scholarly journals Why so few EVs are in Kuwait and how to amend it

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Andri Ottesen ◽  
Sumayya Banna
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Driving Experience ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
The Road ◽  
Younger Men ◽  
On The Road

The automotive industry is at a crossroad. Electric Vehicles (EV) now pose an existential threat to the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). In some Northern European nations over 50% of new cars sold are EVs, owing in large part to substantial financial incentives to buy and own an EV, such as tax discounts when purchasing an EV, fuel savings, and preferential use of transportation infrastructure. These countries have pledged to cease all imports of non-EVs by 2035. On the other end of the spectrum are Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where EVs account for less than 1 percent of vehicles on the road, due in large part to financial and non-financial impediments to buying and owning an EV. In addition, the price per kilometer driven in the GCC is considerably lower with gasoline than with electricity, which contradicts the European experience where cost savings from electricity versus gasoline can be around 8 to 1. Furthermore, as there is an absence of purchase and ownership/utilization taxation of vehicles in the GCC, no tax discount can be levied, in contrast to the EV tax incentives common in Europe. This paper explores which qualities of driving and owning an EV in the GCC are necessary to persuade certain kinds of new automobile consumers to pay a higher purchasing price for owning an EV as opposed to an ICE, in spite of higher costs for electricity compared to gasoline per kilometer driven. This pilot study attempts to provide an insight to new car purchasing behavior among consumers in Kuwait via a qualitative innovative approach known as ‘Q Methodology’. Interestingly, the factors that emerged from the research represent three subjective perspectives of new car purchase in Kuwait which were labeled as Factor 1, ‘Value Seeker’; Factor 2, ‘Safety Seeker’; and Factor 3, ‘Performance Seeker’. The study concludes that given financial constraints, the ‘Value Seeker’ group is not likely to become an early adopter of EVs in the GCC region. Conversely, the ‘Performance Seeker’, which includes mainly younger men who are more likely to view the fast acceleration of EVs as a deciding factor, and the ‘Safety Seekers’, who are mainly younger women who would value the environmental aspects of EVs as well as the quiet driving experience and low maintenance requirements are determining factors for EV adoption in the GCC region in the future.  

scholarly journals The influence of exhaust system leak on the operating parameters of a turbocharged spark ignition engine

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 468-472
Author(s):  
Krystian Hennek ◽  
Mariusz Graba
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Sensor ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Exhaust System ◽  
Spark Ignition Engine ◽  
Si Engine ◽  
The Road ◽  
Torque Measurements ◽  
Si Engines ◽  
Common Technique ◽  
On The Road

Turbocharging of an internal combustion engine is the most common technique to improve an engines’ performance. In present it is not hard to meet vehicles on the road with turbocharged SI engines, which have a high mileage, and because of this fact there is a high risk of exhaust systems leak. This might have its influence not only on the emissions, but also on the vehicles performance. Thereby this dissertation shows the comparative analysis of the influence of exhaust system leak in the catalyzer input on the exhaust gasses composition in the catalyzer output and the operation parameters of an turbocharged SI engine. During the research some parameters were recorded and compared, e. g.: the engines power and torque, the injec-tors opening time, the oxygen sensors voltage signals in the input and in the output of the catalyzer, the concentration of harmful gasses in the exhaust tailpipe. The research was conducted with the use of a single roller MAHA MSR 500 chassis dynamometer. A series of torque measurements was performed. Under these measurements a simulation of the exhaust system leakage of a turbocharged SI passenger car engine was made. As a result three variations of the wideband oxygen sensor acting were reached. The wideband sensor is mounted between the turbocharger unit and the input of the catalyzer. In the test the influence of the leakage on the injector’s opening time and the composition of harmful exhaust substances were pointed.

scholarly journals The End of the M.E.?

2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (05) ◽  
pp. 26-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Huber ◽  
Mark P. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Basic Operation ◽  
The Road ◽  
Energy Economy ◽  
On The Road

This article highlights that mechanical engineers control most of the rest of our energy economy. The engineering focus will shift inexorably toward finding the most efficient means of generating electricity on-board. Trains and monster trucks both use big diesel generators. Hybrid cars on the road today burn gasoline, but it is the fuel cell that attracts the most attention from visionaries and critics of the internal combustion engine. Remarkably elegant in its basic operation, the fuel cell transforms fuel into electricity in a single step, completely bypassing the furnace, turbine, and generator. In this scenario, mechanical engineering ultimately surrenders its last major under-the-hood citadel to chemical engineers. One might say that the age of mechanical engineering was launched by James Watt's steam engine in 1763, and propelled through its second century by Nikolaus Otto’s 1876 invention of the spark-ignited petroleum engine. We are now at the dawn of the age of electrical engineering, not because we recently learned how to generate light-speed electrical power, but because we have now finally learned how to control it.

A First Investigation of Truck Drivers’ Preferences and Behaviors using a Prototype Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control System

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (34) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiyan Yang ◽  
Steven E. Shladover ◽  
Xiao-Yun Lu ◽  
Hani Ramezani ◽  
Aravind Kailas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Cruise Control ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Truck Drivers ◽  
Cruise Control ◽  
Fuel Savings ◽  
The Road ◽  
Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
On The Road ◽  
And Performance

Cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) is a driver-assist technology that uses vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communication to realize faster braking responses in following vehicles and shorter headways compared with adaptive cruise control. This technology not only enhances road safety, but also offers fuel savings benefits as a result of reduced aerodynamic drag. The amount of fuel savings is dictated by the following distances and the driving speeds. So, the overarching goal of this work is to explore driving preferences and behaviors when following in “CACC mode,” an area that remains largely unexplored. While in CACC mode, the brake and throttle actions are automated. A human factors study was conducted to investigate truck drivers’ experiences and performance using CACC at shorter-than-normal vehicle following time gaps. “On-the-road” experiments were conducted by recruiting drivers from commercial fleets to operate the second and third trucks in a three-truck CACC string. The driving route spanned 160 miles on freeways in Northern California and five different time gaps between 0.6 and 1.8 seconds were tested. Factors such as cut-ins by other vehicles, road grades, and traffic conditions were found to influence the drivers’ opinions about use of CACC. The findings presented in this paper provide insights into the factors that will influence driver reactions to the deployment of CACC in their truck fleets.

Analysis of Preference for Autonomous Driving Under Different Traffic Conditions Using a Driving Simulator

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 660-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udara Eshan Manawadu ◽  
◽  
Masaaki Ishikawa ◽  
Mitsuhiro Kamezaki ◽  
Shigeki Sugano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Autonomous Driving ◽  
Driving Experience ◽  
The Road ◽  
Traffic Conditions ◽  
Passenger Vehicles ◽  
New Type ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Near Future

<div class=""abs_img""><img src=""[disp_template_path]/JRM/abst-image/00270006/08.jpg"" width=""300"" /> Driving simulator</div>Intelligent passenger vehicles with autonomous capabilities will be commonplace on our roads in the near future. These vehicles will reshape the existing relationship between the driver and vehicle. Therefore, to create a new type of rewarding relationship, it is important to analyze when drivers prefer autonomous vehicles to manually-driven (conventional) vehicles. This paper documents a driving simulator-based study conducted to identify the preferences and individual driving experiences of novice and experienced drivers of autonomous and conventional vehicles under different traffic and road conditions. We first developed a simplified driving simulator that could connect to different driver-vehicle interfaces (DVI). We then created virtual environments consisting of scenarios and events that drivers encounter in real-world driving, and we implemented fully autonomous driving. We then conducted experiments to clarify how the autonomous driving experience differed for the two groups. The results showed that experienced drivers opt for conventional driving overall, mainly due to the flexibility and driving pleasure it offers, while novices tend to prefer autonomous driving due to its inherent ease and safety. A further analysis indicated that drivers preferred to use both autonomous and conventional driving methods interchangeably, depending on the road and traffic conditions.

Hazard Perception in Driving

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Horswill
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Driver Education ◽  
Hazard Perception ◽  
Driving Experience ◽  
The Road ◽  
Age Related ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Training

Hazard perception in driving refers to a driver’s ability to anticipate potentially dangerous situations on the road ahead and has been the subject of research for over 50 years. It is typically measured using computer-based hazard-perception tests and has been associated with both retrospective and prospective crash risk, as well as key crash-risk factors such as distraction, fatigue, alcohol consumption, speed choice, and age-related declines. It can also differentiate high- and lower-risk driver groups. The problem is that it is also a skill that appears to take decades of driving experience to acquire. This raises the question of whether it is possible and practical to accelerate this learning process via assessment and training in order to improve traffic safety. We have evidence that, in contrast to most driver education and assessment interventions, hazard-perception testing and training appear to have the capability to reduce crash risk. For example, the inclusion of a hazard-perception test in the UK driver licensing process has been estimated to reduce drivers’ non-low-speed public-road crash rates by 11.3% in the year following their test.

scholarly journals The Strategies of NOx Emission Reduction for Diesel Engines

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 32-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cao Dao Nam ◽  
Van Vang Le
Keyword(s):  
Diesel Engines ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Direct Injection ◽  
Low Temperature Combustion ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Direct Injection Engines ◽  
The Road ◽  
Loading Mode ◽  
On The Road

Diesel engines are more efficient than forced ignition engines but due to diffused combustion and work with high air residue levels, burning products contain soot and NOx, pollutants that work Handling it on the road today still has many technical problems. The technology of organizing the combustion of diesel engines directly affects the level of pollution generated. Direct injection diesel engines have a lower fuel consumption than a combustion engine with a separation of about 10% and a lower level of soot emissions when the engine is operating in local loading mode. However, direct injection engines work noisier and generate more pollutants (NOx, HC). Today, this type of combustion chamber is only used for heavy-duty truck engines. Limiting the optimal emission level for diesel engines needs to balance the concentration of the two main pollutants, NOx and soot. Low temperature combustion (LTC) engines need different enabling technologies depending on the fuel and strategy used to achieve combustion of the premixed fuel–air mixture. Controlling the combustion rate is one of the major challenges in LTC engines, particularly in PPCI combustion engine to achieve higher thermal efficiency, the desired phasing of combustion timings is essential even at moderate combustion rates. Present chapter describes the combustion control variables and control strategies used for LTC engines. Various methods demonstrated to control the LTC engines can be categorized in to two main strategies: (i) altering pressure–temperature and (ii) altering fuel reactivity of the charge.

Driving Experience and Task Demands in Simulator and Instrumented Car: A Validation Study

1982 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard J. Blaauw
Keyword(s):  
Vehicle Control ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Relative Validity ◽  
Driving Experience ◽  
The Road ◽  
Kinesthetic Feedback ◽  
Fixed Base ◽  
Accuracy Instruction ◽  
Vehicle Simulator ◽  
On The Road

The validity of research results obtained using the fixed-base vehicle simulator of the Institute for Perception TNO was studied during straight-road driving. Absolute and relative validities were mainly evaluated in terms of system performance and driver behavior for inexperienced and experienced drivers, who had to perform lateral and longitudinal vehicle control both in the simulator and in an instrumented car on the road. Task demands for each control were varied with a free and forced accuracy instruction. Overall results showed good absolute and relative validity for longitudinal vehicle control; lateral vehicle control offered good relative validity. Lateral control performance lacked absolute validity due to the drivers' diminished perception of lateral translations (absence of kinesthetic feedback). Drivers were easily able to perceive yaw rotations in the simulator. Performance in the simulator was a more sensitive discriminator of driving experience than was performance in the instrumented car on the road.

scholarly journals Real-Time Driver Alert System Using Raspberry Pi

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Yi Wong ◽  
Phooi Yee Lau
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Alert System ◽  
Driving Experience ◽  
The Road ◽  
Car Accidents ◽  
Passenger Safety ◽  
On The Road

Malaysia has been ranked as one of the country in the world with deadliest road. Based on the statistic, there are around 7000 to 8000 people in the country died on the road among the population of 31 million Malaysians every year. In general, Advances Driver Assistance System (ADAS) aims to improve not only the driving experience but also consider the overall passenger safety. In recent years, driver drowsiness has been one of the major causes of road accidents, which can lead to severe physical injuries, deaths and significant economic losses. In this paper, a vison-based real-time driver alert system aimed mainly to monitor the driver’s drowsiness level and distraction level is proposed. This alert system could reduce the fatalities of car accidents by detecting driver’s face, detecting eyes region using facial landmark and calculating the rate of eyes closure in order to monitor the drowsiness level of the driver. Later, the system is embedded into the Raspberry Pi, with a Raspberry Pi camera and a speaker buzzer, and is used to alert the driver in real-time, by providing a beeping sound. Experimental results show that proposed system is practical and low-cost which could (1) embed the drowsiness detection module, and (2) provide alert notification to the driver when the driver is inattentive, using a medium loud beeping sound, in real-time.

scholarly journals A Vehicle Device Tailored for Hybrid Trolleybuses and Overhead Wires Implementation in SUMO

10.29007/6pqr ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Sevcik ◽  
Jan Prikryl
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Electric Circuit ◽  
The Road ◽  
Interesting Possibility ◽  
Traction Substations ◽  
Kirchhoff’S Laws ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Charging Stations ◽  
Public Transport Service

The electrification of transport is one of the key parts of the present aim to reduce undesirable vehicular emissions in the atmosphere. While the full electrification of personal vehicles is mostly associated with employing a big battery pack on the board and charging on (static) charging stations, another interesting possibility appears in the case of public transport – dynamic drawing of the power from overhead wires. Regarding vehicles moving on the road, this concept is used by trolleybuses or hybrid trolleybuses, i.e. vehicles combining power from the overhead wires and batteries.A replacement of classic buses (with a combustion engine) with (hybrid) trolleybuses is hardly possible without an appropriate adjustment of public transport lines and the necessary infrastructure. For this purpose, a simulation of the adjusted public transport service may be used to identify weaknesses of the proposed solution.This paper presents a new vehicle device and a new additional part of road infrastructure in SUMO. It introduces device.elecHybrid based on existing device.battery, extending its functionality and tailoring it for the needs of hybrid trolleybuses. In addition, overhead wires and traction substations are implemented. As the voltage and electric cur- rents in the overhead wires depend on traffic, the overhead wire parameters are optionally evaluated by a built-in electric circuit solver using Kirchhoff’s laws.The proposed changes allow us to simulate hybrid trolleybus in-motion charging under the overhead wire. The extensions can be immediately used in micro-simulations or even (in a simplified version) in the meso-simulation mode.

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