The Evolution of Sustainable Personal Vehicles
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The Evolution of Sustainable Personal Vehicles By BRYAN DALE JUNGERS B.S. (Humboldt State University) 2004 THESIS Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Civil and Environmental Engineering in the OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS Approved: _________________________________(Chair) _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Committee in Charge 2009 - i - Abstract Through mechanisms of industrial globalization, modern societies are moving ever closer to capitalist ideals, emphasizing consumer choice and free competitive markets. Despite these ideals, relatively few choices currently exist for the typical personal vehicle consumer with respect to powertrain technology, fuel selection, and vehicle weight/size. This lack of market diversity is often blamed on the auto industry, the energy industry, the ignorant or fickle consumer, and/or the lack of long-term government support and financing of alternative technologies. Though each of these factors has certainly played a part in maintaining the status quo of a perpetually stagnant personal vehicle market, I will argue here that the existing problems associated with personal vehicles will be addressed most effectively by the fundamental reorientation of personal & institutional values. Such evolutionary shifts in perspective should be applied broadly by designers, engineers, business leaders, and government officials. I have explored several fundamental value shifts toward the evolution of sustainable personal vehicles. The personal vehicle serves as an apt metaphor for both the freedoms and follies of modern experience. By way of modeled examples, I define and evaluate the qualities of a sustainable personal vehicle and its infrastructure. Many of these concepts should also be applicable for other segments of the industrialized World. In no particular order, the following list summarizes potential value shifts. 1. Using rules of ecology to govern the cost-benefit trade offs between economic and social needs. 2. Designing new systems with eco-efficient use of resources and in harmony with living systems. 3. Eliminating the need for end-of-tailpipe regulation through eco-effective design & engineering. 4. Measuring system performance as achievement of steady-state sufficiency, not limitless growth. 5. Measuring energy/work efficiency based on total benefits to humans and local environments. 6. Working as individuals within cooperative communities to share knowledge and skills globally. 7. Slowing industry to a pace that enables the discovery of appropriate questions & solutions. - ii - “What is necessary to keep providing good care to nature has completely fallen into ignorance during the materialism era.” - Rudolf Steiner “Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.” - R. Buckminster Fuller “People are not machines, but in all situations where they are given the opportunity, they will act like machines.” - Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy “I am life wanting to live with life that wants to live.” - Albert Schweitzer “...[Today's scientists] wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.” - Nikola Tesla “We must learn to love the children of all species, for all time.” - William McDonough “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” - Albert Einstein - iii - Acknowledgments and Dedications All of my love and sincere appreciation go to my family, friends, and colleagues. My life has been sufficiently enriched by your support and dedication. I would like to also sincerely thank Andy Burke, Deb Niemeier, Dan Sperling, Joan Ogden, and Andy Frank for their guidance, mentorship, and support of my work. I owe them each a great debt of gratitude and mountains of respect. In general, this thesis is dedicated to all of the ordinary citizens who are striving to live by an ethic that knowledge and power are more valuable to humanity as shared resources than as privately held commodities. There is only one type of people in this World, and we are it. In particular, I dedicate this thesis to my father, a man driven to the outer edges of sanity by his perceptions of an unjust society. May he one day find peace, be it in this life or the next. - iv - Nomenclature AC- alternating current AER- all-electric (driving) range AFV- alternatively fueled vehicle AH- ampere hour AT- appropriate technology BAU- business as usual BEV- battery electric vehicle BMS- battery management/monitoring system C2C- cradle to cradle CARB- California Air Resources Board CEV- city electric vehicle CO2e- equivalent carbon dioxide emissions CPE- criteria pollutant emissions DC- direct current DSM- demand-side management EESD- electrochemical energy storage device (e.g. battery) EM- electric motor/machine ERI- externally replenishing ions EV- electric vehicle EV1- electric vehicle one (by GM) FCEV- fuel cell electric vehicle FCHEV- fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle GHG- greenhouse gases GUI- graphic user interface HEV- hybrid electric vehicle ICE- internal combustion engine ICV- internal combustion vehicle IP- intellectual property IRI- internally replenishing ions kWh- kilowatt hour L- liter Li-Ion- lithium-ion (batteries) NEV- neighborhood electric vehicle NGO- non-governmental organization (i.e. non-profit) NiMH- nickel metal hydride (batteries) OEM- original equipment manufacturer OS- open source PEM- proton exchange membrane PHEV- plug-in hybrid electric vehicle PSAT- powertrain systems analysis toolkit PZEV- partial-zero emissions vehicle RD&D- research, development, and demonstration RFG- reformulated gasoline SOC- (battery) state of charge SOHO- self-organizing hierarchical open (system) SULEV- super ultra-low emissions vehicle ULEV- ultra-low emissions vehicle WKTEC?- Who Killed the Electric Car? (movie) ZEV- zero emissions vehicle - v - Table of Contents Abstract..................................................................................................................................2 Chapter 1. Introduction & Motivation...................................................................................1 Personal Motivators......................................................................................................1 Problem Context...........................................................................................................4 Thesis Structure............................................................................................................8 Chapter 2. Re-Valuing Sustainable Personal Vehicles...........................................................9 Introduction..................................................................................................................9 Alternatively Fueled Vehicles.....................................................................................10 Competition, Cooperation, & Community.................................................................12 Real & Perceived Needs.............................................................................................16 A History of Failure: Vehicle Concepts, Prototypes, and Start-Ups...........................17 The Scottish-Made Car (~ 1832)..............................................................................17 Porsche Makes Hybrids (~ 1900).............................................................................17 Veggie Diesels (1893)..............................................................................................18 Bucky's Blimps (1933).............................................................................................18 Tucker: A Man and his Nightmare (1948)................................................................19 A Plethora of Prototypes...........................................................................................19 The Car that Couldn't (1996)....................................................................................20 Hubris Motors: The Moxie to Try Again..................................................................21 Ecological Product Design and Consumer Value.........................................................22 Biomimicry Within Industrial Ecosystems..............................................................24 Chapter 3. Sustainability & Related Metrics.........................................................................26 Introduction..................................................................................................................26 Whole Systems Thinking.............................................................................................26 Sustainability: A Perennial Philosophy?.......................................................................29 Perceptions of Scarcity & Abundance..........................................................................35 Measuring Sustainability..............................................................................................37 Indicators of Eco-Effective Industrial Design..............................................................38 Chapter 4. Sustainable Energy, Fuel, & Vehicle Technologies..............................................41 Introduction..................................................................................................................41