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The research covers four areas: (a) the mobility enterprise concept, where consumer acceptance of a restricted use urban car is being tested, as a second car and in conjunction with access to a time-shared fleet of “touring” cars; (b) determination of performance and capacity specifications of such an urban car, using an on-board data acquisition system; (c) the definition of such an urban car, with special attention to crashworthiness/crash avoidance trade-offs; and (d) the use of an urban mini/micro van for general delivery and transport of the elderly and handicapped. ...The research covers four areas: (a) the mobility enterprise concept, where consumer acceptance of a restricted use urban car is being tested, as a second car and in conjunction with access to a time-shared fleet of “touring” cars; (b) determination of performance and capacity specifications of such an urban car, using an on-board data acquisition system; (c) the definition of such an urban car, with special attention to crashworthiness/crash avoidance trade-offs; and (d) the use of an urban mini/micro van for general delivery and transport of the elderly and handicapped. ...The research covers four areas: (a) the mobility enterprise concept, where consumer acceptance of a restricted use urban car is being tested, as a second car and in conjunction with access to a time-shared fleet of “touring” cars; (b) determination of performance and capacity specifications of such an urban car, using an on-board data acquisition system; (c) the definition of such an urban car, with special attention to crashworthiness/crash avoidance trade-offs; and (d) the use of an urban mini/micro van for general delivery and transport of the elderly and handicapped.

Furnishing transit service to smaller urban communities in a way that is workable physically and economically is the main point of discussion in this paper. ...The important issues relating to public transportation in small urban areas include financing, community service, institutional considerations, and image. Finding the best system for each respective community is the relevant problem, the systems must be planned to enable each community to grow and prosper.

This paper covers forces of change in urban transport development-sources of financing, institutional arrangements and their impact on decisionmaking; also discussed is urban transportation technology-options for the future, and transit implementation projects in cities. ...This paper covers forces of change in urban transport development-sources of financing, institutional arrangements and their impact on decisionmaking; also discussed is urban transportation technology-options for the future, and transit implementation projects in cities.

The impact of any transit system on the urban environment is related to two areas-one, the metropolitan area; the other, along the routes near the transit stations. ...Finally, to have a really improved urban environment, we must consider our social institutions. We must pull together our many programs into one effective program for rebuilding and managing our cities.

At the Institute of Internal Combustion Engines of the Technical University of Munich a drivetrain concept for urban and commuter traffic is under development. It is based on a lean-burn air-cooled two-cylinder natural gas engine which is combined with a hydraulic hybrid system.

The design of a small electric bus powered by batteries is underway at the Instituto de Ingeniería of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IIUNAM). It is intended that this vehicle, which will be capable of transporting 30 persons, eventually replace many of the gasoline powered “microbuses”, presently operating in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA), where very high atmospheric pollution levels are present. The first prototype will be field tested in a 5 km loop of the University Campus. The bus will have a specially designed body featuring an aluminum structure and honeycomb sandwich paneling.

This study applies the methodology developed for two earlier evaluations of diesel particulate controls to urban buses. Since these vehicles are used almost exclusively in urban areas where population is most dense, the analysis indicates the net benefits of control are very high.

On-road testing of driving performance of the urban bus was carried out, and a representative urban bus driving cycle was developed after on-road testing, according to the test results. ...Then, the vehicle simulation software AVL CRUISE was used to simulate the dynamic behavior of the urban bus. It involves the simulation of complete drive train system and the driver behavior. The model is validated by comparing the results of the simulation to the results of the field test.

With economic development and the increasing number of vehicles in cities, urban transport systems have become an important issue in urban development. Efficient traffic signal control is a key part of achieving intelligent transport. ...In this paper, we investigate the agent-based reinforcement learning approach for the intelligent control of ramp entrances and exits of urban arterial roads, and propose the Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) algorithm for traffic signal control.

The research is focused in two topic areas in what was proposed as the first year of funding: mobility of the aged and handicapped, and facilitation of urban goods movement. Research objectives, current status, and directions are discussed.

To reduce carbon emissions and mitigate traffic congestion in urban environments, new innovative transportation concepts are required. While public transportation covers certain segments, it cannot supply all possible routes, use cases, and preferences and hence, other solutions are needed as well. ...While public transportation covers certain segments, it cannot supply all possible routes, use cases, and preferences and hence, other solutions are needed as well. Urban drive missions are not typically calling for huge powers or even large energy capacities. ...Lastly, since small urban vehicles are considered unsafe, improving the safety and general confidence on small vehicles is vital for the market penetration.

This activity is part of the HBUS Project, whose goal is the realization of a midi-bus for public transportation in urban areas based on fuel cell technology. This Project involves several private and public partners, comprising Istituto Motori as research institution, I2T3 (Industrial Innovation Through Technological Transfer) agency for technological innovation and project management, together with public transportation companies and vehicle component makers.

For the 6th generation of Deep Orange, the goal was to develop an urban utility/activity vehicle for the year 2020. The objective of this paper is to describe the development of a multimaterial lightweight Body-in-White (BiW) structure to support an all-electric powertrain combined with an interior package that maximizes volume to enable a variety of interior configurations and activities for Generation Z users.

Abstract In the last decades we have witnessed an increasing number of military operations in urban environments. Complex urban operations require high standards of training, equipment, and personnel. ...This article describes the method for developing a concept for an urban operations vehicle by characterization of the urban environment, deduction of key issues, evaluation of related prototyping, science fiction story-typing of the requirements for such a vehicle, and comparison with field-proven and scalable solutions.

The initial focus was on new light duty vehicles with a gradual shift to heavy trucks and in-use urban buses. This latest study continues to focus on in-use urban buses with particular emphasis on the costs and benefits of converting these vehicles to methanol rather than diesel fuel.

In areas of bus stops and roofed installations, such as bus stations, there are high values of disturbing noise emissions induced by urban bus traffic. Concerning this matter, hybrid urban buses are able to offer promising solutions for an effective noise emissions reduction. ...As a result, according to the European ambient noise directive 2002/49/EG, noise pollution of inner-city areas, in particular congested urban areas, is a major issue of the future European policy. In areas of bus stops and roofed installations, such as bus stations, there are high values of disturbing noise emissions induced by urban bus traffic. ...The project is aiming to design and develop a highly sophisticated serial-hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system for urban bus applications. Besides fuel consumption reduction and lower CO2 emissions, the development and implementation of innovative solutions for an effective noise emissions reduction and also enhanced passenger comfort are major NVH-related tasks of this project.

In the face of growing concerns about environmental sustainability and urban congestion, the integration of eco-driving strategies has emerged as a pivotal solution in the field of the urban transportation sector. ...In the face of growing concerns about environmental sustainability and urban congestion, the integration of eco-driving strategies has emerged as a pivotal solution in the field of the urban transportation sector. This study explores the potential benefits of a CAV functioning as a virtual eco-driving controller in an urban traffic scenario with a group of following human-driven vehicles. ...This study explores the potential benefits of a CAV functioning as a virtual eco-driving controller in an urban traffic scenario with a group of following human-driven vehicles. A computationally inexpensive and realistic powertrain model and energy management system of the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV are developed with the field experiment data and integrated into a forward-looking vehicle simulator to implement and validate an eco-driving speed planning and energy management strategy assuming longitudinal automation.

This latest study considers in-use urban buses and explores the relative costs and benefits of three alternative control strategies - retrofit of trap oxidizers, introduction of inspection and maintenance and conversion to methanol fuel.

This paper presents a modeling methodology for a vehicle deceleration load curve (coast down) prediction and simulations of coast down variations impact on urban and highway autonomies. Two coast down curve mathematical models were successfully developed and validated. ...A simulator of urban and highway autonomies as coast down load functions was successfully implemented. Their results presented differences of up to 1% compared to the experiments.

For the 6th generation of Deep Orange, the goal was to develop an urban utility/activity vehicle for the year 2020. The objective of this paper is to explain the interior concept that offers a flexible interior utility/activity space for Generation Z (Gen Z) users. ...The paper discusses the occupant packaging, seating, personalization and customization of the interior, power supply, infotainment, color selection, and interior lighting concepts which provide novel ways to support users in urban environments.