Total cost of ownership: a diesel versus gasoline comparison (2012-2013)

There are dramatic changes taking place in the U.S. automotive industry as it moves to meet stringent government mandated Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) requirements. Clean diesel engine technology represents one of the technologies companies are using to improve fuel economy. This report not only compares the fuel efficiency of clean diesel vehicles to comparable gasoline versions of the same vehicle (sold at auction during the 2012-2013 timeframe), but it also compares the total cost of ownership (TCO) between the two types of technologies. The report is a followup to our previous work on the total cost of ownership comparison of vehicles sold at auction during the 2010 and 2011 timeframe. The TCO model is built by developing three- and five-year cost estimates of depreciation by modeling used-vehicle auction data, as well as developing estimates for fuel costs by modeling government data. This report differs from the previous report in that it controls for the trim levels of the different vehicles. The depreciation and fuel cost estimates are added to three- and five-year estimates for repairs, fees and taxes, insurance, and maintenance from an outside data source. The results show that clean diesel vehicles provide a return on investment in both the three- and five-year timeframes, though there are differences in the amounts of return among mass market vehicles, medium duty pickup trucks, and luxury vehicles, as well as passenger cars, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and medium duty pickup trucks.Robert Bosch Corporationhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111893/1/103193.pd

High efficiency trucks: new revenues, new jobs, and improved fuel economy in the medium and heavy truck fleet

The move to high efficiency trucks can lead to new revenues and jobs for companies involved in the development and marketing of the technologies needed to make this transition. But in order for the medium and heavy truck industry to make this transition, there will be a number of barriers to overcome. This study, funded by CALSTART, examines these challenges, estimates the potential revenues and jobs that may be created, and discusses the policy options available to government. The basis for this analysis is a survey of the manufacturers and suppliers that make up the medium/heavy truck industry. We divided potential new technologies into three groups, aerodynamics, hybrid/electric, and other powertrain technologies supplied from a previous analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). There are significant differences in the cost and sophistication of the technologies within as well as among these groups. Our analysis is based on the responses of 31 companies (from an original 90) that are either marketing or developing 52 of the new technologies. Two of the three challenges to introducing these new technologies, as reported by the executives who participated in the survey, focus on building the business case for the trucking industry to introduce the new technologies and ensuring customer acceptance of the technologies. The other major challenge is the technology challenges that still exist for some of the new technologies. These are significant challenges because the medium/heavy trucking industry, which runs on narrow margins, makes technology decisions based not on emotion but on business economics.CALSTARThttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91261/1/102867.pd

Stuck in traffic: analyzing real time traffic capabilities of personal navigation devices and traffic phone applications

Field Operational Test: May, 2013 to July, 2013The global positioning system (GPS) market is a fast changing, highly competitive market. Products change frequently as they try to provide the best customer experience for a service that is based on the need for real-time data. Two major functions of the GPS unit are to correctly report traffic jams on a driver’s route and provide an accurate and timely estimated time of arrival (ETA) for the driver whether he/she is in a traffic jam or just following driving directions from a GPS unit. This study measures the accuracy of traffic jam reporting by having Personal Navigational Devices (PNDs) from TomTom and Garmin and phone apps from TomTom, INRIX, and Google in the same vehicle programmed to arrive at the same destination. We found significant differences among the units in terms of their ability to recognize an upcoming traffic jam. We also found differences in how well the devices responded to jams when driving on surface streets versus highways, and whether the jams were shorter or longer in length. We see potential for auto manufacturers to employ real-time traffic in their new vehicles, providing potential growth for real-time traffic providers through access to new vehicles as well as the aftermarket.TomTom Group, Southfield, MIhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102509/1/102984.pd

Tracking the use of onboard safety technologies across the truck fleet

Special ReportThe Transportation Safety Analysis and the Automotive Analysis Divisons at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) initiated the Onboard Safety Technologies project in 2007, supported by FMCSA, to collect detailed information about the penetration of onboard safety technologies in the trucking fleet and future use of these technologies. The five technologies examined included: lane departure warning (LDWS), electronic stability control (ESC), forward and side collision warning (FCWS/SCWS), and vehicle tracking systems (TRACKING). Previous work in estimating the penetration of onboard safety technologies never approached the question of technology penetration by sampling the popluation of trucking companies. This project uses that approach through the use of a random sample survey of the entire fleet of trucking companies to measure current penetration, future use, and the advantages available to companies employing these technologies. The source for the sample was the 2007 Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) file. Interviews were also conducted with companies with high penetration of the technologies as well as system suppliers of the technologies, in order to gather more detailed information about usage and future technology direction. The results of the survey show the expected low levels of usage of LDWS, FCWS, and SCWS, slightly higher levels of usage of ESC, and much higher usage of TRACKING. Analysis shows higher usage related to larger company size. Company usage of these technologies is expected to double over the next five years. The main factors noted by participants for using the technologies that vary little among the technologies include: proven safety benefits of the technologies, positive feedback by drivers, driver improvement, improved safety culture, reduced cost of accidents, and insurance benefits. The interviews yielded important views about the cost advantages of usage, the difficulty of justifying the purchase of the technologies, alternatives to safety technologies, and the future of technology integration.Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, D.Chttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91262/1/102868.pd

Divergent Views on the Future of Automotive Retailing

A.T. KearneyOffice for the Study of Automotive Transportationhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156402/1/Divergent of Views on the future of Automotive Retailing.pd