IMPROVED AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY THROUGH INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES AND AUTOMOTIVE DRIVING SIMULATOR BASED SKILLS TRAINING WITH ASSESSMENT

Motor vehicle crashes involving novice drivers are significantly higher than matured drivers\u27 incidents as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System (NHTSA-FARS). There is ongoing research on how to decrease the number of crashes for this driver demographic group in the Unites States and Europe. Novice drivers usually complete driver education classes as a pre-requisite for full licensure to improve overall knowledge and safety. However, compiled statistics still indicate a need for more in-depth training after full licensure. This thesis introduces classroom and virtual training modules to improve the driving skills, attitudes, knowledge, and behavior of \u27high-risk\u27 young adult participants. The approach was to design two training modules for classroom instruction and establish a framework for a Public Service Announcement (PSA) seminar. In addition, a case study was performed using three automotive simulators exploring their potential use as a driver training resource. One of the driving simulators was subsequently used to complete a feasibility study examining the use of simulators as a driver training tool. The instructional modules covered vehicle maintenance, vehicle safety systems, and general automotive operations. The vehicle maintenance material included topics such as operating fluids, tires, brakes, windshield wipers, light bulbs, batteries, and warning lights. The second module focused on the basic operation of the vehicle and several key safety features (e.g., anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control, traction control system, seatbelts, and airbags). The PSA seminar introduced driving strategies such as avoiding driver distractions, seatbelt usage, and speed management using video campaigns produced by national and international organizations. Three simulators (DriveSafety Simulator, STISIM Drive Simulator, CU-Steering Simulator) were evaluated at North Carolina A&T University and Clemson University for their possible use in driver education programs. The overall performance was considered in nine general areas: ease of use, user-interface, motion/vision agreement, vehicle dynamics, haptic feedback, traffic scenarios, realism, mobility, and programmability. The DriveSafety simulator was determined the best option, since it provided the greatest number of characteristics ideally required for a training simulator. Based on the favorable results of this study, the opportunity to improve the driving skills of novice drivers using a DriveSafety automotive simulator was examined. Training test scripts for \u27Following Etiquette\u27 and \u27Situational Awareness\u27 were developed to introduce these key driving techniques. The training modules were administered in a pilot study using Clemson University students (ages 18-25). Students received little verbal instruction from the examiner; the majority of information was delivered by custom training videos and embedded driving simulator instructions. The \u27Following Etiquette\u27 module taught a basic timing method that allowed drivers to maintain a recommended following distance: 58% passed and 42% failed. The \u27Situational Awareness\u27 module allowed students to practice obstacle avoidance techniques and emergency maneuvers: 25% passed out right, 58% conditionally passed, and 17% failed. The classroom and virtual training modules were developed for possible implementation in a safe driving program. The automotive driving simulator proved to be a feasible option for facilitating automotive safety lessons, followed immediately by driving exercises to practice and reinforce the educational concept. Recommendations for additional classroom modules and virtual training modules are put forth for future study

Perpetual motion electric truck, transporting cargo with zero fuel costs

The transportation sector is going through a rapid transition to electric vehicles to minimize our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce CO2 emissions. This is also happening in the cargo transport sector, with a rapid deployment of electric trucks. This paper proposes that the replacement of diesel trucks with electric trucks should first happen on routes where cargo is delivered from a location with a higher altitude to a location with a lower altitude. This way, the regenerative braking system of the truck can completely recharge the truck's battery. This paper investigates scenarios where electric trucks could operate indefinitely without grid electricity to charge their batteries. This concept was named perpetual motion electric truck (PMET). Results show that with an average road slope of 5 %, 60 km/h speed, the weight of the cargo should be at least 1.32 times the weight of the truck, PMET can be achieved. PMET is an interesting alternative to reduce electricity demand and increase the sustainability of the transport sector

Design of a hydraulic servo-actuation fed by a regenerative braking system

Many conventional truck and working machines are equipped with additional hydraulic tooling or manipulation systems which are usually fed through a mechanical connection with the internal combustion engine, involving a poor efficiency. In particular, this is a common situation for industrial vehicles whose mission profiles involves a relevant consumption of energy by the on board hydraulic systems, respect to the one really needed for only traction purpose. In this work it is proposed an innovative solution based on the adoption of a system aimed to recover braking energy in order to feed an efficient on board hydraulic actuation system. The proposed system is then adopted to a real application, an Isuzu truck equipped with a hydraulic tooling for garbage collection. A prototype of the system has been designed, assembled and tested showing a relevant improvement of system efficiency and the feasibility of the proposed approach. In the paper the proposed solution is presented, showing the simulation models and preliminary validation results including experimental devices assembled to perform the tests

Ecological and economic evaluation of quarry trolley trucks

Open-cut mining is the main way to extract minerals. Up to 80% of the rock mass produced by that is transported by dump trucks with diesel engines. Atmospheric gas pollution is an essential disadvantage of using diesel vehicles, especially in deep formations. Exhaust gases from diesel vehicles have a detrimental effect on human health and the environment. Constant exposure of exhaust gases on the body can cause immune deficiency, bronchitis, cerebral vessels and nervous system suffer. The higher the depth of mining the higher the concentration of machinery on formations and the worse the conditions of natural ventilation of the working space. At the depth of quarries over 200–250 m air pollution by harmful substances at the workplace leads to a gradual increase of the maximum permissible concentrations. That affects both people and economy of the enterprise since it entails the necessity to shut the career down, deteriorate visibility on the highway, which also causes a partial or total suspension of equipment operation. Transfer of dump trucks to electricity is a prospect way to solve the problem. Together, all the positive qualities of trolley trucks reduce the maintenance costs of transportation of rock mass by 15–20%, as well as exclude the gassing of the quarry and formation of smoke. Need for power from the contact network is the most serious drawback of trolley truck. Today, thanks to modern technologies, eliminating most of the drawbacks of trolley trucks is not difficult. Quarry trolley trucks are better used only for long-term development, since the content of the trolley line contact requires attendance and maintenance. The payback period can be 2–4 years

Technology Roadmap for the 21st Century Truck Program, a government-industry research partnership

The 21st Century Truck Program has been established as a government-industry research partnership to support the development and implementation of commercially viable technologies that will dramatically cut fuel use and emissions of commercial trucks and buses while enhancing their safety and affordability as well as maintaining or enhancing performance. The innovations resulting from this program will reduce dependence on foreign oil, improve our nation's air quality, provide advanced technology for military vehicles, and enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. truck and bus industry while ensuring safe and affordable freight and bus transportation for the nation's economy. This Technology Roadmap for the 21st Century Truck Program has been prepared to guide the development of the technical advancements that will enable the needed improvements in commercial truck fuel economy, emissions, and safety

Hybrid-electric vehicle design and applications

This paper discusses the considerations involved in hybrid-electric vehicle design. The tradeoffs between issues such as drive scheme/arrangement, motor choice, batteries, and temperature control are investigated. The technologies and components which are currently available, and those which are likely in the near future, are described. A sport utility vehicle is taken as a specific case study because they are very popular and relatively inefficient. Calculations indicate that a hybrid sport utility vehicle with all wheel drive is feasible using existing components. The next generation vehicle using new technologies is also predicted

Replacing combustion engines with hydrogen fuel cells to power mining haul trucks: challenges and opportunities

With the proven advantage of higher energy density in hydrogen fuel cells over batteries, there is potential to apply fuel cells to power mining haul trucks. This study aims to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of hydrogen fuel cell electric mine trucks as an alternative to current mine haul trucks. Specifically, the project: (1) developed an economic framework for evaluating the integration of renewable energy powered haul trucks into mining; and (2) applied vehicle drivetrain and energy simulation in Matlab/Simulink to elucidate the challenges and opportunities of incorporating hydrogen fuel cell technology into the current form factors of mine haul trucks. First, the study uses an optimization model to characterize the impact of production, market and policy parameters on a mining firm’s decision of what types of trucks (with or without renewable technology) to deploy to minimize its overall costs, including costs associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Second, is an investigation of the significant technical challenges and opportunities associated with integrating hydrogen fuel cells in mining haul trucks using the vehicle drivetrain model and simulation experiments. The results show that even with green energy government incentives and levies for greenhouse gas emission, the cost of operating green energy trucks needs to be competitive to ensure they minimize a mining firm’s cost. However, to utilize a hydrogen fuel cell truck in the mine, a new vehicle frame is likely required to support the integration of the technology. This would require financial and technical investments by original equipment manufacturers and mining firms to make the transition --Abstract, page iii

A review on power electronics technologies for electric mobility

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions are a key topic addressed by modern societies worldwide. As a contribution to mitigate such effects caused by the transportation sector, the full adoption of electric mobility is increasingly being seen as the main alternative to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, which is supported by positive industry indicators, despite some identified hurdles. For such objective, power electronics technologies play an essential role and can be contextualized in different purposes to support the full adoption of electric mobility, including on-board and off-board battery charging systems, inductive wireless charging systems, unified traction and charging systems, new topologies with innovative operation modes for supporting the electrical power grid, and innovative solutions for electrified railways. Embracing all of these aspects, this paper presents a review on power electronics technologies for electric mobility where some of the main technologies and power electronics topologies are presented and explained. In order to address a broad scope of technologies, this paper covers road vehicles, lightweight vehicles and railway vehicles, among other electric vehicles.This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia with-in the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2020. This work has been supported by the FCT Project DAIPESEV PTDC/EEI-EEE/30382/2017, and by the FCT Project new ERA4GRIDs PTDC/EEI-EEE/30283/2017. Tiago Sousa is supported by the doctoral scholarship SFRH/BD/134353/2017 granted by FCT