Autogas Incentive Policies 2020

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Autogas Incentive Policies 2020 AUTOGAS INCENTIVE POLICIES A country-by-country analysis of why and how governments encourage Autogas and what works 2020 UPDATE AUTOGAS INCENTIVE POLICIES A country-by-country analysis of why and how governments encourage Autogas and what works 2020 UPDATE The World LPG Association (WLPGA) The WLPGA was established in 1987 in Dublin and unites the broad interests of the vast worldwide LPG industry in one organisation. It was granted Category II Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 1989. The WLPGA promotes the use of LPG to foster a safer, cleaner, healthier and more prosperous world. Liquid Gas Europe Liquid Gas Europe is the sole representative of the LPG industry at the European level, representing national LPG associations as well as distributors and equipment manufacturers from across Europe. Its mission is to engage with EU decision-makers and the wider policy community in order to optimise the contribution that LPG (and bioLPG) – as a cleaner and immediately available energy source – can make to meeting Europe's energy and environmental challenges. Acknowledgements This report was prepared by Mr. Trevor Morgan of Menecon Consulting. Ms. Filipa Rio, Sustainable Mobility Director at WLPGA and Liquid Gas Europe, was responsible for co-ordinating the project. Acknowledgement also goes out to the many representatives of the LPG industry in the countries surveyed in the report, who provided invaluable assistance. Argus Media provided the detailed Autogas demand, vehicle fleet and retail site data by country which was extracted from the 2020 edition of the Statistical Review of Global LPG. WLPGA/Liquid Gas Europe 2 Copyright © 2020 World LPG Association (WLPGA) and Liquid Gas Europe. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. All information in this report is verified to the best of the authors’ and publishers’ ability. They do not guarantee the accuracy of the data contained in the report and accept no responsibility for any consequence of their use. WLPGA/Liquid Gas Europe 3 AUTOGAS INCENTIVE POLICIES Contents Contents Contents 4 Glossary 7 Executive summary 8 Introduction 12 Objectives of the study 12 Approach and scope 12 Structure of this report 13 PART A: MAIN FINDINGS 14 1 The global Autogas market 15 1.1 Market trends 15 1.2 Drivers of Autogas use 18 1.2.1 Alternative automotive fuel policies 18 1.2.2 Environmental benefits of Autogas 19 1.2.3 Practical considerations 21 1.2.4 Cost factors 22 2 Government policies to promote alternative fuels 25 2.1 Principles of alternative-fuel policies 25 2.2 Typology of policies to promote alternative fuels 26 2.2.1 Financial incentives 26 2.2.2 Regulatory policies and measures 27 2.2.3 Other measures 28 3 International comparison of Autogas incentive policies 29 3.1 Fuel taxation and pricing 29 3.1.1 Comparative taxation of Autogas 29 3.1.2 Comparative pricing of Autogas 31 3.2 Autogas vehicle subsidies 34 3.3 Other incentives 35 4 Effectiveness of Autogas incentive policies 38 4.1 Autogas share of the automotive-fuel market 38 4.2 Comparative competitiveness of Autogas 39 4.3 Impact of Autogas competitiveness on automotive-fuel market penetration 41 4.4 Impact of non-financial incentives 43 5 Lessons for policy makers 45 5.1 The rationale for promoting Autogas 45 5.2 Critical success factors for Autogas market development 46 5.3 Formulating an effective Autogas strategy 47 PART B: COUNTRY SURVEYS 49 1 Australia 50 1.1 Autogas market trends 50 1.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 51 1.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 52 2 Bulgaria 54 2.1 Autogas market trends 54 2.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 55 2.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 55 3 Canada 57 3.1 Autogas market trends 57 3.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 57 3.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 58 WLPGA/Liquid Gas Europe 4 AUTOGAS INCENTIVE POLICIES Contents 4 China 60 4.1 Autogas market trends 60 4.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 60 4.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 62 5 Czech Republic 64 5.1 Autogas market trends 64 5.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 65 5.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 65 6 France 67 6.1 Autogas market trends 67 6.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 68 6.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 70 7 Germany 72 7.1 Autogas market trends 72 7.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 73 7.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 74 8 Greece 76 8.1 Autogas market trends 76 8.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 77 8.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 78 9 India 79 9.1 Autogas market trends 79 9.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 80 9.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 82 10 Italy 84 10.1 Autogas market trends 84 10.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 85 10.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 86 11 Japan 88 11.1 Autogas market trends 88 11.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 89 11.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 90 12 Korea 91 12.1 Autogas market trends 91 12.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 92 12.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 95 13 Lithuania 96 13.1 Autogas market trends 96 13.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 96 13.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 97 14 Mexico 99 14.1 Autogas market trends 99 14.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 100 14.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 101 15 Netherlands 103 15.1 Autogas market trends 103 15.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 104 15.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 105 16 Poland 106 16.1 Autogas market trends 106 16.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 107 16.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 108 17 Portugal 109 17.1 Autogas market trends 109 17.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 109 17.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 110 18 Russia 112 18.1 Autogas market trends 112 18.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 113 WLPGA/Liquid Gas Europe 5 AUTOGAS INCENTIVE POLICIES Contents 18.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 114 19 Serbia 115 19.1 Autogas market trends 115 19.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 116 19.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 116 20 Spain 118 20.1 Autogas market trends 118 20.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 119 20.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 120 21 Thailand 122 21.1 Autogas market trends 122 21.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 123 21.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 124 22 Turkey 126 22.1 Autogas market trends 126 22.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 127 22.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 128 23 Ukraine 130 23.1 Autogas market trends 130 23.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 131 23.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 131 24 United Kingdom 133 24.1 Autogas market trends 133 24.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 134 24.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 136 25 United States 137 25.1 Autogas market trends 137 25.2 Government Autogas incentive policies 138 25.2.1 Fuel-tax differentials 138 25.2.2 Federal clean-fuel incentive and programmes 140 25.2.3 State programmes 141 25.3 Competitiveness of Autogas against other fuels 142 Annex 1: Autogas market data 144 Annex 2: References 145 Annex 3: Note on data sources 146 WLPGA/Liquid Gas Europe 6 AUTOGAS INCENTIVE POLICIES Glossary Glossary AFV Alternative fuel vehicle CNG Compressed natural gas CO2 Carbon dioxide EV Electric vehicle HDV Heavy-duty vehicle LDV Light-duty vehicle LGE Liquid Gas Europe LNG Liquefied natural gas LPG Liquefied petroleum gas NGV Natural gas vehicle NOx Nitrogen oxides OEM Original equipment manufacturer PM Particulate matter SCC Social cost of carbon UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe VAT Value-added tax WLPGA World LPG Association WLPGA/Liquid Gas Europe 7 AUTOGAS INCENTIVE POLICIES Executive summary Executive summary Autogas – LPG used for transport – is the most common unblended alternative vehicle fuel in use in the world today. Global consumption of Autogas has increased steadily over the last two decades, reaching a new high of 27.1 million tonnes in 2019 – an increase of 1% over the previous year. The economic upheaval caused by the Covid-19 crisis is expected to result in a significant fall, albeit most likely a temporary one, in the consumption of Autogas alongside other transport fuels in 2020. The Autogas fleet continues to grow unabated: there are now almost 27.8 million Autogas vehicles in use around the world. Autogas use is still concentrated in a small number of markets: five countries – Turkey, Russia, Korea, Poland and Ukraine – together accounted for just under half of global Autogas consumption in 2019, while the 25 countries surveyed in this report accounted for 81%. The share of Autogas in total automotive-fuel consumption varies widely among those countries, ranging from a mere 0.03% in the United States to well over one-fifth in Ukraine. The enormous disparity in the success of Autogas in competing against the conventional automotive fuels, gasoline and diesel, is explained mainly by differences in government incentive policies. The primary reason why governments in many countries actively encourage the use of Autogas and other alternative fuels is the environment.
Recommended publications
  • Alternative Fuels, Vehicles & Technologies Feasibility
    ALTERNATIVE FUELS, VEHICLES & TECHNOLOGIES FEASIBILITY REPORT Prepared by Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Transportation (EP-ACT)With Technical Support provided by: Clean Fuels Ohio (CFO); & Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities (PRCC) Table of Contents Analysis Background: .................................................................................................................................... 3 1.0: Introduction – Fleet Feasibility Analysis: ............................................................................................... 3 2.0: Fleet Management Goals – Scope of Work & Criteria for Analysis: ...................................................... 4 Priority Review Criteria for Analysis: ........................................................................................................ 4 3.0: Key Performance Indicators – Existing Fleet Analysis ............................................................................ 5 4.0: Alternative Fuel Options – Summary Comparisons & Conclusions: ...................................................... 6 4.1: Detailed Propane Autogas Options Analysis: ......................................................................................... 7 Propane Station Estimate ......................................................................................................................... 8 (Station Capacity: 20,000 GGE/Year) ........................................................................................................ 8 5.0: Key Recommended Actions – Conclusion
    [Show full text]
  • Reducing Air Emissions Through Alternative Transportation Strategies
    Reducing Air Emissions Through Alternative Transportation Strategies New Jersey Clean Air Council Public Hearing April 8, 2014 Hearing Chair: Sara Bluhm Clean Air Council Chair: Joseph Constance Editor: Melinda Dower NJ CAC 2014 Hearing Report Page | 1 New Jersey Clean Air Council Members Joseph Constance, Chairman Kenneth Thoman,Vice-Chairman Leonard Bielory, M.D. Sara Bluhm Manuel Fuentes-Cotto, P.E. Michael Egenton Mohammad “Ferdows” Ali, Ph.D. Howard Geduldig, Esq. Toby Hanna, P.E. Robert Laumbach, M.D. Pam Mount Richard E. Opiekun, Ph.D. James Requa, Ed.D. Nicky Sheats, Esq., Ph.D. Joseph Spatola, Ph.D. New Jersey Clean Air Council Website http://www.state.nj.us/dep/cleanair NJ CAC 2014 Hearing Report Page | 2 Table of Contents Page I. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………… 4 II. OVERVIEW ……………………………………………………………………………. 4 III. RECOMMENDATIONS ……………………………………………………….……… 10 IV. SUMMARY OF TESTIMONY† ………………………………………………….…… 14 A. Jim Appleton ………………………………………………..……….…… 14 B. Daniel Birkett ………………………………………………………….… 14 C. Andy Swords ……………………………………….…………………... 14 D. Matt Solomon ……………………………………………………………. 15 E. Julie Becker …………………………………………………..……..…... 16 F. Robert Gibbs, Esq. ………………………………….………………..….. 16 G. William Wells ………………………………………..………………..…. 17 H. Mark Giuffre …………………………………………………………….. 17 I. Jane Kozinski, Asst. Commissioner, NJDEP ……………………………. 18 J. Chuck Feinberg …………………………………………………………. 19 K. Raymond Albrecht, P.E. …………………………………………………. 19 L. Nicky Sheats, Ph.D., Esq.………………………………………………… 20 M. John Iannarelli ……………………………………………………….….
    [Show full text]
  • Morgan Ellis Climate Policy Analyst and Clean Cities Coordinator DNREC [email protected] 302.739.9053
    CLEAN TRANSPORTATION IN DELAWARE WILMAPCO’S OUR TOWN CONFERENCE THE PRESENTATION 1) What are alterative fuels? 2) The Fuels 3) What’s Delaware Doing? WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVE FUELED VEHICLES? • “Vehicles that run on a fuel other than traditional petroleum fuels (i.e. gas and diesel)” • Propane • Natural Gas • Electricity • Biodiesel • Ethanol • Hydrogen THERE’S A FUEL FOR EVERY FLEET! DELAWARE’S ALTERNATIVE FUELS • “Vehicles that run on a fuel other than traditional petroleum fuels (i.e. gas and diesel)” • Propane • Natural Gas • Electricity • Biodiesel • Ethanol • Hydrogen THE FUELS PROPANE • By-Product of Natural Gas • Compressed at high pressure to liquefy • Domestic Fuel Source • Great for: • School Busses • Step Vans • Larger Vans • Mid-Sized Vehicles COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG) • Predominately Methane • Uses existing pipeline distribution system to deliver gas • Good for: • Heavy-Duty Trucks • Passenger cars • School Buses • Waste Management Trucks • DNREC trucks PROPANE AND CNG INFRASTRUCTURE • 8 Propane Autogas Stations • 1 CNG Station • Fleet and Public Access with accounts ELECTRIC VEHICLES • Electricity is considered an alternative fuel • Uses electricity from a power source and stores it in batteries • Two types: • Battery Electric • Plug-in Hybrid • Great for: • Passenger Vehicles EV INFRASTRUCTURE • 61 charging stations in Delaware • At 26 locations • 37,000 Charging Stations in the United States • Three types: • Level 1 • Level 2 • D.C. Fast Charging TYPES OF CHARGING STATIONS Charger Current Type Voltage (V) Charging Primary Use Time Level 1 Alternating 120 V 2 to 5 miles Current (AC) per hour of Residential charge Level 2 AC 240 V 10 to 20 miles Residential per hour of and charge Commercial DC Fast Direct Current 480 V 60 to 80 miles (DC) per 20 min.
    [Show full text]
  • Open PDF File, 176.5 KB, for 2018 Mass Clean Cities Annual Report
    2018 Transportation Technology Deployment Report: Massachusetts Clean Cities Expanded Edition March 2019 DRAFT The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Clean Cities program advances the nation's economic, environmental, and energy security by supporting local actions to reduce petroleum use in transportation. A national network of nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions brings together stakeholders in the public and private sectors to deploy alternative and renewable fuels, idle-reduction measures, fuel economy improvements, and new transportation technologies, as they emerge. Every year, each Clean Cities coalition submits to DOE an annual report of its activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. Coalition coordinators, who lead the local coalitions, provide information and data via an online database managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The data characterize membership, funding, projects, and activities of the coalitions. The coordinators also submit data on the sales of alternative fuels, deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, idle-reduction initiatives, fuel economy activities, and programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled. NREL and DOE analyze the data and translate them into petroleum-use and greenhouse gas reduction impacts for individual coalitions and the program as a whole. This report summarizes those impacts for Massachusetts Clean Cities. To view aggregated data for all local coalitions that participate in the Clean Cities program, visit cleancities.energy.gov/accomplishments.
    [Show full text]
  • Hybrid Electric Vehicles: a Review of Existing Configurations and Thermodynamic Cycles
    Review Hybrid Electric Vehicles: A Review of Existing Configurations and Thermodynamic Cycles Rogelio León , Christian Montaleza , José Luis Maldonado , Marcos Tostado-Véliz * and Francisco Jurado Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Jaén, EPS Linares, 23700 Jaén, Spain; [email protected] (R.L.); [email protected] (C.M.); [email protected] (J.L.M.); [email protected] (F.J.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +34-953-648580 Abstract: The mobility industry has experienced a fast evolution towards electric-based transport in recent years. Recently, hybrid electric vehicles, which combine electric and conventional combustion systems, have become the most popular alternative by far. This is due to longer autonomy and more extended refueling networks in comparison with the recharging points system, which is still quite limited in some countries. This paper aims to conduct a literature review on thermodynamic models of heat engines used in hybrid electric vehicles and their respective configurations for series, parallel and mixed powertrain. It will discuss the most important models of thermal energy in combustion engines such as the Otto, Atkinson and Miller cycles which are widely used in commercial hybrid electric vehicle models. In short, this work aims at serving as an illustrative but descriptive document, which may be valuable for multiple research and academic purposes. Keywords: hybrid electric vehicle; ignition engines; thermodynamic models; autonomy; hybrid configuration series-parallel-mixed; hybridization; micro-hybrid; mild-hybrid; full-hybrid Citation: León, R.; Montaleza, C.; Maldonado, J.L.; Tostado-Véliz, M.; Jurado, F. Hybrid Electric Vehicles: A Review of Existing Configurations 1. Introduction and Thermodynamic Cycles.
    [Show full text]
  • ICOM North American LLC Comments
    DOCKETED Docket 16-ALT-02 Number: Project Title: 2017-2018 Investment Plan Update for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program TN #: 214418 Document Title: ICOM North American LLC Comments: alt-fuel near zero engines and alt- fuel hybrids Description: N/A Filer: System Organization: ICOM North American LLC Submitter Role: Public Submission 11/7/2016 4:47:41 PM Date: Docketed Date: 11/7/2016 Comment Received From: jon vanbogart Submitted On: 11/7/2016 Docket Number: 16-ALT-02 alt-fuel near zero engines and alt-fuel hybrids Additional submitted attachment is included below. November 7, 2016 California Energy Commission 1516 Ninth Street Sacramento, CA 95814 Re: Comments on the 2017-2018 Investment Plan Update for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program Dear California Energy Commissioners and Staff, ICOM North America LLC values the opportunity to provide comments on the 2017-2018 Investment Plan Update for the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP). While we support the Energy Commission goals and investment in advanced transportation technologies to advance petroleum reduction goals and reduce emission for the State’s climate change initiatives. Near Zero – Lower NOx Engines and Alternative Fuel Hybrid Technology ICOM has provided sustainable fleets solutions for Propane-Autogas since 2004 with over 150 EPA certification covering more than 1000 vehicle platforms. As part of our 2017 strategy and beyond, ICOM will be offering CARB Certified Near Zero - Lower NOx engine technology for both Propane-AutoGas and CNG at or near the 0.02 NOx level for vehicle platforms above 14001 GVWR for both the Ford 6.8L and GM 6.0L engines.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hybrid Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Report September 30, 2016
    ISSN 1946-1011 The Hybrid Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Report September 30, 2016 The fine print: This report is a summary of articles appearing in popular, business, and technical media referring to the impact of fuel costs and fuel efficiency on vehicle technology, development, and markets. At the end of the report is a list of all articles summarized, with hyperlinks to internet sources where available. Some articles may require free registration or paid subscriptions to access. The Hybrid Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Report (ISSN: 1946-1011) is compiled, written, and edited by Thomas L. R. Smith, Ph. D. (hereinafter referred to as “The Editor”), Economic Analysis Branch of the Budget and Financial Analysis Division, Washington State Department of Transportation. Contact The Hybrid Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Report’s editor at [email protected] or (360) 705-7941. Contributions of news items, original articles, cookies, and positive comments about The Report are welcome. TABLE OF CONTENTS HYBRIDS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 ELECTRIC VEHICLES ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 ALTERNATIVE FUELS ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 COMING TO A LOCATION NEAR YOU
    [Show full text]
  • EPRI Journal--Driving the Solution: the Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle
    DRIVING THE SOLUTION THE PLUG-IN HYBRID VEHICLE by Lucy Sanna The Story in Brief As automakers gear up to satisfy a growing market for fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicles, the next- generation hybrid is already cruis- ing city streets, and it can literally run on empty. The plug-in hybrid charges directly from the electricity grid, but unlike its electric vehicle brethren, it sports a liquid fuel tank for unlimited driving range. The technology is here, the electricity infrastructure is in place, and the plug-in hybrid offers a key to replacing foreign oil with domestic resources for energy indepen- dence, reduced CO2 emissions, and lower fuel costs. DRIVING THE SOLUTION THE PLUG-IN HYBRID VEHICLE by Lucy Sanna n November 2005, the first few proto­ vide a variety of battery options tailored 2004, more than half of which came from Itype plug­in hybrid electric vehicles to specific applications—vehicles that can imports. (PHEVs) will roll onto the streets of New run 20, 30, or even more electric miles.” With growing global demand, particu­ York City, Kansas City, and Los Angeles Until recently, however, even those larly from China and India, the price of a to demonstrate plug­in hybrid technology automakers engaged in conventional barrel of oil is climbing at an unprece­ in varied environments. Like hybrid vehi­ hybrid technology have been reluctant to dented rate. The added cost and vulnera­ cles on the market today, the plug­in embrace the PHEV, despite growing rec­ bility of relying on a strategic energy hybrid uses battery power to supplement ognition of the vehicle’s potential.
    [Show full text]
  • A Two-Point Vehicle Classification System
    178 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH RECORD 1215 A Two-Point Vehicle Classification System BERNARD C. McCULLOUGH, JR., SrAMAK A. ARDEKANI, AND LI-REN HUANG The counting and classification of vehicles is an important part hours required, however, the cost of such a count was often of transportation engineering. In the past 20 years many auto­ high. To offset such costs, many techniques for the automatic mated systems have been developed to accomplish that labor­ counting, length determination, and classification of vehicles intensive task. Unfortunately, most of those systems are char­ have been developed within the past decade. One popular acterized by inaccurate detection systems and/or classification method, especially in Europe, is the Automatic Length Indi­ methods that result in many classification errors, thus limiting cation and Classification Equipment method, known as the accuracy of the system. This report describes the devel­ "ALICE," which was introduced by D. D. Nash in 1976 (1). opment of a new vehicle classification database and computer This report covers a simpler, more accurate system of vehicle program, originally designed for use in the Two-Point-Time­ counting and classification and details the development of the Ratio method of vehicle classification, which greatly improves classification software that will enable it to surpass previous the accuracy of automated classification systems. The program utilizes information provided by either vehicle detection sen­ systems in accuracy. sors or the program user to determine the velocity, number Although many articles on vehicle classification methods of axles, and axle spacings of a passing vehicle. It then matches have appeared in transportation journals within the past dec­ the axle numbers and spacings with one of thirty-one possible ade, most have dealt solely with new types, or applications, vehicle classifications and prints the vehicle class, speed, and of vehicle detection systems.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of Range Extenders in Battery Electric Vehicles: Current Progress and Future Perspectives
    Review A Review of Range Extenders in Battery Electric Vehicles: Current Progress and Future Perspectives Manh-Kien Tran 1,* , Asad Bhatti 2, Reid Vrolyk 1, Derek Wong 1 , Satyam Panchal 2 , Michael Fowler 1 and Roydon Fraser 2 1 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1, Canada; [email protected] (R.V.); [email protected] (D.W.); [email protected] (M.F.) 2 Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1, Canada; [email protected] (A.B.); [email protected] (S.P.); [email protected] (R.F.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-519-880-6108 Abstract: Emissions from the transportation sector are significant contributors to climate change and health problems because of the common use of gasoline vehicles. Countries in the world are attempting to transition away from gasoline vehicles and to electric vehicles (EVs), in order to reduce emissions. However, there are several practical limitations with EVs, one of which is the “range anxiety” issue, due to the lack of charging infrastructure, the high cost of long-ranged EVs, and the limited range of affordable EVs. One potential solution to the range anxiety problem is the use of range extenders, to extend the driving range of EVs while optimizing the costs and performance of the vehicles. This paper provides a comprehensive review of different types of EV range extending technologies, including internal combustion engines, free-piston linear generators, fuel cells, micro Citation: Tran, M.-K.; Bhatti, A.; gas turbines, and zinc-air batteries, outlining their definitions, working mechanisms, and some recent Vrolyk, R.; Wong, D.; Panchal, S.; Fowler, M.; Fraser, R.
    [Show full text]
  • Revisiting the Compcars Dataset for Hierarchical Car Classification
    sensors Article Revisiting the CompCars Dataset for Hierarchical Car Classification: New Annotations, Experiments, and Results Marco Buzzelli * and Luca Segantin Department of Informatics Systems and Communication, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: We address the task of classifying car images at multiple levels of detail, ranging from the top-level car type, down to the specific car make, model, and year. We analyze existing datasets for car classification, and identify the CompCars as an excellent starting point for our task. We show that convolutional neural networks achieve an accuracy above 90% on the finest-level classification task. This high performance, however, is scarcely representative of real-world situations, as it is evaluated on a biased training/test split. In this work, we revisit the CompCars dataset by first defining a new training/test split, which better represents real-world scenarios by setting a more realistic baseline at 61% accuracy on the new test set. We also propagate the existing (but limited) type-level annotation to the entire dataset, and we finally provide a car-tight bounding box for each image, automatically defined through an ad hoc car detector. To evaluate this revisited dataset, we design and implement three different approaches to car classification, two of which exploit the hierarchical nature of car annotations. Our experiments show that higher-level classification in terms of car type positively impacts classification at a finer grain, now reaching 70% accuracy. The achieved performance constitutes a baseline benchmark for future research, and our enriched set of annotations is made available for public download.
    [Show full text]
  • Modelling of Emissions and Energy Use from Biofuel Fuelled Vehicles at Urban Scale
    sustainability Article Modelling of Emissions and Energy Use from Biofuel Fuelled Vehicles at Urban Scale Daniela Dias, António Pais Antunes and Oxana Tchepel * CITTA, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, Polo II, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal; [email protected] (D.D.); [email protected] (A.P.A.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 29 March 2019; Accepted: 13 May 2019; Published: 22 May 2019 Abstract: Biofuels have been considered to be sustainable energy source and one of the major alternatives to petroleum-based road transport fuels due to a reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. However, their effects on urban air pollution are not straightforward. The main objective of this work is to estimate the emissions and energy use from bio-fuelled vehicles by using an integrated and flexible modelling approach at the urban scale in order to contribute to the understanding of introducing biofuels as an alternative transport fuel. For this purpose, the new Traffic Emission and Energy Consumption Model (QTraffic) was applied for complex urban road network when considering two biofuels demand scenarios with different blends of bioethanol and biodiesel in comparison to the reference situation over the city of Coimbra (Portugal). The results of this study indicate that the increase of biofuels blends would have a beneficial effect on particulate matter (PM ) emissions reduction for the entire road network ( 3.1% [ 3.8% to 2.1%] by kg). In contrast, 2.5 − − − an overall negative effect on nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions at urban scale is expected, mainly due to the increase in bioethanol uptake. Moreover, the results indicate that, while there is no noticeable variation observed in energy use, fuel consumption is increased by over 2.4% due to the introduction of the selected biofuels blends.
    [Show full text]