Combining Intermodal Transport With Electric Vehicles: Towards More Sustainable Solutions

Abstract

This paper analyses the feasibility of incorporating electric or hybrid vehicles in intermodal transport for the transportation of containers in the pre- and post haulage (PPH) operation. In Europe, the intermodal transport market is being strongly supported, as it is seen as one of the keystones of a sustainable mobility system policy. The introduction of environmentally friendly electric/hybrid vehicles for the pre- and post haulage operation would mean a further enhancement leading to a more complete ecological intermodal transport chain. PPH operations are usually no longer than 30 km, and, hence, could possibly be handled by electric or hybrid vehicles.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) combine electric and other drive systems, such as internal combustion engines, gas turbines and fuel cells. Hybrid electric vehicles merge the zero pollution and high efficiency benefits of electric traction with the high fuel energy density benefits of an energy source or thermal engine. The use of electrically driven vehicles for goods distribution has already been successfully proven in international demonstration projects, such as ELCIDIS. Transport of intermodal units (such as ISO containers), however, requires electric/hybrid heavy-duty goods vehicles, which are not readily available on the market, but for which the technology exists.

Different possibilities are assessed as to their technical, financial, organizational and environmental feasibility and suitability. This analysis is based on a typical mission for pre-and post haulage operations, such as type of trips, distance, frequency, urban/suburban, etc.     

Commuting trips within tours: how is commuting related to land use?

Studies that model the effects of land use on commuting generally use a trip-based approach or a more aggregated individual-based approach: i.e. commuting is conceptualized in terms of modal choice, distance and time per single trip, or in terms of daily commuting distance or time. However, people try to schedule activities in a daily pattern and, thus, consider tours instead of trips. Data from the 2000 to 2001 Travel Behaviour Survey in Ghent (Belgium) illustrate that car use and commuting times significantly differ between commuting trips within work-only tours and more complex tours. Therefore, this paper considers trip-related decisions simultaneously with tour-related decisions. A multiple group structural equation model (SEM) confirmed that the relationship between land use and commuting differs between work-only tours and more complex tours. Trips should be considered within tours in order to correctly understand the effect of land use scenarios such as densifying on commuting. Moreover, the use of multiple group SEM enabled us to address the issue of the complex nature of commuting. Due to interactions between various explanatory variables, land use patterns do not always have the presumed effect on commuting. Land use policy can successfully influence commuting, but only if it simultaneously accounts for the effects on car availability, car use, commuting distance and commuting time.     

Benzene concentrations on board chemical tankers

Maritime transport of benzene is regulated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Two important guidelines for a ship’s crew in this matter are IMO circulars 1095 and 1220. The first one describes the minimum safety standards for ships carrying liquids in bulk containing benzene while circular 1220 deals with structural guidelines for new ships carrying liquids in bulk containing benzene, but also technical developments could help in improving safety and health protection on board chemical tankers carrying benzene in bulk. The aim of the present paper is to determine the benzene concentration in the working and living environment on board a modern chemical tanker carrying benzene in bulk, where all safety, technical and operational procedures described by IMO in the above-mentioned circulars are followed. During specific cargo operations, we measured the benzene concentrations on different locations on board by means of Radiello® passive diffusive samplers. Despite all measures taken, we found an important difference in benzene concentration between operations with a benzene cargo compared to operations without benzene on board, as well as inside and outside the accommodation. Moreover, even during discharge operations, where the emission is theoretically zero, we found an important increase in the benzene concentration. In addition, we found less favourable results for the engine room.     

Perceived Diving Impacts and Management Implications at a Popular South African Reef

Coral reefs are threatened by impacts such as from scuba diving, and ongoing research is required to assess diving impacts, diver behavior and environmental knowledge. This study investigated perceived diving impacts, reef condition and norms among scuba divers at Sodwana Bay (South Africa). Divers viewed contact with coral as damaging, and perceived environmental degradation at dive sites. However, most divers saw activities such as photography as causing little or no damage to reefs. One meter or less was believed to be a safe distance from the reef or the wildlife to avoid contact or disturbance, and encounter norms were high. Age and experience influenced most perceptions, although cannot be accepted as reliable indicators of divers' perceptions or behavior, due to the heterogeneous conduct of divers of various experience and age as described in literature. The importance of human perceptions to understand what strategies need implementation in diving management is discussed.     

E-bikes among older adults: benefits,disadvantages, usage and crash characteristics

Transportation - The promotion of sustainable and healthy mobility among older adults (≥?65 years) is an important challenge. E-bikes may be part of the solution, but research...     

Coordination problems in container barging in the port of Rotterdam: an institutional analysis

Container barging has gained in importance in port-related transport along with the need for sustainable transport. Nevertheless, coordination problems between terminal operator and barge operator exist, and performance lags behind. This paper analyses factors that may hinder or stimulate a better future performance of container barging in the port of Rotterdam. A case study is accomplished and guided by a framework rooted in Institutional Economics. Despite favourable conditions set by governments and the port authority, the share of container barging has hardly grown. The container barging sector in Rotterdam is embedded in a history with many alliances, a high degree of organisation, and a good track record in the development of institutional arrangements to solve coordination problems. However, the present contractual relations in the transport chain form an inadequate condition. From a theoretical perspective, the paper shows the value of studying port-related transport chains by acknowledging their institutional context.     

多约束分离路径算法

多媒体流和视讯会议等新应用的出现要求网络提供可靠的服务质量(QoS)保证。为网络中的每对节点建立两条多约束链路/节点分离路由是提供可靠QoS的一条重要途径。如何建立两条链路/节点分离多约束路径是一个关键问题,这一问题与经典的一维测度下的分离路径问题有着很多概念上的不同。本文分析了这一问题的困难性,并提出一组解决此问题的启发式算法。     

The onset of biological winter in the eastern Weddell Gyre (Antarctica) planktonic community

Data on hydrography, phyto- and zooplankton, obtained on a transect along the 0° meridian during the Winter Weddell Gyre Study, June 1992, revealed peculiarities of the early winter situation in the eastern Weddell Gyre. The vertical distribution and developmental stage composition of Rhincalanus gigas, Calanoides acutus, Calanus propinquus and krill, Euphausia superba larvae, were a good index for a general assessment of the seasonal condition of the plankton communities. There were five zones differing in seasonal situation: (1) The Polar Front and the southern ACC (not studied in detail), (2) The Weddell Front, (3) The Weddell Gyre interior, (4) The Maud Rise area, and (5) The Coastal Current zone. In the Weddell Front, the planktonic community resembled an autumnal situation with moderate phytoplankton biomass; the overwintering stock of copepods was not completely formed and the occurrence of calyptopes larvae of E. superba indicated that krill continued to reproduce until May. In the Weddell Gyre interior, a typical winter plankton community was found even before sea ice had formed. The specific hydrographic regime of the Maud Rise (governed by the mesoscale circulation over the seamount) support the late autumn conditions similar to the Weddell Front (but without early krill larvae). The plankton of the Coastal Current was a winter community. We conclude that in the eastern part of the Weddell Front (compared to the western part) seasonal development of both phytoplankton and herbivorous zooplankton is delayed in spring but prolonged in late autumn. Furthermore, it appears that the Weddell Sea ecosystem exhibits a much higher degree of spatial and temporal variability than thought before. This may have an impact on seasonal pattern of organic carbon transport from the pelagic realm to deeper water layers and to the sediment.     

Could you also have made this trip by another mode? An investigation of perceived travel possibilities of car and train travellers on the main travel corridors to the city of Amsterdam,The Netherlands

We investigated perceived travel possibilities (or subjective choice-sets, consideration-sets) of car and train travellers on the main corridors to the city of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and associations with traveller and trip characteristics. We conducted secondary analysis on a survey sample consisting of 7950 train and 19,232 car travellers. Forty-five percent of train travellers had a car in their objective choice-set, 27% of them would however never use it for this trip. Trip destination city centre, trip purpose, paying for the trip, public transport commitment, traffic congestion and parking problems were associated with consideration of car as alternative. Forty-two percent of car travellers had public transport in their subjective choice-set. The ratio between perceived public transport and objective car travel time stood out as determinant of consideration-sets, next to destination city centre, trip purpose, travel time and private versus company car ownership. On average, car travellers’ perceptions of public transport travel time exceeded objective values by 46%. We estimated that if perceptions would be more accurate, two out of three car travellers that currently do not see public transport as an alternative would include it in their choice-set, and use it from time to time. This effect has strong theoretical and policy implications.     

Constrained Optimal Control of Semi-Active Suspension Systems with Preview

Controllers for semi-active suspensions have to account for constraints on damper range, tire force and suspension travel. Two approaches to incorporate these constraints in the design of controllers to minimize peak values in the chassis acceleration are considered. It is assumed that information on the oncoming road elevations (preview) is available. In the soft constraint approach, the constraints on tire force and suspension travel are included in a quadratic performance index. Two clipped optimal control laws, which deal with preview in a different way, are presented. Simulation results with a 2-DOF vehicle model on some rounded pulses show that these laws do not work satisfactorily with respect to the constraints. Therefore, the control problem is reformulated as a constrained optimization problem with hard constraints on tire force and suspension travel. Simulations with the same model on the same rounded pulses show that the hard constraint approach handles the constraints more properly.