The return on investment for taxi companies transitioning to electric vehicles

We study whether taxi companies can simultaneously save petroleum and money by transitioning to electric vehicles. We propose a process to compute the return on investment of transitioning a taxi corporation’s fleet to electric vehicles. We use Bayesian data analysis to infer the revenue changes associated with the transition. We do not make any assumptions about the vehicles’ mobility patterns; instead, we use a time-series of GPS coordinates of the company’s existing petroleum-based vehicles to derive our conclusions. As a case study, we apply our process to a major taxi corporation, Yellow Cab San Francisco (YCSF). Using current prices, we find that transitioning their fleet to battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles is profitable for the company. Furthermore, given that gasoline prices in San Francisco are only 5.4 % higher than the rest of the United States, but electricity prices are 75 % higher; taxi companies with similar practices and mobility patterns in other cities are likely to profit more than YCSF by transitioning to electric vehicles.     

An inequality between two speed averages

In this note we invoke Schwartz's inequality to relate two speed averages.     

Transaction Costs in Transport Public–Private Partnerships: Comparing Procurement Procedures

Abstract

In recent years, concern has grown over good practices in the procurement process in public–private partnerships (PPPs). The consensus view is that PPPs are prone to higher transaction costs than traditional public provision. In this paper, we contrast the hypothesis that transaction costs in transport PPPs depend, to a large extent, on the procurement mechanism used in each case, comparing the Negotiated and the Open procedures. Given that PPPs may offer considerable benefits and significant savings over the entire life cycle of the project, it is essential for PPPs to minimize those costs that undermine efficiency gains and that deter private involvement. The quantitative analysis undertaken in this paper highlights that there is room for important savings in the tendering of PPP transport infrastructure projects, using an Open procedure.     

Short Sea Shipping in Supply Chains. A Strategic Assessment

The feasibility of implementing short sea shipping (SSS) between two specific ports has been typically approached on the operative level, in terms of time and cost for a specific origin–destination pair. This paper focuses on the strategic level. Particularly, its goal is to study the potential of SSS in different industrial sectors by analysing their freight-distribution strategies. To achieve the objective, some standard freight-distribution strategies are defined based on the requirements of the industry, the demand and the product being transported. The information is complemented with a survey of more than 100 Spanish companies distributing internationally. As a result it is concluded that there are economies of scale related to the size of the carrier (the ship) and its capacity to absorb the variability in demand. This potential increases with the cargo value. Additionally, a framework of supply/distribution chains is provided which can help to identify potential customers/sectors and the feasibility of new potential shipping lines. The value of this paper resides in its approach (strategic, instead of operational/tactical), and the solid groundwork point provided for future researchers.     

Who can recharge a plug-in electric vehicle at home?

We construct consumer-informed estimates of residential access to vehicle charging to guide understanding of plug-in electric vehicle demand, use, and energy impacts. Using a web-based survey, study 1 estimates that about half of new car-buying US households park at least one vehicle within 25 ft of a Level 1 (110/120 V) electrical outlet at home. Study 2 estimates that just under one-third of new car-buying households in San Diego County have access to Level 2 (220/240 V) charging. Further, 20% of the sample are both able and willing to install Level 2 PEV recharging infrastructure at the prices examined.     

Evaluation of urban accessibility indicators based on internal and external environmental costs

This paper estimates urban accessibility considering types of transport and destinations, taking into account the internal travel time costs, and the ensuing external environmental impacts. Based on online and local surveys, an accessibility function is developed to allow for the construction of an accessibility curve for each transport mode that decreases with distance to represent decaying accessibility. An external environmental impact is associated with the accessibility indicators, taking into account the influence of the cold-start emissions that are particularly relevant for short-distance trips. The methodology is applied to neighborhoods in Lisbon, Portugal, with significant differences in their urban planning, mobility patterns, concentration of services and availability of public transportation.     

Modeling and validation of turbocharged diesel engine airpath and combustion systems

The ultimate aim of this study is the development of an engine modeling approach that would facilitate the design of model-based control techniques for diesel engines. This will allow for the development of more generalized, modular control strategies for different engine types and sizes as opposed to the commonly practiced map-based engine control strategies that depend on maps and feedforward control and require lengthy modifications every time a change is made. Also, most engine modeling studies focus on either airpath or combustion systems, treating these models and their validation individually, and not as an integrated system as is actually the case. To address the need for more realistic models suitable for model-based control design, this study develops a combined airpath and combustion model for the engine, using analytical models wherever possible and derives a model with appropriate control inputs and outputs that could be used in a control scheme. The inclusion of the actuator dynamics of the Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), variable geometry turbine (VGT), and Throttle (THR) valves in the airpath model and the consideration of nonlinearities in the combustion model allow for the development of a more thorough engine model, as well as the validation of subsystems and the whole integrated engine model using a complete World Harmonized Transient Cycle (WHTC). This test cycle finds limited use due to its challenging transients, and yet, is the demanded test cycle for emission regulations nowadays. These are unique aspects of this modeling study, the results of which indicate that the developed engine model could be used in control design and hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) based engine control prototyping.     

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行程时间的不确定性是影响货运车队路径选择的一个重要因素，特别是对于要求货物准时送达的配送任务（例如商品混凝土的配送），提出了在车辆调度中考虑由拥挤路段交通流量波动引起的行程时间不确定性的方法，建立了考虑行程时间可靠性要求的车辆优化调度数学模型，给出了相应的启发式算法，通过算例介绍了该模型和算法的应用。结果表明配送总成本随行程时间可靠性要求的提高而增加。     

高原高寒地区H形混凝土桥塔日照温度效应

分析了混凝土结构温度场边界条件计算方法, 以青海省海黄大桥H形混凝土桥塔为工程背景, 计算了高原高寒地区四季典型气象条件下的桥塔温度场分布, 对比了四季的桥塔表面温差和塔壁局部温差, 确定了桥塔的最不利温度荷载, 建立了桥塔整体有限元模型, 分析了四季桥塔的偏位、竖向应力、横向应力和纵向应力等温度效应。分析结果表明: 桥塔表面温差与桥塔局部温差均在冬季最大, 最大值分别可达11.88℃、20.79℃, 在夏季最小, 最大值分别可达5.15℃、15.25℃; 横桥向和纵桥向桥塔表面温差最大值分别达到9.15℃、11.88℃, 远大于《公路斜拉桥设计细则》 (JTG/T D65-01—2007) 推荐值±5℃; 接近正南方向的塔壁局部温差最大, 沿壁厚方向的温差分布接近指数形式, 冬季和夏季温度衰减系数最大值分别为4.50、5.01, 故冬季桥塔壁板局部温度分布较夏季更不均匀; 桥塔温度效应同样在冬季最大, 1天中最大桥塔偏位超过40mm, 白天桥塔偏位变化值超过15mm, 不利于施工过程中的桥塔偏位监测; 桥塔根部竖向最大拉应力达到2.2MPa, 桥塔根部同样产生较大水平向拉应力, 纵桥向和横桥向最大拉应力分别为1.82、0.82 MPa, 均发生在桥塔内侧, 在与其他作用组合时可能会造成桥塔开裂, 建议在桥塔塔壁内侧布置一定量的钢筋网片来控制裂缝; 在进行高原高寒地区桥塔设计和施工控制时, 应充分考虑温度效应带来的不利影响。     

Theoretical studies of active power/angle sub-matrix in power flow Jacobian for power system analysis

Properties of the active power/angle sub-matrix in the power flow Jacobian for power system analysis are studied. The sub-matrix is a dominant and irreducible matrix under very general conditions of power systems, so that it is invertible. Also the necessary conditions for its singularity are given. These theoretical results can be used to clarify the ambiguous understanding of the sub-matrix in current literature, and also provide the theoretical foundations for the applications based on reduced power flow Jacobian. Numerical simulation on the IEEE 118-bus power system is used to illustrate our results.