relatively systemic climate pricing policy in the North American transport sector. This research uses Actor-Network Theory to retrace and reassemble the development of the tax from inception to implementation. From the fieldwork, six stages of the policy development process emerged, beginning with the surfacing of the concept of tax shifting in 1998 to the implementation of a carbon tax in 2008. This article explores how British Columbia’s experience aligns with lessons from the carbon taxation literature relating to a range of themes including education, leadership, timing, administration, taxation level, revenue allocation and communication.

Electric vehicles: The role and importance of standards in an emerging market

After nearly a century with the internal combustion engine dominating the personal transportation sector, it now appears that the electric vehicle is on the verge of experiencing rapid growth in both developed and developing vehicle markets. The broad-scale adoption of the electric vehicle could bring significant changes for society in terms of not only the technologies we use for personal transportation, but also moving our economies away from petroleum and lessoning the environmental footprint of transportation. This article investigates the role of standards, related training and certification for the electric vehicle. It is argued that the potential for the electric vehicle will be stunted without adequate attention being paid to standards, not only in terms of the speed of its uptake and smoothness of this transition, but also in terms of maintaining compatibility between jurisdictions, safety of the public, and helping to ensure environmental sustainability. We highlight a number of areas where new or adaptations of current standards, training and certification may be needed, notably in terms of batteries and charging infrastructures, electricity distribution and accounting for the environmental characteristics of this electricity, and different aspects of vehicle-to-grid and smart grid technologies.

Overview of Lightweighting Materials Research & Development in the United States Freedomcar and Fuel Partnership

The United States of America’s (USA’s) transportation system is strongly dependent on petroleum as an energy source. Petroleum is used to satisfy 95 percent of the USA’s transportation energy needs, consuming two-thirds of all the petroleum used in the USA. Since roughly 60 percent of the petroleum is imported, the implications of this dependency on energy security are readily apparent. Since 2002, the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) and the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) have worked cooperatively through the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership (FC&FP) to fund high-risk, high-payoff research and development (R&D) into advanced automotive technologies with the potential for lowering this dependence. The FC&FP succeeded and built upon the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) initiative that ran from 1993 to 2001. The long-term transition of vehicles from gasoline to non-petroleum energy sources is viewed as critical in lowering the dependence of the USA economy on foreign oil, and in reducing the environmental impact of the personal transportation sector. The FC&FP supports research on technologies with the potential for energy-efficiency and renewable energy benefits, such as new engine concepts, lightweight materials, alternate non-petroleum based fuels, and hybrid propulsion components. This paper will highlight the research in the lightweight metals portion of the FC&FP. Cooperative R&D projects will be discussed which focus on processing and manufacturing technologies such as casting of magnesium (Mg) and aluminium (Al) alloy components, advanced forming techniques for Al sheet, and warm-forming of Mg sheet. The overall objective of these efforts is not only to demonstrate new technologies, but to reduce the cost of manufacturing lightweight materials and enable implementation of the technologies in high-volume automotive applications.

Exploring Approaches Towards a Sustainable Transport System

ABSTRACT This article undertakes a ‘backcasting’ analysis exploring strategic approaches for overall systems sustainability in personal transport. Starting from a robust definition of sustainability for the personal transport sector, the research examines the impact of combinations of transport technologies and changes in travel behaviour in reducing CO2 emissions towards a sustainable level. In doing this a simple equation model is used. This is purposely simple to provide a tool developing understanding by anyone exploring transport's sustainability challenges. It is concluded that technical measures in isolation are likely to be ineffective and politically problematic. Equally, even substantial modal shift to public transport cannot of itself attain the sustainability target. Trip length in particular needs to be a focus for demand management measures. A combined strategy of both technical improvements and demand management addressing trip length, trip generation and modal share can deliver the necessary improvement, although the implementation of such a package remains politically challenging.

The Freedom CAR and Hydrogen Fuels Initiative and Magnesium

The USA’s transportation system is nearly completely dependent on petroleum. Petroleum is used to satisfy 95 percent of America’s transportation energy needs, consuming two-thirds of all the petroleum used. Since roughly 55 percent of petroleum is imported from abroad, the implications of this dependency on USA’s energy security are readily apparent. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) announced in January 2002 a new cooperative research effort known as the FreedomCAR Partnership to fund high-risk, high-payoff research into advanced automotive technologies with the potential for dramatically lowering this dependence. The new partnership replaced and built upon the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) that ran from 1993 to 2001 [1]. In January 2003, the energy-supply industry joined the FreedomCAR Partnership forming the FreedomCAR and Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (FC&HFI) to develop the technologies needed for the mass production of fuel-cell vehicles using hydrogen as fuel and the infrastructure needed to deliver the hydrogen to the consumer. The goal is to enable the automotive and energy-supply industries to make commercialization decisions in 2015 on largescale introduction of such vehicles and on developing the infrastructure beginning in 2020. The long-term transition of vehicles from gasoline to hydrogen is viewed as critical in lowering the dependence of the U.S. economy on foreign oil, and in reducing the environmental impact of the personal transportation sector. In addition to the longer-term work on fuel cells and hydrogen infrastructure, the FC&HFI conducts research on technologies with the potential for shorter-term energy efficiency and environmental benefits, such as new engine concepts, lightweight materials, and hybrid propulsion components. Magnesium is one of several lightweight materials being researched. This paper discusses the FC&HFI and its work on magnesium.

Competitiveness and the new product process

Industrial businesses world-wide are caught in an economic transition to globalised activities, characterised by a scenario of speed and change, in an environment of data and information exchange in real time to the furthest reaches of the planet. Globalisation is favouring the emergence of political, economic and trade zones of continental dimensions with important consequential effects giving advantage a brittle, effervescent and rapidly obsolescing edge. Knowledge acquisition and deployment, inventiveness and adaptability have become keywords of success. This paper considers the meaning of competitive within the developing situation described, and its cultural, managerial and methodological impacts on the crucial new product process, as observed within a range of mechanical, electro-mechanical and electronic enterprises, with particular reference to the personal transportation sector. Empirical trends are shown linking commercial and technological strategies with product programmes and structures, and with management and organisational developments. Qualitative and quantitative measures of competitiveness are presented and discussed. Due consideration is given to change management and implementation issues. It is concluded that globalisation is creating economic and benefits through the reward of entrepreneurship, the punishment of inefficiencies and the close linking of competitiveness to productivity, including engineering productivity. This is deepening inequalities between enterprises at different levels to be uncompetitive is to be marginalized. Local culture has an important influence on the possible responses to the need for evolution and change. The most effective mode of resource deployment will differ for different strategic objectives and commercial aims. Hence, no generally applicable product process enhancement programme can be devised, even for a single company operating in different cultures. It can generally be stated that innovation must be broadened beyond its accepted technological sense to encompass product architecture and structure, component quality and supply, realisation methodologies and deployment of resources. The net effect has been the emergence of distinctive competences in fast realisation and fast delivery timescales have reduced by orders of magnitude in every aspect of product realisation and presentation. The inherent change in values can trigger managerial resistances and transitional failure risks.

The Economics of Earmarked Taxes

The Economics of Earmarked Taxes