Cost implications of various Euro 4 and 5 after treatment solutions for heavy duty diesel vehicles

This study is firstly a short review of the types of exhaust systems predicted for Euro 4 (2005) and Euro 5 (2008), particularly focussed on the effects of combined NOx (nitrogen oxides) and PM (particulate matter) aftertreatment systems. Secondly, it explores in detail the implications of using a liquid secondary water-based fuel of urea on board heavy duty diesel vehicles in Europe as a basis for NOx reduction via selective catalytic reduction (SCR). Some of the main points that become apparent when using integrated SCR systems are: the potential costs of increased urea production in Europe (including possible fuel taxation), refuelling issues, secondary fuel cost, logistics of urea supply, and cost of implementation of the urea fuel delivery method. From the original equipment manufacturers view, the hardware cost will be increased substantially when compared to current silencer systems. From the vehicle owner’s point of view, the possibility of large running cost increases is not desired, and the system solution cost and its benefits must ultimately be acceptable. This paper will attempt to put the life-time costs of various systems within perspective in order to assess the feasibility of implementing selective catalytic reduction systems (SCR) Europe wide for the near future

Hydrogen: tomorrow's fuel or just hot air? The Icelandic Experience

Hydrogen is once again in the limelight, with rising fuel prices, the search for fuels beyond petrol and diesel is being debated even more hotly. The European fuel cell bus trial has been extended by one year and there has been much talk about the potential for hydrogen powered vehicles working during the London Olympics. These would bring even more people into contact with future fuels on perhaps boats and buses. The Department for Transport (UK) has also announced a major call for more research on hydrogen, clearly indicating a focus on both vehicles and infrastructure. So what is all the hype about this fuel and what does it mean for transport engineers in general? This article tries to address some of those issues by trying to understand hydrogen, and then by looking at how the Icelanders have used this remarkable fuel. There may be some meaningful lessons for the UK and other countries interested in implementing hydrogen

21st Century emissions technology - a review

This article reviews the 21st Century Emissions Technology conference held by Institute of Mechanical Engineers (in December 2000) and summarises the latest developments in emissions control

'Smart' design: greening the Total Product System

About the book: Since the Rio summit in 1992, the paradigm of corporate environmental responsibility has gradually and consistently extended beyond complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulation and taking up the proactive initiatives of a few world-class companies. Research indicates that the business and financial performance of companies may depend directly on socially and environmentally responsible business practices. Many world-class companies now realize that customers and other stakeholders do not distinguish between a company and its suppliers. As a result, greening the supply chain is an innovative idea which is fast gaining attention in the industry. Greening the Supply Chain is a compilation of important chapters written by a diverse set of international authors which incorporates a broad variety of perspectives. Note: Smart car refers to Smart City coupe and Fortwo, and all terms are registered trademarks of MCC (micro compact car)

Modelling urban bus transport emissions in Santiago de Cuba

This study described and focuses on the public transport bus system in Santiago de Cuba. Specifically we explore the fuel consumption of the various diesel buses over a three year period from 2007 to 2009 and with a forecast for the forthcoming years. The study considers the potential for fuel savings through a variety of methods which are each described and then modelled. Pollution is also calculated for a variety of scenarios and some suggestions are made in order to lower the overall emissions of the fleet

The Olympic transport legacy

This article examine sustainable transport provision for the London 2012Olympics and its intended legacy role in economic and social regeneration across East London. It concludes that ultimately, legacy success will depend on the ability to adapt to, and adopt, the new processes and cultural shifts over time, quickly assimilating them in a move towards more sustainable transport systems. The Olympics can put into place the foundations for a more sustainable society, but it needs more than this alone to realise the potential

Tutors as learners: overcoming barriers to learning ICT skills

This paper explores the use of ICT to provide distance training for UK Open University (OU) Associate lecturers (ALs) and identifies the range of outcomes and issues which emerged. There is an increasing demand from many of our students for the University to provide more facilities and functions (both administrative or course-related) online or by electronic mail. To this end the University has attempted to increase the awareness of these computing-related issues with ALs by offering various methods of increasing ICT skills. One programme involved a contingent of ALs participating in an online short course. This paper will summarise some of the qualitative feedback along with the quantitative results in order to establish whether this course did indeed assist in tutors gaining some new computing skills. Furthermore, tutors made many additional comments about the process of learning and the experience of being a learner. Many of the issues raised were found to be important when designing a programme of study for those who take courses as a form of staff development

Supporting policy packages: the future of road pricing in the UK

Transport is already a large component of our economy and society. Historically, transport programmes were substantially about developing basic infrastructure networks. Now the emphasis is on the active management of systems and operating them to maximum advantage in the face of growing travel demand and capacity limitations. Combined developments in technology and the world economy have accelerated change to almost unpredictable levels. The change affects many areas and transport is not an exception. With new vehicle technologies, radical policies and the persistent growth in private and commercial vehicles, a new changing transport landscape is emerging. One of these changes comes in the form of sustainable transport management - managing the demand of existing infrastructure networks. The role of demand management has been illustrated in many reports and papers and it seems that governments are becoming more aware of it. This paper focuses on one particular demand management policy that is often regarded as radical and generally unacceptable. Road pricing often gets delayed or abandoned due to controversy, disagreements, unanticipated problems and a whole host of other delaying factors. There are complex interactions in transport management - there is a need for cooperation between networks, stakeholders and different authorities. Single measures that focus on 'sustainable transport' usually address a limited set of objectives and are not usually combined with other policy measures. When combined, it is sometimes unclear whether the multiple interactions between policy tools and implementation networks have been considered. An emerging case of implementation of a policy package in the UK is the support of road pricing initiatives combined with public transport improvements by the Transport Innovation Fund. The paper will present a review of the UK road pricing situation along with key implementation factors that show firstly the importance of combining policy tools and secondly the necessity in creating and maintaining strong implementation networks