GIS-based identification and assessment of suitable meeting point locations for ride-sharing

Ride-Sharing or carpooling is a common means to utilize available but so far unused vehicle seat capacity. To establish a shared ride, it is necessary that the driver and the passengers agree on a meeting point. In most existing applications, the pickup location of a passenger is assumed to be on his or her doorstep. However, many people are willing to walk a certain distance to meet at a place where a safe and convenient boarding can be established, while at the same time the necessary detour of the driver can be kept acceptable. In this contribution we introduce an assessment scheme for meeting point locations based on results of an online survey retrieving the stated acceptance of meeting point locations and the relevance of the available facilities like parking places, seating, shelter and light. To this end, the infrastructure of a medium-sized European city is assumed to show exemplary how the amount and the distribution of suitable meeting point locations affects the performance and convenience of ride-sharing.DFG/GRK/193

Green Technology for Smart Cities

In view of the enormous social and environmental changes at the global level, more and more cities worldwide have directed their development strategies towards smart policies aimed at sustainable mobility, energy upgrading of the building stock, increase of energy production from renewable sources, improvement of waste management and implementation of ICT infrastructures. The goal is to turn into Smart Cities, able to improve the quality of life of their inhabitants by offering a lasting opportunity for cultural, economic and social growth within a healthy, safe, stimulating and dynamic environment. After an overview of the role of cities in climate changes and environmental pollution worldwide, the article provides an up to date definition of Smart City and of its main expected features, focussing on technology innovation, smart governance and main financing and support programs. An analysis of the most interesting initiatives at the international level pursued by cities investigating the three main areas of Green Buildings, Smart grid-Smart lighting, and Smart mobility is given, with the objective to offer a broad reference for the identification of development sustainable plans and programs at the urban level within the current legislative framework

Diversity and Inclusion Foster Innovative Development in an Emerging Networked Society

A culture of diversity maximizes different perspectives, ideas, and personalities and takes advantage of inclusion; in order to tap into the prime of talent banks, thereby fostering innovation and attaining transformative value. This is driven by the eco system of the all advancing networked society which enables everyone, everything and everywhere to be connected in real time and impact on the way collaborations are done. It is an environment where different ideas, outlooks, and experiences brought to a sphere of influence are respected, irrespective of who brings it. It is a setting where individuals are able to uniquely fulfill their potentials whilst valuing, supporting and respecting differences. In the gender divide there is a disparity that does not enhance the value of the female gender and their contributions. Through varied efforts by organizations and prowomen societal bodies for gender parity; this has been on a continuous improvement road map amidst varied cultural, unconscious bias, etc challenges. These bodies foster the added value the female gender brings into the specific or related sphere influence and prove that the inclusivity of the female gender builds stronger, smarter, financially robust and productive teams. Inclusive engagement of all workforces especially the female workforce can improve a company's financial base, as diversity is maximized through a shared vision and value system, amidst differences in personalities and perspectives. Inclusion is a corporate responsibility for any trans-generational organization that wants to remain relevant and sustain its essence in a highly competitive environment. The Networked Society enhances the transformational power of ICT to spur socio-economic development, promote responsible career and business practices, as it takes advantage of diverse work place experiences that have an inclusive culture. This results in more connections, added communication, new functions and new behaviors. This would shape the future; create a positive heritage for generations ahead as the fundamentals of diversity and conscious inclusion continually form the building blocks for its sustainability

Challenges and Barriers of Wireless Charging Technologies for Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles could be a significant aid in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Even though extensive study has been done on the features and traits of electric vehicles and the nature of their charging infrastructure, network modeling for electric vehicle manufacturing has been limited and unchanging. The necessity of wireless electric vehicle charging, based on magnetic resonance coupling, drove the primary aims for this review work. Herein, we examined the basic theoretical framework for wireless power transmission systems for EV charging and performed a software-in-the-loop analysis, in addition to carrying out a performance analysis of an EV charging system based on magnetic resonance. This study also covered power pad designs and created workable remedies for the following issues: (i) how power pad positioning affected the function of wireless charging systems and (ii) how to develop strategies to keep power efficiency at its highest level. Moreover, safety features of wireless charging systems, owing to interruption from foreign objects and/or living objects, were analyzed, and solutions were proposed to ensure such systems would operate as safely and optimally as possible

From the Ground to the Cloud: Towards an Integrated Transportation Simulation Platform

Actualmente, as universidades e as empresas de todo o mundo têm uma enorme necessidade de metodologias que permitam simular e modelar. No que diz respeito ao tráfego e transportes, fazer mudanças físicas nas redes reais de trânsito poderia ser altamente dispendioso, estando dependente de decisões políticas e podendo ser altamente prejudicial ao meio ambiente. Por isso, a simulação é muito usada em tais cenários.No entanto, o uso de simulação para estudar ou analisar um domínio ou problema específico pode não ser trivial e podem ser necessárias diversas ferramentas, com diferentes resoluções e perspectivas de domínio, causando o aumento de problemas relacionados com interoperabilidade. Com as recentes evoluções no âmbito do cloud computing e do Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), existe um novo paradigma onde o software de simulação é usado sob a forma de serviços. Assim, o Simulation Software-as-a-Service (SimSaaS) é muito benéfico para melhor explorar o grande número de plataformas e armazenamento que a simulação precisa, e que o Cloud Computing pode fornecer.Para ultrapassar os problemas supra mencionados, o principal objetivo desta dissertação foi apresentar o atual estado da arte na área e propor uma plataforma de simulação de transporte direcionada a agentes, através da cloud, por meio de serviços. Utilizou-se o standard HLA (High Level Architecture) da IEEE para interoperabilidade de simuladores e agentes para controlo e coordenação.Para que tal seja possível, foi imperativo construir, através de uma revisão sistemática da literatura, o conhecimento necessário para desenvolver a plataforma. Os estudos revistos foram comparados e sumarisados na forma de uma taxonomia do trabalho de pesquisa que representa as oportunidades de pesquisa mais importantes para os próximos anos. A arquitectura e os principais cenários de utilização da plataforma foram detalhados. A partir daí, o subconjunto de características mais importantes foi seleccionado na forma de uma prova de conceito. A sua implementação foi explicada indicando o software utilizado (OpenStack, Pitch pRTI, SUMO e EBPS) e o cenário de simulação escolhido. Por fim, foram conduzidas algumas experiências para se perceber a melhor abordagem no controlo e lançamento de máquinas virtuais. Esta análise é importante para se obter uma melhor performance em simulações utilizando a infraestrutura desenvolvida.Nowadays, universities and companies all around the world have a huge need for simulation and modelling methodologies. In the particular case of traffic and transportation, making physical modifications in the real traffic networks could be highly expensive, dependent on political decisions and could be highly disruptive to the environment. Therefore, simulation is broadly used in such scenarios.However, while studying a specific domain or problem, analysis through simulation may not be trivial and very often requires several simulation tools, with different resolutions and domain perspectives, hence raising interoperability issues. With the recent evolutions in cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), there is a new paradigm where simulation software is used in the form of services. So, Simulation Software-as-a-Service (SimSaaS) is very beneficial to better exploit the huge amount of platforms and storage that simulation needs per se - and Cloud Computing is able to provide such resources.To address issues arising in this novel perspective the main goal of this dissertation was to present the current state of the art in the field and to propose an agent-directed transportation simulation platform, through the cloud, by means of services. It was used the IEEE standard HLA (High Level Architecture) for simulator interoperability and agents for controlling and coordination.To do so, it was necessary to build, through a systematic literature review, the body of knowledge needed to develop such platform. The reviewed studies were compared and summarised leading to the creation of a taxonomy of the research work, which represent the front research opportunities for the next years. The main scenarios and architecture of the platform were detailed. The proof of concept's implementation was further explained including the used software (OpenStack, Pitch pRTI, SUMO and EBPS) and the chosen simulation scenario. Finally, some experiments were made about the best approach to manage and launch VMs (Virtual Machines). Such analysis is very important to have better performance in simulations under the developed infrastructure

Life Cycle Analysis and Optimization of Wireless Charging Technology to Enhance Sustainability of Electric and Autonomous Vehicle Fleets

The transportation sector is undergoing a major transformation. Emerging technologies play indispensable roles in driving this mobility shift, including vehicle electrification, connection, and automation. Among them, wireless power transfer (WPT) technology, or commonly known as wireless charging technology, is in the spotlight in recent years for its applicability in charging electric vehicles (EVs). On one hand, WPT for EVs can solve some of the key challenges in EV development, by: (1) reducing range anxiety of EV owners by allowing “charging while driving”; and (2) downsizing the EV battery while still fulfilling the same trip distance. More en-route wireless charging opportunities result in battery downsizing, which reduces the high EV price and vehicle weight and improves fuel economy. On the other hand, WPT infrastructure deployment is expensive and resource-intensive, and results in significant economic, environmental, and energy burdens, which can offset these benefits. This research aims to develop and apply a life cycle analysis and optimization framework to examine the role of wireless charging technology in driving sustainable mobility. This research highlights the technology trade-offs and bridges the gap between technology development and deployment by establishing an integrated life cycle assessment and life cycle cost (LCA-LCC) model framework to characterize and evaluate the economic, environmental, and energy performance of WPT EV systems vs. conventional plug-in charging EV systems. Life cycle optimization (LCO) techniques are used to improve the life cycle performance of WPT EV fleets. Based on case studies, this research draws observations and conditions under which wireless charging technology has potential to improve life cycle environmental, energy, and economic performance of electric vehicle fleets. This study begins with developing LCA-LCC and LCO models to evaluate stationary wireless power transfer (SWPT) for transit bus systems. Based on a case study of Ann Arbor bus systems, the wirelessly charged battery can be downsized to 27–44% of a plug-in charged battery, resulting in vehicle lightweighting and fuel economy improvement in the use phase that cancels out the burdens of large-scale infrastructure. Optimal siting strategies of WPT bus charging stations reduced life cycle costs, greenhouse gases (GHG), and energy by up to 13%, 8%, and 8%, respectively, compared to extreme cases of “no charger at any bus stop” and “chargers at every stop”. Next, the LCA-LCC and LCO model framework is applied to evaluate the economic, energy, and environmental feasibility of dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) for charging passenger cars on highways and urban roadways. A case study of Washtenaw County indicates that optimal deployment of DWPT electrifying up to about 3% of total roadway lane-miles reduces life cycle GHG emissions and energy by up to 9.0% and 6.8%, respectively, and enables downsizing of the EV battery capacity by up to 48% compared to the non-DWPT scenarios and boosts EV market penetration to around 50% of all vehicles in 20 years. Finally, synergies of WPT and autonomous driving technologies in enhancing sustainable mobility are demonstrated using the LCA framework. Compared to a plug-in charging battery electric vehicle system, a wireless charging and shared automated battery electric vehicle (W+SABEV) system will pay back GHG emission burdens of additional infrastructure deployment within 5 years if the wireless charging utility factor is above 19%.PHDNatural Resources & EnvironmentUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147602/1/bizc_1.pd

Secure Large Scale Penetration of Electric Vehicles in the Power Grid

As part of the approaches used to meet climate goals set by international environmental agreements, policies are being applied worldwide for promoting the uptake of Electric Vehicles (EV)s. The resulting increase in EV sales and the accompanying expansion in the EV charging infrastructure carry along many challenges, mostly infrastructure-related. A pressing need arises to strengthen the power grid to handle and better manage the electricity demand by this mobile and geo-distributed load. Because the levels of penetration of EVs in the power grid have recently started increasing with the increase in EV sales, the real-time management of en-route EVs, before they connect to the grid, is quite recent and not many research works can be found in the literature covering this topic comprehensively. In this dissertation, advances and novel ideas are developed and presented, seizing the opportunities lying in this mobile load and addressing various challenges that arise in the application of public charging for EVs. A Bilateral Decision Support System (BDSS) is developed here for the management of en-route EVs. The BDSS is a middleware-based MAS that achieves a win-win situation for the EVs and the power grid. In this framework, the two are complementary in a way that the desired benefit of one cannot be achieved without attaining that of the other. A Fuzzy Logic based on-board module is developed for supporting the decision of the EV as to which charging station to charge at. GPU computing is used in the higher-end agents to handle the big amount of data resulting in such a large scale system with mobile and geo-distributed nodes. Cyber security risks that threaten the BDSS are assessed and measures are applied to revoke possible attacks. Furthermore, the Collective Distribution of Mobile Loads (CDML), a service with ancillary potential to the power system, is developed. It comprises a system-level optimization. In this service, the EVs requesting a public charging session are collectively redistributed onto charging stations with the objective of achieving the optimal and secure operation of the power system by reducing active power losses in normal conditions and mitigating line congestions in contingency conditions. The CDML uses the BDSS as an industrially viable tool to achieve the outcomes of the optimization in real time. By participating in this service, the EV is considered as an interacting node in the system-wide communication platform, providing both enhanced self-convenience in terms of access to public chargers, and contribution to the collective effort of providing benefit to the power system under the large scale uptake of EVs. On the EV charger level, several advantages have been reported favoring wireless charging of EVs over wired charging. Given that, new techniques are presented that facilitate the optimization of the magnetic link of wireless EV chargers while considering international EMC standards. The original techniques and developments presented in this dissertation were experimentally verified at the Energy Systems Research Laboratory at FIU

German and Israeli Innovation: The Best of Two Worlds

This study reviews – through desk research and expert interviews with Mittelstand companies, startups and ecosystem experts – the current status of the Israeli startup ecosystem and the Mittelstand region of North Rhine- Westphalia (NRW), Germany. As a case study, it highlights potential opportunities for collaboration and analyzes different engagement modes that might serve to connect the two regions. The potential synergies between the two economies are based on a high degree of complementarity. A comparison of NRW’s key verticals and Israel’s primary areas of innovation indicates that there is significant overlap in verticals, such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), sensors and cybersecurity. Israeli startups can offer speed, agility and new ideas, while German Mittelstand companies can contribute expertise in production and scaling, access to markets, capital and support. The differences between Mittelstand companies and startups are less pronounced than those between startups and big corporations. However, three current barriers to fruitful collaboration have been identified: 1) a lack of access, 2) a lack of transparency regarding relevant players in the market, and 3) a lack of the internal resources needed to select the right partners, often due to time constraints or a lack of internal expertise on this issue. To ensure that positive business opportunities ensue, Mittelstand companies and startups alike have to be proactive in their search for cooperation partners and draw on a range of existing engagement modes (e.g., events, communities, accelerators). The interviews and the research conducted for this study made clear that no single mode of engagement can address all the needs and challenges associated with German-Israeli collaboration