rfr · GS0WRFR1 · 2005-01-01 00:00:00 — Program for Vehicles with Electric and Hybrid Propulsion, 1993 2000113 This research, development, and demonstration program for vehicles run on electric or hybrid power had a budget of 13 million and was led and funded by precursor, the KFB. Vehicles powered by electricity were used particularly in three conurbations. The KFB deployed fleets of more than 250 demonstration vehicles in , , and , including several hundred electric and hybrid vehicles (cars, vans, buses, and trucks) in the public and private sector. The recharging, sales, and service infrastructure was built up. The vehicles, infrastructure, and experiences of the users were 111Interview with and at , , , 1April 2003, with representing and , project manager, . 112CDU brochure, , , . 113Kommunikationsforskningsberedningen (KFB) Report (2000), p. 27 (see . 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT Most of the results are stored in a national databank at , . The study involved three additional ones. The first tackled the question about the future global development of electric and hybrid vehicles and centers on markets and technologies. The second investigation delved into the socioeconomic costs and benefits of introducing electric and hybrid vehicles on a large scale. The third was on program analysis with an eye to generating proposals for action that could be taken by political decision-makers. Because the program has been completed, the outcomes of the research and the field test are available: (a) A vast amount of technical data and the experiences of the users were analyzed. (b) It is assumed that nearly all major car manufacturers want to develop and build electric and hybrid vehicles, so this technology is thought to have an important pioneering role within the transport system. (c) Battery-powered electric vehicles could be replaced by advanced hybrid fuel-cell vehicles. (d) To facilitate the introduction of electric technologies, researchers must first clarify infrastructural standards and safety questions. Except for a few market niches, the market for electric and hybrid vehicles is still in its infancy. Half of the six hundred vehicles of these types operating in are used by public administrations and utility companies, with private companies of all sizes accounting for the rest. The prices of electric and hybrid vehicles plummeted during the program, but in most cases they remained higher than their gasoline-powered counterparts. The public sector plays a definite role in the development of electric propulsion technologies partly because the currently underdeveloped supply and service infrastructure for electric vehicles makes it easier to manage them in fleets. It would be possible to use battery-powered electric vehicles as city cars and small vans. Other intriguing results showed that the energy consumption of the vehicles varied dramatically, usually because of differences in driving styles. The participants had to practice how to handle electric and hybrid vehicles. The drivers were open to using them for work but had reservations about driving them privately, feeling that they were not proper cars. The Swedish government commits massive sums to the R&D of technologies relating to road vehicles. To defend the strong international position of the countrys national transport sector and the automobile companies in the competition for markets and , it supports engine development, emission research, alternative power systems and fuels, information technologies within vehicles and the general transport setting, and the safety aspects of person-machine-road interfaces. These areas enjoy far greater investment than do the railroads and public transport. But even in these two latter fields, research gravitates toward technological and logistical innovation and the issues of competitiveness and safety. Another area of concentration is the maintenance and repair of the STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT 2004/05:RFR1 technical infrastructure as the basis for ensuring the viability and modernization of the entire transport system. at Universities and Other Institutions of Higher Learning Most of the research in is conducted at the countrys 14 universities, comprising 300,000 students and 40 university institutes. Government research funds are granted to the universities and institutes either directly or indirectly by research advisory boards. Important institutions for transport research are , ; , ; , , and Park; , ; and private and state institutes specialized in this area of inquiry. In addition to the universities, there are private offices working on transport research. They employ the university graduates and submit project applications to the research-funding institutions. Training in transport research at Swedish universities is of a very practical nature. The students in complete their fourto five-year course of study with a Ph.D.114 The degree requires, among other things, that these doctoral candidates work on commissioned projects, usually as employees of the university. They thereby gain a sound sense of later occupational practice and learn to work in a problem-centered, realistic . They spend 40 percent of their time on academics and 60 percent on research and subsequently enter a ready labor market. projects, such as those at , , are conducted at the request of public authorities. This arrangement affords information for the project while also opening doors. The students can use their knowledge in seminars. About 10 percent of the graduates remain at the university. Most of the doctoral candidates later work for consulting firms. For lack of funds, no Ph.D. projects in transport and siting analysis are underway at , Stockholm.115 This hiatus stems from the aforementioned changes in the conditions governing basic research. , , has interdisciplinary teams bringing together the disciplines of , geography, architecture, and sociology for research on transport, infrastructure, and planning. 114Interview with Professor , 31 2003, . 115Interview with Professor , 31 2004, . 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT sive department of infrastructure is divided into three main groups: city planning, transport, and logistics; systems analysis; and economics.116 The work addresses the academic research community, , and . One area of accentuation is the development of analytical tools and models for the future of transport. Topics include the regulation of landscape consumption for meeting transport demand; costbenefit analyses of investments, fees, and prices in the public transport sector and on the road; recognition of critical interfaces in local public transport; and the use of geographic information systems, design of routes and roads, and ITS. The availability of scientific tools facilitates the analysis and improvement of measures for creating a sound framework within which to work with facts instead of wishful thinking. , , communicates with reference groups so that project development includes input from researchers and users of researchmany of whom are employees of planning offices and public authorities. , , transport management and freight transport are the focus of problem-centered research, including Ph.D. dissertations, on combined road and rail freight transport and its costs, the development of small load units for road haulage, combined passenger and freight transport, systems design, market potential, the envi- ronment, and the development and analysis of tools for assessing quality and cost.117 Combined road and rail transport and its marketing are a key field of interest at this institution. Another area of attention is the development of efficient and environmentally friendly distribution scenarios for the transport of goods after purchase over the Internet. Studies also probe ways for cities to attract companies and the potential that towns have for jointly operating interregional logistics centers. Further research topics are the postderegulatory change in the railroads cost structures, competition in freight transport, and transport chains. , , and Park Research in the Crash Safety Division at , Gothenburg118 is primarily on safety within the automobile in the event of an accident. Mechanical, mathematical, biological, and approaches are 117Interview with Professor , , , , , . 118Interview with Professor , , , , Crash Safety Division, , . STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT 2004/05:RFR1 used to study the effects that high impacts have on humans. An important area is the examination of restraint systems in cooperation with behavioral researchers and specialists. Neck and brain injuries are of particular importance. also conducts basic research to broaden understanding of the biomechanics of children, a mostly unexplored topic. is known about when they break. For example, research has revealed that car seats for children 9 months and older are often positioned incorrectly. It is argued that these passengers as well as bigger children should sit with their backs to the direction in which the vehicle is traveling. The fact that children today are larger than children were twenty years ago is reported to have implications for the kinds of seats used. The seated position of adults, too, poses a serious risk in the event of an accident. Research in the Crash Safety Division therefore looks into ways of bringing passengers to adopt proper posture when sitting. The side-mounted air bag was developed at , , in cooperation with (a worldwide American- Swedish company for safety technology). The basis for the headrest, which moves in the event of an accident, was developed with and . Older persons and children are the central research fields of the future. Demographic studies show that more and more older persons drive. Because current airbags injure older persons more than younger ones, there is a need for restraint systems that are more intelligent than present ones. Older persons have a higher number of accidents with cars coming from the left than from other directions. Systems for indicating these risks are being developed. Researchers in the Crash Safety Division have noted that many interior systems function very well with test drivers but that the modern systems and driving behavior fit poorly with ordinary drivers. Intelligent transport is the subject of investigation at the Park,119 where traffic information services, reliable information, and the clarification of funding are regarded as topics of the future. Technology, behavior, and safety have been areas of research at , ,120 for twenty-five years. Half of the research is funded by the university; half by . works in interdisciplinary teams consisting of engineers, psychologists, sociologists, and economists. Causal research, partly on accidents, is a sweeping field of work. In applied research on users, interviews and experiments are tools in the study of how to 119Interview with , Park, , . 120Interview with , , , Traffic , , . 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT design public transport and the environment with older persons, people with disabilities, and children in mind. The value of an accident victims life is calculated. All material costs arising from the loss of a human life, and even the loss of time caused by traffic jams, is expressed in monetary terms. The research results at , , find practical use in the local public transport system. In , kneeling buses are used, and approximately ninety traffic circles are under construction. Coping with bicyclists in traffic circles is still an unsolved problem. Dynamic speed limits on major roads are another current topic in . The Division of in at University121 is conducting an interdisciplinary inquiry into product design, packaging, packaging processes, and the development and control of the raw-materials distribution system across all phases of production down to the consumer and recycling. The objective is to ensure safe, low-cost transport that conserves resources. Logistics account for up to one third of a products total costs, and packaging can make up as much as two thirds of the costs for logistics. The lack of experts with research or practical experience is seen as one of the chief reasons for the relatively high logistics costs in . Study at , , aims to offset this shortcoming and stresses technology as well as design. is one of the few state research centers. It is seated in and reports to the , Employment, and Communication. The institutes task is to conduct applied research on topics relating to the infrastructure, traffic, and transport. , the Swedish road authority, is the principal client. Research is commissioned by , , , and other authorities. is experienced in research on traffic , transport economy, transport demand, environmental impacts of traffic, road-user behavior, accident safety, planning, design, construction, and the operation and maintenance of roads and rails. In published the results of its research on peoples use of mobile telephones with headphones while driving. It determined that the risk of having an accident always increases about fourfold when a person telephones while driving, even if headphones are employed.122 121Interview with Professor , , , Division of , , . 122Press release by , . STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT 2004/05:RFR1 Social Science Transport Research123 The topics of private passenger transport are treated in basic and applied social science research124 from a psychological and sociological perspective. Particular attention is devoted to promoting traffic safety and mitigating the transport systems impacts on the environment. The research at the universities is funded by and . Gaining access to details and results of the projects is difficult, partly because documentation is usually unavailable. The projects cover an extensive range of social science transport research. The most important topic areas are driving behavior and the public attitude toward traffic safety, drivers training for young people, risk abatement for pedestrians and bicyclists, traffic safety for children, the mobility of older persons and people with disabilities, public transport, design, information technologies, an understanding of what leads people to the particular means of transport they choose, and moderation of car use. Driving Behavior and the Public Attitude toward Traffic Safety Considered essential to traffic safety, driving behavior is studied in order to acquire basic knowledge about human behavior in road traffic. Neurophysiological and cognitive models are then derived to explain the reasons for accidents, to understand drivers automatic reactions, and to gain insight into the human perception of external visual information. Researchers examine drivers attitudes toward traffic violations and driving mistakes in order to draw conclusions about the personality of drivers, informal rules between drivers, and the effects of these factors. Careless and sleepy drivers pose high risk. The question is what information or measures are required in order to make drivers aware of these risks and, if necessary, to keep those people from driving. Zones with high risk of accidents are a subject of this research, as are groups exhibiting risky behavior, such as the disinclination of truck drivers to use safety belts. There have been attempts to raise the awareness of traffic safety among immigrants and to include them in the work on traffic safety. Local projects try to affect the attitude of residents. drivers have a disproportionately high incidence of traffic accidents. To bring down the number of those accidents, research in this area evaluates social factors such as life styles, group processes, and personality and hones the didactic strategies of driving schools. 123All information stems from the report by Dr. , , , , 124For documentation, see the interim country report on by , Wissenschaftszentrum für Sozialforschung, . 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT Risk Reduction for Pedestrians and Bicyclists To help diminish the number of accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists, researchers analyze the circumstances surrounding accidents. This field of work also investigates the spread of bicycle within different population groups and age cohorts and explores the factors that can encourage bicyclists to wear . Traffic Safety for Children Projects on traffic safety for small children primarily mainly endeavor to impart knowledge about the proper use of available safety equipment. A research center on the topic of children and road traffic focuses on cognitive development, alertness, and the comprehension of traffic regulations among school-age children. In the 1990s social science transport researchers began to take interest in the perspective of children and found that the environment had to be adapted to the abilities of children, not vice versa. They also learned that children should play an role in planning local traffic conditions. on these insights, developed a method to include children in that process. A local study is pursuing these ideas further. The safety of school buses and children at and en route to or from bus stops receives the most attention. Accidents in which children are injured or killed are analyzed. This work has resulted in a manual for bus drivers and appropriate designs of bus stops and information displays. Parents seldom allow their children to walk or bicycle alone. Researchers are studying what effect this attitude has on children. The Mobility of Older Persons and People with Disabilities A center for research on the transport environment for older persons and people with disabilities has been created at . The approach there is broad and encompasses work on safety, the quality of life, needs, and mobility. The researchers are studying the question of how public transport can be adapted to address the needs of the older population and how information technology can be used. Much of the work on the mobility of older persons deals with women. Another project is studying the ways in which the social activity and the social network of older persons are affected when they can no longer drive by themselves. The risk of having an accident escalates among older people because of their waning physical and cognitive abilities. Ways of objectively and subjectively ascertaining their driving abilities are being studied. There are links between research on older road users and that on road users with disabilities. Both groups are the subjects of mobility projects on the accessibility of public transport and of entire routes. The supporting role of information technologies for these groups is under study. To enhance the mobility of persons with mildly limited cognitive abilities, the presentation of STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT 2004/05:RFR1 information needs to be less abstract and complex than they are at present. The same is true of the learning material used in the theoretical part of drivers training. Public Transport, Design, and Research is being conducted on the perception that different user groups have of the time a journey takes, of changes in conditions, and of comfort. One study identifies the difference between objective conditions and the subjective satisfaction of the users. the years it has become clear that some groups experience the use of public transport as less safe than the use of a car and that potential are being scared off. Research is aimed at identifying which groups are underrepresented because of their fears and at how vehicular and contextual improvements can lead to a greater sense of safety. Ways of enlisting different population groups in redesigning the transport environment are being studied, as is attendant experience with new designs. Some inquiries show that design can help reduce speed and ease conflict situations. Other projects attempt to development theories and models in this field of research. The application and adoption of information technologies in cars and public transportation by different user groups is being looked at from a social science perspective. Understanding What Leads People to Choose Particular Means of Transport and Reducing the Use of This work delves into the psychological and social motives, values, and life styles that influence people when they choose a means of transport. Researchers try to find out what the view of an automobile consists of and how that view relates to the perception of the natural environment. There are signs that fewer young urbanites are acquiring a drivers license, and that they are doing so later, than the members of earlier generations. One field of research takes up the question of why the members of this population group choose the means of transport they do and asks about the degree to which the lives and attitudes of teenagers are influenced by the unavailability of a car in the household. Most of the local projects for cutting back on the use of private cars rely on voluntary changes in behavior by raising awareness of health and the environment and investing in alternative ways of . Studies are also being conducted on the actual effect of transport demand management, carsharing, environmentally sound driving habits, and the use of electric cars. 2004/05:RFR1 STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, AND PROJECTS PERTAINING TO POLICY ON TRANSPORT Examples of Local Activities: The Several municipalities are conducting large projects that could be highly interesting to German transport research. The goal is often to curtail the use of automobiles. Most of the projects rely on voluntary changes in behavior by fostering an awareness of health and the environment and by investing in alternative forms of . Topics long discussed in have been acted on by Swedish municipalities at immense expense and with intense commitment, including evaluation research. Carsharing, multimodal alternatives, ITS, low-pollution cars, and smart cards are being tested in , a district of , by means of a scientific field experiment on bettering the traffic conditions in an area of urban development. In practice, the topics of traffic, urban planning, and economic development are treated in the context of sustainability and mobility. This project grew out of pilot activities involving the introduction of an environmental zone in downtown and the extensive use of low-pollution cars by public authorities, private business, and private households. A vast program on user-friendly information systems and services (GOTIC)126 was set up by precursor (the KFB) and , , in 1994. , The Traffic and Public Transport Authority The small traffic authority, , is responsible in for traffic. It was a traditional highway construction until 1994, when it conceived its first environmental program and set criteria for an environmentally sound transport system. worked on cars and buses powered by biogas or other natural fuels for this project. planned to buy new busses and worked with the local suppliers for this purpose. Small businesses were called on to develop filters for diesel buses in return for a promise that the city would test them. This arrangement stimulated progress on new types of vehicles. Evaluation of the environmental zone established in 1996, which has meanwhile been expanded, has shown that most inhabitants of like it. The major companies are especially in favor of it, for they have adapted their fleets of vehicles and therefore enjoy a competitive advantage. The zones introduction prevailed over strong local resistance.