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Considerable effort is currently being focused on emerging vehicle automation technologies. Engineers are making great strides in improving safety and reliability, but they are also exploring how these new technologies can enhance energy efficiency. This study focuses on the changes in aerodynamic drag associated with coordinated driving scenarios, also known as “platooning.” To draw sound conclusions in simulation or experimental studies where vehicle speed and gaps are controlled and coordinated, it is necessary to have a robust quantitative understanding of the road load changes associated with each vehicle in the platoon. Many variables affect the drag of each vehicle, such as each gap length, vehicle type/size, vehicle order and number of vehicles in the platoon. The effect is generally understood, but there are limited supporting data in the literature from actual test vehicles driving in formation.

It is widely understood that cold ambient temperatures negatively impact vehicle system efficiency. This is due to a combination of factors: increased friction (engine oil, transmission, and driveline viscous effects), cold start enrichment, heat transfer, and air density variations. Although the science of quantifying steady-state vehicle component efficiency is mature, transient component efficiencies over dynamic ambient real-world conditions is less understood and quantified. This work characterizes wheel assembly efficiencies of a conventional and electric vehicle over a wide range of ambient conditions. For this work, the wheel assembly is defined as the tire side axle spline, spline housing, bearings, brakes, and tires. Dynamometer testing over hot and cold ambient temperatures was conducted with a conventional and electric vehicle instrumented to determine the output energy losses of the wheel assembly in proportion to the input energy of the half-shafts.

Cylinder liner rotation (Rotating Liner Engine, RLE) is a new concept for reducing piston assembly friction in the internal combustion engine. The purpose of the RLE is to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of boundary and mixed lubrication friction in the piston assembly (specifically, the rings and skirt). This paper reports the results of experiments to quantify the potential of the RLE. A 2.3 L GM Quad 4 SI engine was converted to single cylinder operation and modified for cylinder liner rotation. To allow examination of the effects of liner rotational speed, the rotating liner is driven by an electric motor. A torque cell in the motor output shaft is used to measure the torque required to rotate the liner. The hot motoring method was used to compare the friction loss between the baseline engine and the rotating liner engine. Additionally, hot motoring tear-down tests were used to measure the contribution of each engine component to the total friction torque.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began using an emulsified diesel fuel as an emissions control measure in July 2002. They initiated a study of the effectiveness of this fuel in comparison to conventional diesel fuel for TxDOT's Houston District operations and included the fleet operated by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) in the Houston area. Cost-effectiveness analyses, including the incremental cost per ton of NOx removed, were performed. NOx removal was the focus of this study because Houston is an ozone nonattainment area, and NOx is believed to be the limiting factor in ozone formation in the Houston area. The cost factors accounted for in the cost-effectiveness analyses included the incremental cost of the fuel (including an available rebate from the State of Texas), the cost of refueling more often, implementation costs, productivity costs, maintenance costs, and various costs associated with the tendency of the emulsion to separate.

Two limited-production hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) - a 1988 Japanese model Toyota Prius and a 2000 Honda Insight - were tested at Argonne National Laboratory to collect data from vehicle component and systems operation. The test data are used to analyze operation and efficiency and to help validate computer simulation models. Both HEVs have FTP fuel economy greater than 45 miles per gallon and also have attributes very similar to those of conventional gasoline vehicles, even though each HEV has a unique powertrain configuration and operation control strategy. The designs and characteristics of these vehicles are of interest because they represent production technology with all the compromises for production included. This paper will explore both designs, their control strategies, and under what conditions high fuel economy was achieved.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through Argonne National Laboratory sponsored and recorded energy data of electric vehicles (EVs) at five competitions in 1994. Each competition provided different test conditions (closed-track, on-road, and dynamometer). The data gathered at these competitions includes energy efficiency, range, acceleration, and vehicle characteristics. The results of the analysis show that the vehicles performed as expected. Some of the EVs were also tested on dynamometers and compared to gasoline vehicles, including production vehicles with advanced battery systems. Although the EVs performed well at these competitions, the results show that only the vehicles with advanced technologies perform as well or better than conventional gasoline vehicles.

This paper discusses the Formula SAE Student Engineering Design Competition that was held May 24-26, 1984. As was the case of previous student engineering design competitions, the purpose of the Formula SAE Competition is to enhance engineering education by requiring students to apply the technical knowledge gained in their coursework to a practical engineering design problem including choice of appropriate design criteria, design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation. For the Formula SAE Competition, the design problem chosen is to design, construct, and compete a low powered Formula type race car. The purpose of this paper is to describe the 1984 Formula SAE Competition and to present the results of this event. It is expected that this paper will serve as a guide to hosts of similar competitions and will aid future Formula SAE competitors.

This paper discusses the Formula SAE Student Engineering Design Competition that was held May 26-28, 1983. As was the case of previous student engineering design competitions, the purpose of the Formula SAE Competition is to enhance engineering education by requiring students to apply the technical knowledge gained in their coursework to a practical engineering design problem including choice of appropriate design criteria, design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation. For the Formula SAE Competition, the design problem chosen is to design, construct, and compete a low powered Formula type race car. The purpose of this paper is to describe the 1983 Formula SAE Competition and to present the results of this event. It is expected that this paper will serve as a guide to hosts of similar competitions and will aid future Formula SAE competitors.

This paper discusses the Formula SAE Student Engineering Design Competition that was held May 27–29, 1982. As was the case of previous student engineering design competitions, the purpose of the Formula SAE Competition is to enhance engineering education by requiring students to apply the technical knowledge gained in their coursework to a practical engineering design problem including choice of appropriate design criteria, design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation. For the Formula SAE Competition, the design problem chosen is to design, construct, and compete a low powered Indianapolis-type race car. The purpose of this paper is to describe the 1982 Formula SAE Competition and to present the results of this event. It is expected that this paper will serve as a guide to hosts of similar competitions and will aid future Formula SAE competitors.