Environmental and Energy Impacts of Automated Electric Highway Systems

This article proposes a methodology that can be applied to evaluate the environmental and energy impacts of a de novo technology, the automated electric highway systems (AEHS). The authors used the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) program to estimate the impacts on emissions and energy use associated with a hypothetical implementation of this technology on the Interstate 70 corridor in Missouri during the period 2011-2040. The estimation results suggest that application of AEHS on the study corridor would decrease fossil fuel energy use by more than 25%, while emissions would decrease by up to 27%, depending on the pollutant being considered. A sensitivity analysis was also performed, in order to assess the impact of different demand estimates for the system; a 10% reduction in AEHS vehicle miles traveled would have an effect of 5% or less on the criteria of interest. This article represents one of the first attempts to quantify the environmental benefits of this widely discussed technology, and can serve as a guiding methodology for evaluation of upcoming intelligent transportation system technologies.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1080/15472450.2012.716651
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/15472450
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Taylor and Francis.
• Authors:
  • Lavrenz, Steven
  • Gkritza, Konstantina
• Publication Date: 2013-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 221-232
• Serial:
  • Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems
  • Volume: 17
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  • ISSN: 1547-2450
  • EISSN: 1547-2442
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gits20

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automated highway systems; Electric vehicles; Energy; Environmental impacts; Exhaust gases; Fossil fuels; Intelligent transportation systems; Methodology; Transportation corridors
• Identifier Terms: Interstate 70; Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Emissions modeling
• Geographic Terms: Missouri
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Energy; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01498942
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 21 2013 9:12AM