Suchergebnisse

The deployment of intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) is regarded as a significant solution to improve road safety, transportation management, and energy efficiency. This study assessed the safety, traffic, environmental, and industrial economic benefits of ICV deployment in China under different scenarios. A bottom-up model was established to deal with these impacts within a unified framework, based on the existing theories and literature of ICVs&rsquo ; cost&ndash ; benefit analysis, as well as China&rsquo ; s most recent policies and statistics. The results indicate that the total benefits may reach 13.25 to 24.02 trillion renminbi (RMB) in 2050, while a cumulative benefit&ndash ; cost ratio of 1.15 to 3.06 suggests high cost-effectiveness. However, if the government and industry only focus on their own interests, the break-even point may be delayed by several years. Hence, an effective business model is necessary to enhance public&ndash ; private cooperation in ICV implementation. Meanwhile, the savings of travel time costs and fleet labor costs play an important part in all socioeconomic impacts. Therefore, the future design of ICVs should pay more attention to the utilization of in-vehicle time and the real substitution for human drivers.

The explosion of the vehicle market in China has caused a series of problems, like energy security, climate change, air pollution, etc. The deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) is considered an effective solution to address these problems. Thus, both the state and local governments in China have launched some policies and incentives to accelerate the development of EVs and the EV industry. Do EVs can effectively solve these problems in short term, viewed from the fleet point? Based on China&rsquo ; s most up-to-date deployment plan for EVs, this paper analyzes the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by China&rsquo ; s road transport sector in three different scenarios. The results indicate that, based on current planning, the energy consumption and GHG emissions of the whole fleet will peak in 2025 and 2027, at the level of around 403 mtoe (million tons of oil equivalent) and 1763 mt CO2 eq. (million tons of CO2 equivalent), respectively. The introduction of EVs will significantly reduce the reliance on fossil fuel in the long term, with increasing ownership, while, in the short term, the fuel economy regulation will still play a more important role. Policy makers should continually pay attention to this. Meanwhile, commercial vehicles, especially heavy-duty trucks will account for a bigger and bigger proportion in the energy consumption and GHG emissions of the whole fleet. Thus, to some extent the focus should shift from passenger vehicles to commercial vehicles. More measures could be implemented.

Abstract
Flying cars, essentially vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL), are an emerging, disruptive technology that is expected to reshape future transportation. VTOLs can be powered by battery electric, fuel cell, or internal combustion engine, which point to entirely different needs for industry expertise, research & development, supply chain, and infrastructure supports. A pre-analysis of the propulsion technology competition is crucial to avoid potential wrong directions of research, investment, and policy making efforts. In this study, we comprehensively examined the cost competitiveness of the three propulsion technologies. Here we show that battery electric has already become the lowest-cost option for below-200-km VTOL applications, covering intra-city and short-range inter-city travels. This cost advantage can be robustly strengthened in the long term under various technology development scenarios. Battery energy density improvement is the key to reducing cost. In particular, a 600 Wh/kg battery energy density provides battery electric with all-range cost advantage, and promises high return in business. Fuel cell and internal combustion engine, under certain technology development scenarios, can obtain cost advantage in long-range applications, but face intense competition from ground transportation such as high-speed rail. The findings suggest a battery-electric-prioritized VTOL development strategy, and the necessity of developing VTOL-customized high-energy-density batteries.