Flying More Efficiently: Joint Impacts of Fuel Prices, Capital Costs and Fleet Size on Airline Fleet Fuel Economy

This paper presents a multiobjective mathematical programming model to optimize airline fleet size and structure with consideration of several critical factors severely affecting the fleet planning process. The main purpose of this paper is to reveal how multiairline competitive behaviors impact airline fleet size and structure by enhancing the existing route-based fleet planning model with consideration of the interaction between market share and flight frequency and also by applying the concept of equilibrium optimum to design heuristic algorithm for solving the model. Through case study and comparison, the heuristic algorithm is proved to be effective. By using the algorithm presented in this paper, the fleet operational profit is significantly increased compared with the use of the existing route-based model. Sensitivity analysis suggests that the fleet size and structure are more sensitive to the increase of fare price than to the increase of passenger demand.

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Fuel Prices and New Vehicle Fuel Economy in Europe

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.1978518 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas Klier ◽

Joshua Linn

Keyword(s):

Fuel Economy ◽

Fuel Prices

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A New Dawn for Diesel

Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.2005-jan-1 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 127 (01) ◽

pp. 26-31

Author(s):

John DeGaspari

Keyword(s):

Fuel Economy ◽

Fuel Efficiency ◽

Engine Performance ◽

The United States ◽

Heavy Load ◽

Gasoline Engines ◽

Fuel Prices ◽

Personal Use ◽

The Difference ◽

Heavy Loads

This article reviews that diesel engines are more expensive than gasoline engines and the lower fuel prices in the United States make buying decisions based on fuel economy alone unlikely. Many of the advancements have gone largely unnoticed by US drivers, who still view diesels as workhorses for large trucks. But some proponents of diesel say that a combination of higher torque, better fuel economy, and smooth, quiet engine performance could sway a significant number of drivers here to consider diesels for smaller, personal-use vehicles. Diesels provide better fuel efficiency than gasoline engines do and are well suited to heavy loads and continuous driving. Hauling a heavy load up a steep grade, the difference in fuel economy could be as high as 75 percent compared to conventional gasoline engines. Diesels could make a bigger impact on fuel consumption from a fleet perspective in this country, where people favor larger vehicles, than in Europe. Diesels deliver higher torque at lower speeds than gasoline engines, allowing drivers to get away with a comparatively smaller, lower horsepower diesel without sacrificing acceleration or towing capacity.

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A Parametric Study of an Exhaust Recovery Turbogenerator on a Diesel-Electric Hybrid Bus

Volume 5A: Industrial and Cogeneration; Manufacturing Materials and Metallurgy; Marine; Microturbines, Turbochargers, and Small Turbomachines ◽

10.1115/gt2013-94492 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ian Briggs ◽

Geoffrey McCullough ◽

Stephen Spence ◽

Roy Douglas ◽

Richard O’Shaughnessy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Consumption ◽

Fuel Economy ◽

Parametric Study ◽

Fuel Prices ◽

Engine Model ◽

Toxic Emissions ◽

Exhaust Line ◽

In Series ◽

Hybrid Bus ◽

Economy Benefit

The fuel consumption of automotive vehicles has become a prime consideration to manufacturers and operators as fuel prices continue to rise steadily, and legislation governing toxic emissions becomes ever more strict. This is particularly true for bus operators as government fuel subsidies are cut or removed. In an effort to reduce the fuel consumption of a diesel-electric hybrid bus, an exhaust recovery turbogenerator has been selected from a wide ranging literature review as the most appropriate method of recovering some of the wasted heat in the exhaust line. This paper examines the effect on fuel consumption of a turbogenerator applied to a 2.4-litre diesel engine. A validated one-dimensional engine model created using Ricardo WAVE was used as a baseline, and was modified in subsequent models to include a turbogenerator downstream, and in series with, the turbocharger turbine. A fuel consumption map of the modified engine was produced, and an in-house simulation tool was then used to examine the fuel economy benefit delivered by the turbogenerator on a bus operating on various drive-cycles. A parametric study is presented which examined the performance of turbogenerators of various size and power output. The operating strategy of the turbogenerator was also discussed with a view to maximising turbine efficiency at each operating point. The performance of the existing turbocharger on the hybrid bus was also investigated; both the compressor and turbine were optimised and the subsequent benefits to the fuel consumption of the vehicle were shown. The final configuration is then presented and the overall improvement in fuel economy of the hybrid bus was determined over various drive-cycles.

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The Moderating Effect of Fuel Prices on the Market Value of Fuel Economy, Driving Intensity, and CO2 Emissions

Marketing ZFP ◽

10.15358/0344-1369-2020-1-48 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 48-66

Author(s):

Vlada Pleshcheva ◽

Daniel Klapper

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emissions ◽

Fuel Economy ◽

Market Value ◽

Capital Investments ◽

Hedonic Price ◽

Fuel Price ◽

Fuel Prices ◽

Market Values ◽

Technical Specifications ◽

The Impact

In this paper, we explore co-movements of the vehicle price sensitivity to fuel economy with changes in fuel prices. Previous literature has investigated the responsiveness of vehicle prices to fuel prices or fuel economy. We are interested in the interaction effect of fuel prices and fuel economy and answer the question of how exactly the market value of fuel economy depends on the fuel price. By looking at the role of fuel prices as a moderator for the market value of fuel economy, we are able to differentiate between consumers’ valuation of fuel economy versus their reaction to changes in fuel prices. We apply a hedonic price model to the German automobile market by using data on detailed technical specifications of high-sales vehicles of three consecutive model years. In contrast to previous research, where the marginal benefits of driving a car with a particular fuel economy remained constant, we allow it to vary with fuel prices. It enables us to investigate two sources of changes in the market value for fuel economy. The first source, as in the previous studies, corresponds to changes in the budget for driving a car, whereas the second source reflects changes in the capital investments in a better fuel economy. The total effect of these two sources may lead to either a decrease or an increase in the vehicle distance traveled. We study the differences in the impact of fuel prices for various car makes of both diesel and gasoline engines. Our results suggest that there are substantial differences in the market values of fuel economy between diesel and gasoline vehicles and their responsiveness to changes in fuel prices. Diesel cars are characterized by the more elastic price gradient of fuel economy to fuel prices compared to gasoline cars. The revealed high responsiveness of the market value of fuel economy to fuel prices results in an optimal annual driving intensity that is an increasing function of fuel prices. It implies that, during the period of investigation, the marginal benefit of driving a car of a specific fuel economy was higher than the corresponding fuel price effect on the budget for driving. Using the quantified impact of fuel prices on the market value of fuel economy, we also assess the implied changes in the kilometers driven with cars and the resulting CO2 emissions. The current study presents an empirical application of statistical analysis to a topic of interest to readers in the areas of quantitative economics and economic policy.

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