Addressing electric vehicle (EV) sales and range anxiety through parking layout,policy and regulation

Electric Vehicles (EV) are highly beneficial due to their reliance on electricity and Climate Change response yet EV sales are lower than would be expected due to range anxiety. If a potential buyer cannot be assured of having constantly-available and compatible charging stations, they will not purchase an EV. To increase the sales of EVs through improved charger availability, this paper examines parking configurations, charger design, convenient “EV only” parking, free charging, etiquette in unplugging another’s vehicle, and legislation. Data were derived from academic publications, trade market press, conversations, personal observations, and laws. The results show that chargers are often in a lot’s corner and thus accessible only to one vehicle, EV owners leave their charged car in the space, drivers use EV spaces for parking, etiquette cards are not understood, and legislation makes it illegal to unplug another’s EV. Improvements include less convenient charger spots, an octopus charger in the middle of the parking lot, modest charging fees to foster turnover, chargers that indicate an EV is charged, education and legislation about etiquette cards, and legislation that allows an individual to unplug another’s charged EV. Improvements to charging should be implemented simultaneously to lessen range anxiety and realize the environmental benefits from reductions in gasoline consumption and mobile source air pollution.     

To save money or to save time: Intelligent routing design for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Electric vehicles (EVs) are promising alternative to conventional vehicles, due to their low fuel cost and low emissions. As a subset of EVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) backup batteries with combustion engines, and thus have a longer traveling range than battery electric vehicles (BEVs). However, the energy cost of a PHEV is higher than a BEV because the gasoline price is higher than the electricity price. Hence, choosing a route with more charging opportunities may result in less fuel cost than the shortest route. Different with the traditional shortest-path and shortest-time routing methods, we propose a new routing choice with the lowest fuel cost for PHEV drivers. Existing algorithms for gasoline vehicles cannot be applied because they never considered the regenerative braking which may result in negative energy consumption on some road segments. Existing algorithms for BEVs are not competent too because PHEVs have two power sources. Thus, even if along the same route, different options of power source will lead to different energy consumption. This paper proposes a cost-optimal algorithm (COA) to deal with the challenges. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using real-world maps and data. The results show that there is a trade-off between traveling cost and time consumed when driving PHEVs. It is also observed that the average detour rate caused by COA is less than 14%. Significantly, the algorithm averagely saves more than 48% energy cost compared to the shortest-time routing.     

Tales on the dark side of the transport infrastructure provision: a systematic literature review of the determinants of cost overruns

ABSTRACT

Cost overruns are an endemic feature of the provision of transport infrastructure worldwide. In recent decades, a considerable amount of studies has been devoted to assessing the magnitude and determinants of cost overruns in the transportation sector. However, the empirical findings are scattered between different strands of literature, ranging from the fields of construction engineering and management to that of applied economics. To shed light on the determinants of cost overruns in the execution of transport infrastructure projects, we conduct a systematic review of the empirical literature on the topic. Of the 945 articles retrieved, 26 articles published between 2000 and 2016 meet our inclusion criteria. For them, we describe the different empirical approaches, we provide a classification of the determinants employed in the analyses and summarise their impact on cost overruns. Finally, we suggest some directions for further research in the field.     

Impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative in the Indian subcontinent under future port development scenarios

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is twofold: the first is to assess the extent to which current port development initiatives contribute to securing the status of the Port of Colombo as a regional transshipment (T/S) hub to serve the Indian subcontinent; and the second is to generate plausible future development scenarios for the maritime industry in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). A scenario analysis method is applied to examine the past trends and to build future development scenarios. The results showed that major Indian ports have experienced a significant growth in cargo volumes and vessel traffic. South and East Indian coastal ports continue to use the Port of Colombo as a T/S port in tandem with the corridors connected to the Indian Ocean. Scenario analysis highlights the growing importance of BRI-centric land-based economic corridors, which would generate a large amount of cargos from hinterlands up to China. This would be further fueled through the Great Mekong region-driven industrialization, which would add to the west-bound maritime cargo volume. The paper concludes that the increased capital influx from China would more likely to result in a substantial development of the present port and road/rail infrastructure in Sri Lanka.     

跨丰沙铁路小曲线半径转体桥设计

北京地铁14号线跨丰沙铁路节点桥位于右线曲线半径为470 m的曲线上,桥梁主体结构为84+84 m的T构。桥梁转体跨度71+71 m,转体重量7 130 t,转体时球铰中心相对下盘中心向曲线内侧预设偏心1.152 m,转体角度33.46°,桥梁的转体半径和转体跨度在轨道交通转体桥梁的设计和施工领域均为国内首创。比选桥梁方案,从针对桥梁上部结构的非对称主体结构设计、下部结构预偏心设置、施工合拢段位置的选择、施工时对既有铁路线的防护等多方面进行论述和详细介绍。结果表明,通过上部结构非对称设计和转体结构预设偏心,有效地保证了小曲线半径大跨度桥梁转体施工时的平衡和稳定性,大大降低了施工风险。     

基于高斯过程的TGDI发动机充气模型试验研究

采用高斯过程(Gauss Process,GP)对增压直喷汽油机充气模型开展研究,首先以发动机进气过程物理特性为理论基础,阐述模型控制原理,并基于高斯过程的发动机充气模型,采用稳态和慢动态数据完成模型精度的验证,结果表明:模型精度较高,可作为黑盒模型用于ECU控制算法开发及离线标定功能开发。此外,研究了减少训练数据点和减少输入参数对高斯模型精度的影响。     

Locating charging infrastructure for electric buses in Stockholm

Charging infrastructure requirements are being largely debated in the context of urban energy planning for transport electrification. As electric vehicles are gaining momentum, the issue of locating and securing the availability, efficiency and effectiveness of charging infrastructure becomes a complex question that needs to be addressed. This paper presents the structure and application of a model developed for optimizing the distribution of charging infrastructure for electric buses in the urban context, and tests the model for the bus network of Stockholm. The major public bus transport hubs connecting to the train and subway system show the highest concentration of locations chosen by the model for charging station installation. The costs estimated are within an expected range when comparing to the annual bus public transport costs in Stockholm. The model could be adapted for various urban contexts to promptly assist in the transition to fossil-free bus transport. The total costs for the operation of a partially electrified bus system in both optimization cases considered (cost and energy) differ only marginally from the costs for a 100% biodiesel system. This indicates that lower fuel costs for electric buses can balance the high investment costs incurred in building charging infrastructure, while achieving a reduction of up to 51% in emissions and up to 34% in energy use in the bus fleet.     

哈尔滨至齐齐哈尔城际铁路速度目标值选择

研究目的:通过国内外城际铁路速度目标值分析,路网建设速度目标值的合理定位,项目的工程建设成本与经济效益以及动车组配属与列车实际运行速度等方面,确定合理的速度目标值.研究结论:从本线功能定位角度分析,建议采用200～250 km/h速度方案;从工程投资和经济效益角度分析,200～250 km/h速度目标值方案略优,300 km/h方案投资效益最差;因此,建议本线初期开通速度采用200 km/h,但考虑到200～250 km/h方案工程投资增加不多,且本线的线路平面标准比较高,所以决定本线速度目标值为开通200 km/h,基础设施按照200～250 km/h建设.     

基础设施资产证券化的定价方法

初步研究了基础设施资产证券化中的四种定价策略静态现金流量报酬率法、静态利差法、总回报率情景分析法和期权调整利差法。在此基础上指出每种定价方法的适应性及其不足,为今后完善基础设施定价提供理论支撑。城市轨道交通项目因其具有稳定的预期收入,是较适合证券化的基础设施资产之一,可采用上述方法计算其证券化价格和报酬,但需在实践中比较,选定合适的方法。     

An optimization model of energy and transportation systems: Assessing the high-speed rail impacts in the United States

This paper presents a long-term investment planning model that co-optimizes infrastructure investments and operations across transportation and electric infrastructure systems for meeting the energy and transportation needs in the United States. The developed passenger transportation model is integrated within the modeling framework of a National Long-term Energy and Transportation Planning (NETPLAN) software, and the model is applied to investigate the impact of high-speed rail (HSR) investments on interstate passenger transportation portfolio, fuel and electricity consumption, and 40-year cost and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The results show that there are feasible scenarios under which significant HSR penetration can be achieved, leading to reasonable decrease in national long-term CO₂ emissions and costs. At higher HSR penetration of approximately 30% relative to no HSR in the portfolio promises a 40-year cost savings of up to $0.63 T, gasoline and jet fuel consumption reduction of up to 34% for interstate passenger trips, CO₂ emissions reduction by about 0.8 billion short tons, and increased resilience against petroleum price shocks. Additionally, sensitivity studies with respect to light-duty vehicle mode share reveal that in order to realize such long-term cost and emission benefits, a change in the passenger mode choice is essential to ensure higher ridership for HSR.