Alternate Fuel Vehicles

Highway Electrification and Automation

Shladover, Steven E.
1992

This report addresses how the California Department of Transportation and the California PATH Program have made efforts to evaluate the feasibility and applicability of highway electrification and automation technologies. In addition to describing how the work was conducted, the report also describes the findings on highway electrification and highway automation, with experimental results, design study results, and a region-wide application impacts study for Los Angeles.

Feasibility Study of Advanced Technology HOV Systems: Volume 2a: Feasibility of Implementing Roadway Powered Electric Vehicle Technology in El Monte Busway: A Case Study

Chira-Chavala, Ted
Lechner, Edward H.
Empey, Dan M.
1992

This study investigates issues concerning the implementation and impacts of lateral guidance/control systems and the phased implementation of these systems in exclusive-access High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. The study is divided into 5 volumes. The objectives of each volume are as follows: Vol. 1: identify strategies for early deployment of longitudinal control technologies on the highway, and to evaluate potential impacts of these strategies on traffic operation, highway capacity, and traffic accidents. Vol. 2A: assess the feasibility of early deployment of Roadway Powered Electric...

Evaluation of Potential Hybrid Electric Vehicle Applications: Vol. II

Gris, Arturo
1991

Identifies potentially promising market segments for electric and hybrid vehicle technologies; covers topics including energy and power requirements, battery and range extender, propulsion system, and air conditioning

Evaluation of Potential Hybrid Electric Vehicle Applications: Vol I

Gris, Arturo E.
1991

Identifies potentially promising market segments for electric and hybrid vehicle technologies; covers topics including energy and power requirements, battery and range extender, propulsion system, and air conditioning

Design, Modeling and Control of Steering and Braking for an Urban Electric Vehicle

Maciua, Dragos
1996

This report describes research which involved the design modification, modeling and control of automatic steering and braking systems for an urban electric vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with four-wheel independent drive, four-wheel independent braking and four-wheel steering. Control algorithms were developed for steering and braking. Simulation results show the feasibility of the algorithms.

Evaluation of Incorporating Hybrid Vehicle Use of HOV Lanes

Brownstone, David
Chu, Lianyu
Golob, Tom
Nesamani, K.S.
Recker, Will
2008

This report presents a method to investigate the operational and environmental effects of the policy of allowing qualified single-occupancy hybrid vehicles to use dedicated High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)/carpool lanes in California.. The method combines the traditional planning method with microscopic simulation modeling. The planning method is used for demand estimation and analysis and the microscopic traffic simulation modeling method is used for accurate measures of the system. The study employs a microscopic traffic simulation model that is capable of evaluating the HOV/hybrid system...

Lateral Guidance System Requirements Definition

Parsons, Robert E.
Zhang, Wei-Bin
1988

The Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) is assisting the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) to establish and conduct a program of advanced highway technology R&D to obtain better productivity from the States’ most used highway segments. The Program on Advanced Technology for the High-way, PATH, centers on advanced technology opportunities that may contribute to the relief of traffic congestion, with related problems of air pollution and parking; and on energy for transportation, in particular continued use of petroleum based fuels.

Control of Heavy-Duty Trucks: Environmental and Fuel Economy Considerations

Zhang, Jianlong
Ioannou, Petros
2004

In this project we investigate the effect of heavy-duty trucks, equipped with different Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems, on the environment and traffic flow characteristics. The sluggish dynamics of trucks whether manual or ACC that is due to their limited acceleration capabilities filter speed disturbances caused by leading vehicles and lead to beneficial effects on the environment and traffic flow characteristics. This response however may lead to higher travel times in certain situations as well as invite cut-ins from neighboring lanes causing additional disturbances. A new ACC...

Fuel Saving Achieved in the Field Test of Two Tandem Trucks

Browand, Fred
McArthur, John
Radovich, Charles
2004

The fuel consumption of two tandem trucks is recorded for truck spacings of 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 meters. The trucks are linked by means of an electronic control system, and are operated on an unused runway at Crows Landing, California. Fuel consumption data is averaged while traveling in both directions over the same central strip of runway to cancel the effect of runway slope and to partially cancel the effect of wind. The average fuel consumption saving to be achieved by tandem operation varies from about 11% at 3-4 meters spacing to about 8% at 8-10 meters spacing.

The California Fuel Tax Swap

Wachs, Martin
Garrett, Mark
Brown, Anne
2016

This project documents and analyzes the recent change in California transportation revenue collection programs that end discontinued the state sales tax on motor fuels and increased the state per gallon excise taxes on motor fuels.