How Assumptions About Consumers Influence Estimates of Electric Vehicle Miles Traveled of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: A Review of PHEV Use Data and Possible Implications for the SAEJ2841 Utility Factor (UF) Standard

To characterize the environmental impact and petroleum displacement potential of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) it is necessary to know what fraction of travel occurs in each of the two energy use modes. Currently, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) estimates the fraction of US travel a PHEV with a given Charge Depleting (CD) range will electrify based on travel data from a national, single drivingday diary and the assumption that PHEVs are charged onceper day. This estimate is used by policy makers, transportation researchers and automotive engineers for purposes which range from State Policy (California Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate), battery lifetime estimates, vehicle to grid interactions and other analyses. However, the SAEJ2841 standard is most realistic for instances where its assumptions are valid ; i.e. consumers do not base their PHEV purchase decision on their driving needs, charge once per day at home, don’t have access to or use public charging infrastructure, and drive their PHEV similarly to the vehicle it replaced. This combination of assumptions is only a single use case for PHEVs and represents untested, universal assumptions about how consumers will choose to purchase, drive and recharge PHEVs. We investigate these four assumptions made in the SAE J2841 standard, and compare each one against the best publically available consumer demonstration and academic analyses to begin the process of assessing assumptions and understanding potential implications for analyses or policies which currently use the SAE J2841. Overall, this analysis is meant to bring depth to the discussion of PHEV impacts and policy which seeks to incentivize electric driving

The Income Elasticity of Gambling in Australia and New Zealand

This paper analyses disposable income as it relates to consumer demand for gambling products in Australia and New Zealand from Financial years (FY) 1998 to 2008. The hypothesis is that income elasticity of demand for gambling products is greater than one i.e. gambling products are a luxury good. The alternate hypothesis is that the income elasticity of demand for gambling products are less than one and are classed as either necessity or inferior goods. Data compiled by the Queensland Treasury and Trade department, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Statistics New Zealand and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs was used to calculate income elasticities for all gambling products. The results indicate that income elasticity for gambling products varies over time and is greater than one pre FY2003 and less than one post FY2003. However, once the change in market share of different gambling products and the large increase in supply in the gaming industry sector (pre FY2003) was accounted for, income elasticities were estimated to be less than one in support of the alternate hypothesis

The Common Core and the Future of Student Assessment in Ohio

Ohio committed itself to embracing higher standards that cross state lines when it joined 45 other states and the District of Columbia in adopting the Common Core standards in math and English language arts (ELA) in June 2010

Synthetic Morphogenesis: introducing IEEE journal readers to programming living mammalian cells to make structures

Synthetic morphogenesis is a new engineering discipline, in which cells are genetically engineered to make designed shapes and structures. At least in this early phase of the field, devices tend to make use of natural shape-generating processes that operate in embryonic development, but invoke them artificially at times and in orders of a technologist’s choosing. This requires construction of genetic control, sequencing and feedback systems that have close parallels to electronic design, which is one reason the field may be of interest to readers of IEEE journals. The other reason is that synthetic morphogenesis allows the construction of two-way interfaces, especially opto-genetic and opto-electronic, between the living and the electronic, allowing unprecedented information flow and control between the two types of ‘machine’. This review introduces synthetic morphogenesis, illustrates what has been achieved, drawing parallels wherever possible between biology and electronics, and looks forward to likely next steps and challenges to be overcome