bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Poly(Propylene Carbonate) with Thermoplastic Networks: A One-Pot Synthesis from Carbon Dioxide, Propylene Oxide, and a Carboxylic Dianhydride
Authors: Chen Xianggen , Wang Lingyun , Feng Jiuying , Huang Xianling , Guo Xiuzhi , Chen Jing , Xiao Zhenyuan , Liang Xiangjun , Gao Lijun
Published: May 2018

Thermally and mechanically enhanced poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) with networks was prepared by adding a cyclic carboxylic dianhydride, bicyclo(2,2,2)oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTCDA), in the CO2/propylene oxide (PO) copolymerization. The obtained copolymers were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, DSC, and TGA. The gel, melt flow rate, hot-set elongation, and tensile properties were also measured. The formation of networks was confirmed by the presence of gel and the shape recovery after the hot-set elongation test. The minimum permanent deformation of the copolymer is 3.8% and that of PPC is 4539% higher than this value. The results show that BTCDA units are inserted into the backbone of PPC, and the PPC chains are connected successfully owing to cyclic multifunctional anhydride groups in BTCDA. With increasing feed molar ratio of BTCDA to PO from 1 to 4%, the yield strength of copolymers increases from 18.1 to 37.4 MPa compared to 12.9 MPa of PPC. The 5% weight-loss degradation temperatures and maximum weight-loss degradation temperatures greatly increase up to 276.4 and 294.7 °C, respectively, which are 58.6 °C and 55.1 °C higher than those of PPC. These enhanced properties originate from the formation of crosslinks by the rigid and bulky multifunctional dianhydride.
Effect of Mold Opening Process on Microporous Structure and Properties of Microcellular Polylactide–Polylactide Nanocomposites
Authors: Xie Pengcheng , Wu Gaojian , Cao Zhida , Han Zhizhong , Zhang Youchen , An Ying , Yang Weimin
Published: May 2018

Cell structure is a key factor that determines the final properties of microcellular polylactide (PLA) product. In the mold opening process, adjusting the rate of mold opening can effectively control cell structure. PLA and PLA composites with a void fraction as high as 50% were fabricated using the mold opening technique. The effects of mold opening rate and the addition of nanoclay on the cell structure, mechanical properties, and surface quality of microcellular PLA and PLA composites samples were investigated. The results showed that finer cell structure was received in the microcellular PLA samples and the surface quality was improved effectively when decreasing the rate of mold opening. The effect of mold opening rate on the foaming behavior of microcellular PLA–nanoclay was the same as that of microcellular PLA. The addition of 5 wt % nanoclay significantly improved the foaming properties, such as cell density, cell size, and structural uniformity, which consequently enhanced the mechanical properties of foams and the surface quality.
3D Printing of Thermoresponsive Polyisocyanide (PIC) Hydrogels as Bioink and Fugitive Material for Tissue Engineering
Authors: Celikkin Nehar , Simó Padial Joan , Costantini Marco , Hendrikse Hans , Cohn Rebecca , Wilson Christopher J. , Rowan Alan Edward , Święszkowski Wojciech
Published: May 2018

Despite the rapid and great developments in the field of 3D hydrogel printing, a major ongoing challenge is represented by the development of new processable materials that can be effectively used for bioink formulation. In this work, we present an approach to 3D deposit, a new class of fully-synthetic, biocompatible PolyIsoCyanide (PIC) hydrogels that exhibit a reverse gelation temperature close to physiological conditions (37 °C). Being fully-synthetic, PIC hydrogels are particularly attractive for tissue engineering, as their properties—such as hydrogel stiffness, polymer solubility, and gelation kinetics—can be precisely tailored according to process requirements. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the feasibility of both 3D printing PIC hydrogels and of creating dual PIC-Gelatin MethAcrylate (GelMA) hydrogel systems. Furthermore, we propose the use of PIC as fugitive hydrogel to template structures within GelMA hydrogels. The presented approach represents a robust and valid alternative to other commercial thermosensitive systems—such as those based on Pluronic F127—for the fabrication of 3D hydrogels through additive manufacturing technologies to be used as advanced platforms in tissue engineering.
Polycondensation of a Perylene Bisimide Derivative and L-Malic Acid as Water-Soluble Conjugates for Fluorescent Labeling of Live Mammalian Cells
Authors: He Ji , Chen Huixin , Guo Yanjia , Wang Liang , Zhu Lingli , Karahan H. Enis , Chen Yuan
Published: May 2018

Based on simple mixing and polymerization of a hydroxyl-containing derivative of perylene bisimide (PBI) and l-malic acid, here, we demonstrate a new type of dye-polymer conjugate, PBI-poly(α,β-malic acid) (PBI–PMA). Benefiting from the excellent water-solubility of weak polyanionic PMA structure and the high fluorescence of PBI, the PBI-PMA conjugates readily dissolve in water, displaying strong pH-dependent fluorescence with the highest intensity at pH 6. Due to the excellent biocompatibility of PMA, those conjugates showed low cytotoxicity on L929 cells. Using L929 and HeLa cells, we also confirmed that the PBI-PMA-labeled cells display intense fluorescence. Overall, the PBI-PMA conjugate demonstrates high potential as a cell labeling agent with its synthesis ease, good solubility in aqueous medium, low cytotoxicity, and high fluorescence.
Delineating Urban Boundaries Using Landsat 8 Multispectral Data and VIIRS Nighttime Light Data
Authors: Xue Xingyu , Yu Zhoulu , Zhu Shaochun , Zheng Qiming , Weston Melanie , Wang Ke , Gan Muye , Xu Hongwei
Published: May 2018

Administering an urban boundary (UB) is increasingly important for curbing disorderly urban land expansion. The traditionally manual digitalization is time-consuming, and it is difficult to connect UB in the urban fringe due to the fragmented urban pattern in daytime data. Nighttime light (NTL) data is a powerful tool used to map the urban extent, but both the blooming effect and the coarse spatial resolution make the urban product unable to meet the requirements of high-precision urban study. In this study, precise UB is extracted by a practical and effective method using NTL data and Landsat 8 data. Hangzhou, a megacity experiencing rapid urban sprawl, was selected to test the proposed method. Firstly, the rough UB was identified by the search mode of the concentric zones model (CZM) and the variance-based approach. Secondly, a buffer area was constructed to encompass the precise UB that is near the rough UB within a certain distance. Finally, the edge detection method was adopted to obtain the precise UB with a spatial resolution of 30 m. The experimental results show that a good performance was achieved and that it solved the largest disadvantage of the NTL data-blooming effect. The findings indicated that cities with a similar level of socio-economic status can be processed together when applied to larger-scale applications.
Unsupervised Nonlinear Hyperspectral Unmixing Based on Bilinear Mixture Models via Geometric Projection and Constrained Nonnegative Matrix Factorization
Authors: Yang Bin , Wang Bin , Wu Zongmin
Published: May 2018

Bilinear mixture model-based methods have recently shown promising capability in nonlinear spectral unmixing. However, relying on the endmembers extracted in advance, their unmixing accuracies decrease, especially when the data is highly mixed. In this paper, a strategy of geometric projection has been provided and combined with constrained nonnegative matrix factorization for unsupervised nonlinear spectral unmixing. According to the characteristics of bilinear mixture models, a set of facets are determined, each of which represents the partial nonlinearity neglecting one endmember. Then, pixels’ barycentric coordinates with respect to every endmember are calculated in several newly constructed simplices using a distance measure. In this way, pixels can be projected into their approximate linear mixture components, which reduces greatly the impact of collinearity. Different from relevant nonlinear unmixing methods in the literature, this procedure effectively facilitates a more accurate estimation of endmembers and abundances in constrained nonnegative matrix factorization. The updated endmembers are further used to reconstruct the facets and get pixels’ new projections. Finally, endmembers, abundances, and pixels’ projections are updated alternately until a satisfactory result is obtained. The superior performance of the proposed algorithm in nonlinear spectral unmixing has been validated through experiments with both synthetic and real hyperspectral data, where traditional and state-of-the-art algorithms are compared.
Cold-Rolled Strip Steel Stress Detection Technology Based on a Magnetoresistance Sensor and the Magnetoelastic Effect
Authors: Guan Ben , Zang Yong , Han Xiaohui , Zheng Kailun
Published: May 2018

Driven by the demands for contactless stress detection, technologies are being used for shape control when producing cold-rolled strips. This paper presents a novel contactless stress detection technology based on a magnetoresistance sensor and the magnetoelastic effect, enabling the detection of internal stress in manufactured cold-rolled strips. An experimental device was designed and produced. Characteristics of this detection technology were investigated through experiments assisted by theoretical analysis. Theoretically, a linear correlation exists between the internal stress of strip steel and the voltage output of a magneto-resistive sensor. Therefore, for this stress detection system, the sensitivity of the stress detection was adjusted by adjusting the supply voltage of the magnetoresistance sensor, detection distance, and other relevant parameters. The stress detection experimental results showed that this detection system has good repeatability and linearity. The detection error was controlled within 1.5%. Moreover, the intrinsic factors of the detected strip steel, including thickness, carbon percentage, and crystal orientation, also affected the sensitivity of the detection system. The detection technology proposed in this research enables online contactless detection and meets the requirements for cold-rolled steel strips.
Effects of Center Metals in Porphines on Nanomechanical Gas Sensing
Authors: Ngo Huynh Thien , Minami Kosuke , Imamura Gaku , Shiba Kota , Yoshikawa Genki
Published: May 2018

Porphyrin is one of the most promising materials for realizing a practical artificial olfactory sensor system. In this study, we focus on non-substituted porphyrins—porphines—as receptor materials of nanomechanical membrane-type surface stress sensors (MSS) to investigate the effect of center metals on gas sensing. By omitting the substituents on the tetrapyrrole macrocycle of porphyrin, the peripheral interference by substituents can be avoided. Zinc, nickel, and iron were chosen for the center metals as these metalloporphines show different properties compared to free-base porphine. The present study revealed that iron insertion enhanced sensitivity to various gases, while zinc and nickel insertion led to equivalent or less sensitivity than free-base porphine. Based on the experimental results, we discuss the role of center metals for gas uptake from the view point of molecular interaction. We also report the high robustness of the iron porphine to humidity, showing the high feasibility of porphine-based nanomechanical sensor devices for practical applications in ambient conditions.
Registration of Laser Scanning Point Clouds: A Review
Authors: Cheng Liang , Chen Song , Liu Xiaoqiang , Xu Hao , Wu Yang , Li Manchun , Chen Yanming
Published: May 2018

The integration of multi-platform, multi-angle, and multi-temporal LiDAR data has become important for geospatial data applications. This paper presents a comprehensive review of LiDAR data registration in the fields of photogrammetry and remote sensing. At present, a coarse-to-fine registration strategy is commonly used for LiDAR point clouds registration. The coarse registration method is first used to achieve a good initial position, based on which registration is then refined utilizing the fine registration method. According to the coarse-to-fine framework, this paper reviews current registration methods and their methodologies, and identifies important differences between them. The lack of standard data and unified evaluation systems is identified as a factor limiting objective comparison of different methods. The paper also describes the most commonly-used point cloud registration error analysis methods. Finally, avenues for future work on LiDAR data registration in terms of applications, data, and technology are discussed. In particular, there is a need to address registration of multi-angle and multi-scale data from various newly available types of LiDAR hardware, which will play an important role in diverse applications such as forest resource surveys, urban energy use, cultural heritage protection, and unmanned vehicles.
Research on the Forward and Reverse Calculation Based on the Adaptive Zero-Velocity Interval Adjustment for the Foot-Mounted Inertial Pedestrian-Positioning System
Authors: Wang Qiuying , Guo Zheng , Sun Zhiguo , Cui Xufei , Liu Kaiyue
Published: May 2018

Pedestrian-positioning technology based on the foot-mounted micro inertial measurement unit (MIMU) plays an important role in the field of indoor navigation and has received extensive attention in recent years. However, the positioning accuracy of the inertial-based pedestrian-positioning method is rapidly reduced because of the relatively low measurement accuracy of the measurement sensor. The zero-velocity update (ZUPT) is an error correction method which was proposed to solve the cumulative error because, on a regular basis, the foot is stationary during the ordinary gait; this is intended to reduce the position error growth of the system. However, the traditional ZUPT has poor performance because the time of foot touchdown is short when the pedestrians move faster, which decreases the positioning accuracy. Considering these problems, a forward and reverse calculation method based on the adaptive zero-velocity interval adjustment for the foot-mounted MIMU location method is proposed in this paper. To solve the inaccuracy of the zero-velocity interval detector during fast pedestrian movement where the contact time of the foot on the ground is short, an adaptive zero-velocity interval detection algorithm based on fuzzy logic reasoning is presented in this paper. In addition, to improve the effectiveness of the ZUPT algorithm, forward and reverse multiple solutions are presented. Finally, with the basic principles and derivation process of this method, the MTi-G710 produced by the XSENS company is used to complete the test. The experimental results verify the correctness and applicability of the proposed method.
Design and Test of a Soil Profile Moisture Sensor Based on Sensitive Soil Layers
Authors: Gao Zhenran , Zhu Yan , Liu Cheng , Qian Hongzhou , Cao Weixing , Ni Jun
Published: May 2018

To meet the demand of intelligent irrigation for accurate moisture sensing in the soil vertical profile, a soil profile moisture sensor was designed based on the principle of high-frequency capacitance. The sensor consists of five groups of sensing probes, a data processor, and some accessory components. Low-resistivity copper rings were used as components of the sensing probes. Composable simulation of the sensor’s sensing probes was carried out using a high-frequency structure simulator. According to the effective radiation range of electric field intensity, width and spacing of copper ring were set to 30 mm and 40 mm, respectively. A parallel resonance circuit of voltage-controlled oscillator and high-frequency inductance-capacitance (LC) was designed for signal frequency division and conditioning. A data processor was used to process moisture-related frequency signals for soil profile moisture sensing. The sensor was able to detect real-time soil moisture at the depths of 20, 30, and 50 cm and conduct online inversion of moisture in the soil layer between 0–100 cm. According to the calibration results, the degree of fitting (R2) between the sensor’s measuring frequency and the volumetric moisture content of soil sample was 0.99 and the relative error of the sensor consistency test was 0–1.17%. Field tests in different loam soils showed that measured soil moisture from our sensor reproduced the observed soil moisture dynamic well, with an R2 of 0.96 and a root mean square error of 0.04. In a sensor accuracy test, the R2 between the measured value of the proposed sensor and that of the Diviner2000 portable soil moisture monitoring system was higher than 0.85, with a relative error smaller than 5%. The R2 between measured values and inversed soil moisture values for other soil layers were consistently higher than 0.8. According to calibration test and field test, this sensor, which features low cost, good operability, and high integration, is qualified for precise agricultural irrigation with stable performance and high accuracy.
Random Weighting, Strong Tracking, and Unscented Kalman Filter for Soft Tissue Characterization
Authors: Shin Jaehyun , Zhong Yongmin , Oetomo Denny , Gu Chengfan
Published: May 2018

This paper presents a new nonlinear filtering method based on the Hunt-Crossley model for online nonlinear soft tissue characterization. This method overcomes the problem of performance degradation in the unscented Kalman filter due to contact model error. It adopts the concept of Mahalanobis distance to identify contact model error, and further incorporates a scaling factor in predicted state covariance to compensate identified model error. This scaling factor is determined according to the principle of innovation orthogonality to avoid the cumbersome computation of Jacobian matrix, where the random weighting concept is adopted to improve the estimation accuracy of innovation covariance. A master-slave robotic indentation system is developed to validate the performance of the proposed method. Simulation and experimental results as well as comparison analyses demonstrate that the efficacy of the proposed method for online characterization of soft tissue parameters in the presence of contact model error.
Ten Years of Sustainability (2009 to 2018): A Bibliometric Overview
Authors: Tang Ming , Liao Huchang , Wan Zhengjun , Herrera-Viedma Enrique , Rosen Marc A.
Published: May 2018

Sustainability (SUS) is a journal in the field of environmental, cultural, economic and social sustainability of human beings and civilization, which was founded in 2009. This paper provides a comprehensive bibliometric overview of the journal and 6459 publications from 2009 to 2018. In the paper, we first introduce the materials and methods used. Next, we provide the bibliometric results in four parts. In the first part, we present the publication structure and citation structure of SUS, including annual trends of publications and citations, sources that cite SUS publications, and the most highly cited papers in SUS. The primary influential countries and institutes as well as their co-authorship networks are illustrated in the second part. The co-citation networks of cited references, journals and authors are shown in the third part. Finally, the co-occurrence network of keywords and bursting citation keywords is detected. VOSviewer and CiteSpace software packages are used for graphical visualization.
The Impact of Automation on Employment: Just the Usual Structural Change?
Authors: Vermeulen Ben , Kesselhut Jan , Pyka Andreas , Saviotti Pier Paolo
Published: May 2018

We study the projected impact of automation on employment in the forthcoming decade, both at the macro-level and in actual (types of) sectors. Hereto, we unite an evolutionary economic model of multisectoral structural change with labor economic theory. We thus get a comprehensive framework of how displacement of labor in sectors of application is compensated by intra- and intersectoral countervailing effects and notably mopped up by newly created, labor-intensive sectors. We use several reputable datasets with expert projections on employment in occupations affected by automation (and notably by the introduction of robotics and AI) to pinpoint which and how sectors and occupations face employment shifts. This reveals how potential job loss due to automation in “applying” sectors is counterbalanced by job creation in “making” sectors as well in complementary and quaternary, spillover sectors. Finally, we study several macro-level scenarios on employment and find that mankind is facing “the usual structural change” rather than the “end of work”. We provide recommendations on policy instruments that enhance the dynamic efficiency of structural change.
Technological Configuration Capability, Strategic Flexibility, and Organizational Performance in Chinese High-Tech Organizations
Authors: Li Jin , Zhou Lulu , Zhang Xufan , Chen Zhihong , Tian Feng
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of corporate technology configuration capability on the relationship between strategic flexibility and organizational performance throughout the different stages of the technological life cycle. By empirically examining 439 Chinese high-tech organizations, we found that technological configuration capability enhances the effect of strategic flexibility on organizational performance in a complex dynamic environment. However, different impacts were observed on the different stages of the technological life cycle. In addition, we explored the strategic flexibility during the different stages of the technological life cycle based on our empirical study.
Corporate Sustainability in the Process of Employee Recruitment through Social Networks in Conditions of Slovak Small and Medium Enterprises
Authors: Vetráková Milota , Hitka Miloš , Potkány Marek , Lorincová Silvia , Smerek Lukáš
Published: May 2018

Recruitment strategy and policy are significantly affected by both the internal conditions of the enterprise and the external environment. It is important to anticipate and react to changes in the labor market in a timely manner, to eliminate potential threats and take advantage of opportunities to continuous staffing of current and future needs of the enterprise. The role of managers in deciding on possible techniques for recruiting employees is to respect the principles of sustainability both economically and socially. Due to the use of information technology, this trend is easier to apply in practice, as enterprises can present themselves and get information about potential job seekers. The success of the recruitment process is increasing if public awareness about the employer is positive. Designing the survey methodology was based on the axiom that traditional ways of recruiting employees are being replaced by techniques using the Internet and social networks. The aim of the paper is to present the views of domestic and foreign experts on the recruitment of employees using social networks. We compare the theoretical knowledge with the results of social networking research in SMEs in Slovakia and especially their use in the process of recruiting employees. A total of 324 enterprises with domestic and foreign capital share participated in the sociological questionnaire. The results have shown that enterprises with foreign capital share are more progressive in using the Internet to offer jobs and in gaining information on jobseekers through social networks.
The Living Space Analysis in the Battery Leasing Business
Authors: Hou Cong , Du Jiuyu , Wang Hewu
Published: May 2018

The paper analyzes the living space of the battery leasing company in the business model “vehicle and battery separated, battery leasing”, and its effected factors such as the battery price, the battery life cycle, the gasoline price, as well as battery type and vehicle type. The results have shown that leasing battery cannot get profit under the current battery price, life-cycle, gasoline price, and the financial subsidies. However, with the decrease of the battery price and the increase of battery cycle life and the gasoline price, the battery leasing company is possible to get the living space. Micro EVs give the battery leasing company an upper bound 10 percent higher than that of the compact EVs in the same situation. To make the living space of the battery leasing company just exist, the financial subsidies should be at least 5000 RMB/kw.h. The application of lead-acid battery will help the battery leasing company gain the living space. The lower bound corresponding to the lead-acid battery is only 23 percent of that corresponding to the li-ion battery.
Consequence-based Safety Distances and Mitigation Measures for Gaseous Hydrogen Refueling Stations
Authors: LI Zhiyong , PAN Xiangmin , MA Jianxin
Published: May 2018

With the rapid development of hydrogen vehicle technology and large scale fuel cell vehicle (FCV) demonstration project worldwide, more hydrogen refueling stations need to be built. Safety distances of hydrogen refueling stations have always been a public concern and have become a critical issue to further implementation of hydrogen station. In this paper, safety distances for 35MPa and 70MPa gaseous hydrogen refueling station are evaluated on the basis of the maximum consequences likely to occur. Four typical consequences of hydrogen release are considered in modeling: physical explosion, jet fire, flash fire and confined vapor cloud explosion. Results show that physical explosion and the worst case of confined vapor cloud explosion produce the longest harm effect distances for instantaneous and continuous release, respectively, indicating that they may be considered as leading consequences for the determination of safety distances. For both 35MPa station and 70MPa station, safety measures must be implemented because the calculated safety distances of most hydrogen facilities can not meet the criteria in national code if without sufficient mitigation measures. In order to reduce the safety distances to meet the national code, some mitigation measures are investigated including elevation of hydrogen facilities, using smaller vessel and pipe work, and setting enclosure around compressors. Results show that these measures are effective to improve safety but each has different effectiveness on safety distance reduction. The combination of these safety measures may effectively eliminate the hazard of 35MPa station, however, may be not enough for 70MPa station. Further improvements need to be studied for compressors inside 70MPa station.
Considering Hydrogen Fuel Cells Powertrain as Power Generation Plant
Authors: Romeri Mario Valentino
Published: May 2018

Every day more than 90% of vehicles are parked, even during peak traffic hours. In this situation, the vehicle power generation system hydrogen fuel cell based (H2FC Powertrain), if properly equipped, could become a new power generation source, supplying electricity to homes and to the grid like a new type of distributed generation: Vehicleto- Grid (V2G). The V2G concept is well known but, in the paper, the H2FC Powertrain is considered as power generation plant and, based only on public data, it is compared with the traditional power generation technologies. The results are surprising. Using only tested H2FC Powertrain data (DOE 2009, referred to projected high volume production) we found that the cost generating baseload electricity would be in a range of USD 179,2 - 196,7 for MWh. Comparing this cost range with the levelised costs of electricity (LCOE) published in the most recent studies, H2FC Powertrain generation would be at lower cost than wind offshore, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic. However, using the 2015 DOE data target the of H2FC Powertrain, electricity production cost range moves to USD 106,6 - 156,6 for MWh, and, in most of the context, it appears competitive with all the power generation technologies.
Electric Charging Station in Hong Kong
Authors: Ng T.W. , Liu J. , Cheng K.W.E. , Chan K.W. , Lo W.C.
Published: May 2018

In this paper, an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging system, which is jointly designed by the research center and local power-distribution company, would be presented. The system consists of a number of Charging Points (CPs), a control unit, a user-interface and an electronic payment mechanism. The CPs are gridconnected and allow power electronics connections for Battery Charging. Power supplies are controlled and monitored simultaneously by the control unit. Meanwhile, the charging system provides a userinterface that allows customers to select the desired charging time and read the charging status. The CPs are connected to the charging system via Ethernet thus the number of CPs could easily be extended once the power distribution line is established and CPs is connected to the grid. Electrical parameters, such as line voltage, current, power factor, etc. could be also acquired via Ethernet. The prototype was later developed into a commercial product with an electronic payment mechanism implemented and has been opened to public use for months.
The North East England Electric Vehicle and Infrastructure Trials
Authors: Blythe Prof. Phil , Hill Dr Graham , Huebner Dr Yvonne , Suresh Visalakshmi , Austin John , Gray Liz , Wardle Josey
Published: May 2018

This paper will provide an update and overview of the progress with the North East of England trials in the UK and provide an insight into how early adopters are using their vehicle and importantly their charging behaviour with a large number of charging points available to them. The North East of England is one of the pioneers in the wide-scale demonstration of electric vehicles in the United Kingdom. The SwitchEV trial is one of only 8 projects across the UK to have won funding through the Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle (ULCV) Demonstrator Programme. As part of the three year trial, 44 full-electric vehicles have been equipped with data loggers to provide an insight into how early adopters are using their vehicles and most importantly their charging behaviour with a large number of charging points available to them. The trials correlates the driving and performance data derived from the vehicles, with charging behaviour derived from both the vehicle loggers and EV recharging infrastructure and soft data from: questionnaires; focus groups; and structured interviews with participants
Simplicity and Fleet Electrics Getting Around the Cost Problem
Authors: Dower Gordon , Damewood Shelley
Published: May 2018

For electric cars to replace fuel burners they must have intrinsic advantages beyond those seen today and cost significantly less to operate, but 125 years of evolution has made the ICE car hard to beat. A modular battery electric “ridek” composed of “ridon” and “modek” exchangeable modules offers many economies, conveniences and a business plan that cannot be matched by conventional cars. It bears the successful advantages of a mutation, matched by reproducibility. A score of the projected advantages of this new species of electric vehicle are presented herewith and it is tempting to conjecture that more will manifest themselves. It is intriguing to note that a vehicle that readily comes apart (like NASCAR racers) has several features that enhance its overall safety over that of conventional cars.
Cost analysis of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles including Maintenance & Repair Costs and Resale Values
Authors: Propfe Bernd , Redelbach Martin , Santini Danilo , Friedrich Horst
Published: May 2018

This paper analyses the cost competitiveness of different electrified propulsion technologies for the German auto market in 2020. Several types of hybrid electric vehicles including parallel hybrids (with and without external charging) and a serial range extended electric vehicle are compared to a conventional car with SI engine, a full battery electric vehicle and a hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle. Special focus lies on the maintenance and repair cost and the expected resale value of alternative vehicles, which have been integrated within one extensive total cost of ownership model. The assessment shows that the current TCO gaps for alternative drivetrains will decrease significantly by 2020 mainly driven by the reduction in production cost. Furthermore hybrid electric vehicles will profit from lower maintenance and repair cost and a higher expected resale value compared to conventional cars. Therefore, hybrid electric vehicles will be an attractive option in particular for users with high annual mileages, who can benefit from the low operating cost of EVs in combination with unlimited driving range. The analysis concludes that there will not be one dominant powertrain design in the midterm future. Hence, automakers have to manage a wide portfolio of competing drivetrain architectures, which will increase the risk and complexity of strategic decisions.
OEM’s Electric Vehicle Strategies: Risk Assessment
Authors: Saperas Oriol , Legarreta Elixabet
Published: May 2018

In order to analyze the approach of the main automotive players regarding the electrification path each one is following, this report assesses those aspects required for a consistent corporate product strategy. As distinctive differences are found in terms of the scope of products, some boundaries are defined based on the mobility concept, establishing the differentiation of the current automotive business into two separated industries. After analyzing each of the industries, the report focuses on four automotive OEMs and the way they are coping with the competition for profit in each scenario. The paper also analyses and assesses both each OEM strategic choice and business model.
‘The Business Case for Mass-market Deployment of Plugin Vehicles’
Authors: Butcher Neil , Reid Richard
Published: May 2018

The Energy Technologies Institute has commissioned a portfolio of projects into plug-in vehicles. These projects have undertaken a detailed assessment of the business case for the mass-market deployment of plug-in vehicles in the UK and the required energy infrastructure. New research has been undertaken, together with analysis and modelling where appropriate to understand the interrelationships between government policy, consumer attitudes, automotive industry investment and energy industry investment. The effects of the wider macroeconomic environment have also been evaluated. These projects have conducted new research to develop a world-leading and comprehensive knowledgebase, based on an integrated system approach: 1. Detailed bottom-up projections of future vehicle characteristics, performance (such as electric range and efficiency) and costs to 2050 have been developed for the full range of future powertrain options (including plug-in vehicles and more conventional vehicles); 2. Consumer attitudes and behaviours have been researched through real-world trials and extensive surveys with ‘mass-market’ consumers, including a choice experiment to quantify consumers’ willingness to pay for specific vehicle attributes; 3. The requirements and costs for the supporting recharging infrastructure and its integration into the UK electricity system have been identified; and 4. The economics and carbon benefits have been evaluated in the context of plug-in vehicles as a component of the UK’s future low carbon energy and transport systems. This paper reflects work completed in mid 2011 by a consortium of Arup, Leeds University and E.ON, primarily focusing on item (4) [1] and drawing on insights from separate ETI projects into items (1) to (3).
Investigating the Potential to Influence the Electric Vehicle Users’ Recharging Behaviour to Reduce Well to Wheel Carbon Emissions
Authors: Robinson Andrew , Hill Dr Graeme , Hübner Dr Yvonne , Blythe Prof Phil
Published: May 2018

The need to cut carbon emissions from cars and small vans is becoming an increasingly important issue. In the UK, it is anticipated that the electric vehicle (EV) will play a key role in meeting the 80% emissions reduction target in the Climate Change Act 2008. Although there are no emissions at their point of use, the equivalent emissions from an electric vehicle are dependent on the electricity used to recharge the EV’s battery. This electricity is generated from coal (910gCO2/kWh), natural gas (400gCO2/kWh), nuclear (zero emissions) and renewables (zero emissions). The contribution of these power sources to the overall energy mix varies depending on the time of day; meaning that the average carbon content varies from an ‘off peak’ minimum of 366gCO2/kWh at 03:00am to an ‘on peak’ 466gCO2/kWh at 18:00pm. Therefore, depending on when an EV is recharged, the effective carbon content of the electricity stored in the battery varies. This study aims to quantify the carbon emissions and power demands of electric vehicles when in everyday use, by correlating the times of day when drivers recharge their cars with the carbon content of electricity at that time. Data was collected through the Switch EV trial in North East England, which see 44 electric vehicles employed in the region for three years. Analysis of the behaviour of these drivers over a six month period indicates that the average carbon content of the electricity transferred into an EV during recharging is 436gCO2/kWh. Changes in charging behaviour could lead to a 70gCO2/kWh reduction in emissions.
Plug-in Electric Vehicle Resource Center
Authors: Chiladakis Lisa , Meuser Melissa
Published: May 2018

Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) are ready for commercialization. Perhaps the biggest hurdle remaining to their widespread adoption and to achieving California’s smog and climate change emission reduction goals is consumer acceptance and purchase. To help educate consumers as well as other important stakeholders, the California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Collaborative (Collaborative) partnered with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop a PEV Resource Center as part of the DriveClean.ca.gov web site. The PEV Resource Center is an unbiased source of information about PEVs to help a number of different audience groups in California understand more about electric drive technology and what is involved with purchasing a PEV. This great new resource allows consumers, local government officials, policymakers, fleet managers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), utilities, dealers, and the media easily navigate to find the PEV information they are looking for.
Living Labs for Electric Vehicles in Flandres
Authors: Coosemans Thierry , Lebeau Kenneth , Macharis Cathy , Lievens Bram , Van Mierlo Joeri
Published: May 2018

In 2011 the Flemish government launched the Living Labs Electric Vehicles, consisting of 5 different platforms each differing in technology, scope, size and use patterns. For the build-up of these platforms, the Flemish government relies on private companies, local authorities and research institutes. These platforms serve as an environment in which platform members as well as other partners can carry out experimental research related to the roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs) and EV fleets. A total financial investment of ±30 million € was made, equally divided between the private sector and the government, and an introduction of 600 electric vehicles and 600 new electric charging points is aimed for. The addressed research topics within these living labs include the assessment of the driving range of the EVs, the assessment of the implemented drivetrain technologies and charging infrastructure, travel- and purchase behaviour, market potential analyses, the development of new business cases, the development of new services and products, total cost of ownership analyses, environmental impact analyses, and social acceptance. In addition, with respect to the charging infrastructure, standardization issues, interoperability of the charging systems, and billing and roaming procedures are studied. A wide variety of stakeholders related to electric mobility is involved in these living labs, ranging from knowledge centres, automotive manufacturers, electricity producers and distributors, service providers. public transport companies and local authorities, to fleet owners and end users. This paper gives an overview of the 5 launched platforms: EVA, iMOVE, Olympus, EV TecLab and Volt-Air.
The Implementing Agreement IA “Hybrid- and Electric Vehicle” of the International Energy Agency (IEA) the international cooperation programme with a new record of member countries
Authors: Muntwyler Urs
Published: May 2018

The IEA Implementing Agreement (IA) “Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technologies and Programmes” is an international working group of actual 17 governments interested in hybrid-, fuel cell- and electric vehicles. It works as a platform for information exchange about national programmes and activities and for collaboration on various topics. This collaboration platform is an efficient way to share information, to avoid misguided activities and to start joint efforts. The collaboration saves money and speeds up the development of the national programmes. This speeds up the market introduction of all kind of “Hybrid- and electric vehicles”. This presentation describes the results of the working groups. The planned new working groups will be explained.
Roadmap for Testing and Validation of Electric Vehicle Communication Standards
Authors: Pratt Richard , Tuffner Francis , Gowri Krishnan
Published: May 2018

Vehicle to grid communication standards are critical to the charge management and interoperability among plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), charging stations and utility providers. The Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the ZigBee Alliance are developing requirements for communication messages and protocols. While interoperability standards development has been in progress for more than two years, no definitive guidelines are available for the automobile manufacturers, charging station manufacturers or utility backhaul network systems. At present, there is a wide range of proprietary communication options developed and supported in industry. Recent work by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in collaboration with SAE and automobile manufacturers, has identified performance requirements and developed a test plan based on possible communication pathways using power line communication (PLC). Though the communication pathways and power line communication technology options are identified, much work needs to be done in developing application software and testing of communication modules before these can be deployed in production vehicles. This paper presents a roadmap and results from testing power line communication modules developed to meet the requirements of SAE J2847/1 standard.
Analyse of Clutch-brake System Control Based on Experimental Tests and Applied in Hybrid Power Train
Authors: Szumanowski Antoni , Liu Zhiyin , Krawczyk Pawel
Published: May 2018

Clutch-brake system is important element in advanced Compact Hybrid Planetary Transmission Drive (CHPTD). The proper designed clutch/brake system equipped with planetary transmission and additional gears could save energy and improve performance of hybrid powertrain, especially during frequent vehicle starting and regenerative braking. This paper dedicate to design of clutch engaging control strategy in ICE starting procedure. The control of each element in CHPTD during ICE starting is described. Different clutch engaging control strategies are proposed and validated on laboratory stand for various conditions. Optimized control strategy for clutch engaging is selected by analysing the simulation and experimental test results.
An Evaluation Study of Current and Future Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles Powertrains
Authors: Hegazy Omar , Van Mierlo Joeri , Lataire Philippe , Coosemans Thierry , Smenkens Jelle , Monem Mohamed , Omar Noshin , Van den Bossche Peter
Published: May 2018

The powertrain control strategy and component sizing can significantly influence the vehicle performance, cost and fuel economy. This paper presents an evaluation study of the current and future Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles (FCHEVs) powertrains from the point of view of the fuel economy, volume, mass and cost. In this research, different FCHEV powertrains (such as Fuel Cell/Supercapacitor (FC/SC), Fuel Cell/Battery (FC/B), and FC/SC/B) and different control strategies are designed and simulated by using Matlab/Simulink. In this paper, two standard driving cycles (NEDC and FTP75) are used to evaluate the fuel consumption. Within this study, two control strategies based on the knowledge of the fuel cell efficiency map are implemented to minimize the hydrogen consumption of the FCHEV powertrains. These control strategies are control strategy based on Efficiency Map (CSEM) and control strategy based on Particle Swarm Optimization (CSPSO). Furthermore, a comparative study of different FCHEV powertrains is provided for adequately selecting of the proper FCHEV powertrain, which could be used in industrial applications.
Novel Bidirectional Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Converter for Simultaneous Direct Battery Module Balancing
Authors: Koch Reinhold , Jossen Andreas , Kuhn Robert
Published: May 2018

Charge balancers are needed to equalize the energy stored in battery cells connected in series to increase the usable capacity and lifetime of the entire stack. A multiple-input multiple-output DC/DC converter for battery module balancing, based on flux additivity, is proposed. It allows bidirectional, simultaneous and direct charge transfer. A prototype converter with two bidirectional channels has successfully been built-up and tested. First experimental results are presented to verify the feasibility of the charge balancer. A time averaged model is derived considering the influence of the common multiwinding transformer voltage.
Current Fiscal Year (2012 – 2013) Status of the Hybrid and Electric Systems R&D at the U.S. – DOE
Authors: Howell David
Published: May 2018

This paper provides the latest information and progress overview (for the Fiscal Years 2012–2013) of the hybrid and electric systems (HES) R&D projects funded by the Vehicles Technologies Office (VTO) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). HES include battery R&D, electric drive components, and vehicle & systems simulation & testing. Currently there is significant U.S. commitment to HES R&D ($156M in Fiscal Year 2013). Several technologies developed partially under VTO-sponsored projects have moved into commercial applications. DOE has supported the development of advanced HES technologies over the long term, leveraging resources and expertise from automobile manufacturers, battery, motor, and electronics developers, small businesses, national laboratories, and universities to address the market technical barriers for those technologies. The HES R&D Team has had many significant accomplishments and continues to advance the state of the art for many technologies. The paper summarizes the most recent highlights for the three HES R&D areas and U.S. industry highlights for the battery industry, in particular.