• Energy Research
• Closed Access close
• CA close
• Transport Research close

To adequately analyze the impacts associated with the rising use of automobiles, an assessment framework is needed that includes environment, health, economic, and sociocultural impacts. Such a framework was developed and applied to a proposed freeway-widening project in Edmonton, Canada. The assessment framework was developed using both Multi-Criteria Analysis and the Ecosystem Approach to Human Health (Ecohealth). Community participation was vital in the application of the assessment framework to this case study. Six stakeholder groups, including community members, City Councillors, and health, environment, and transportation experts, provided needed qualitative data for the assessment framework. Quantitative data were gathered from an ecological study design that associated traffic volumes with respiratory conditions in Edmonton. Community members’ perceptions about the impacts of the freeway widening differed from those of the expert groups in a number of areas. Environmental and health degradation was more of an issue to community members than to expert groups. Though respiratory conditions were not projected to increase by a significant amount because of the freeway widening, further analysis is necessary on other biophysical and socioeconomic impacts listed in the assessment framework. The divergence in opinion between community members and experts suggests that more communication is needed between these groups in relation to transportation planning. The Ecohealth approach ensures that community concerns are addressed in transportation planning.

Abstract: The usage of multi-objective cost functions (MOCFs) in sizing and energy management strategy (EMS) of fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEVs) has expanded due to the participation of multiple technological and economic disciplines. To better understand the impact of price fluctuation on the component size and EMS of an FCHEV, this article proposed a sensitivity analysis methodology. First, a two-step optimization approach that considers hydrogen consumption, system degradation, and trip cost is used to minimize a MOCF of the Can-Am Spyder electric motorcycle simulator. Then, an effect analysis is carried out for the cost-optimal results under two driving profiles to understand the link between cost variation and system performance. These simulations indicate that each might result in different system sizes and EMS compromise. After that, an online optimization EMS based on sequential quadratic programming is used on a reduced-scale hardware-in-the-loop configuration to evaluate the simulation results with varied weights. Experimental results indicate that when an adequate size is used for each pair of weights, the EMS results in a 6% decrease in the trip cost.

Electric vehicle battery performance near end-of-life is limited by mismatched cell degradation, leading to an estimated 5-10% cell capacity variation across the pack. Active cell balancing hardware architectures incorporating a Low-Voltage (LV) bus supply have been introduced to unlock lost capacity due to cell imbalance at reduced cost, through elimination of the vehicle's 400-to-12V dc-dc converter. In this work, a hierarchical model-predictive control scheme is applied to a time-shared isolated converter active balancing architecture that incorporates LV bus supply. The proposed controller efficiently divides computation among the battery management system hardware components. The energy-buffering capability of the lead-acid battery, which is connected to the LV bus, is used to trade-off balancing and bus regulation objectives, reducing peak power and improving the system cost-effectiveness. Simultaneous state-of-charge balancing and LV bus regulation is verified in simulation and experiment using real-world drive and LV load data collected from a GM Bolt electric vehicle. Similar controller performance compared to a central scheme is achieved in simulation. The experimental setup includes a custom 12S2P, 3.9kWh, liquid-cooled Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery module with embedded battery management system. The controller performance is evaluated with an initial maximum state-of-charge imbalance of 6.8%.

AbstractSeveral Arctic marine mammal species are predicted to be negatively impacted by rapid sea ice loss associated with ongoing ocean warming. However, consequences for Arctic whales remain uncertain. To investigate how Arctic whales responded to past climatic fluctuations, we analysed 206 mitochondrial genomes from beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) sampled across their circumpolar range, and four nuclear genomes, covering both the Atlantic and the Pacific Arctic region. We found four well‐differentiated mitochondrial lineages, which were established before the onset of the last glacial expansion ~110 thousand years ago. Our findings suggested these lineages diverged in allopatry, reflecting isolation of populations during glacial periods when the Arctic sea‐shelf was covered by multiyear sea ice. Subsequent population expansion and secondary contact between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans shaped the current geographic distribution of lineages, and may have facilitated mitochondrial introgression. Our demographic reconstructions based on both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes showed markedly lower population sizes during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) compared to the preceding Eemian and current Holocene interglacial periods. Habitat modelling similarly revealed less suitable habitat during the LGM (glacial) than at present (interglacial). Together, our findings suggested the association between climate, population size, and available habitat in belugas. Forecasts for year 2100 showed that beluga habitat will decrease and shift northwards as oceans continue to warm, putatively leading to population declines in some beluga populations. Finally, we identified vulnerable populations which, if extirpated as a consequence of ocean warming, will lead to a substantial decline of species‐wide haplotype diversity.

Traffic emission inventories have been under development for decades, often relying on data from traffic assignment models, ranging from macroscopic models generating average link speeds, to more detailed microscopic models with instantaneous speed profiles. Policy testing within such frameworks has often focused on identifying changes in total emissions, or in emissions aggregated at a zonal or street level. Emissions from specific trips or trajectories are seldom analyzed, although reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be achieved more efficiently when targeting high emitters. In this paper, we propose a different approach to reducing transportation GHG emissions, by catering policies to specific trips based on their emission burden. We focus on the City of Toronto downtown. Using second-by-second speed data for entire trajectories, GHGs (in CO2eq) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions were estimated. We observe that the destinations attracting the highest trip emissions tend to be in the hospital and financial districts. Trips originating and ending in the downtown area are responsible for a small share of total emissions, although they have high emission intensity. Removing trips with high total emissions and high emission intensity led to significant reductions in CO2eq and NOx emissions, whereas removing shorter trips, did not have a significant influence on total emissions nor emission intensities.

The manufacture, transportation, and storage of explosives in Canada and around the world pose serious challenges to explosives regulators and inspectors tasked with ensuring the safety of nearby populations. Explosives are routinely transported through, and manufacturing and storage facilities are often located close to, populated areas and traffic routes. This proximity increases the risk of severe casualties and infrastructure damage if there is an accidental or deliberate explosion. Even though an explosion is unlikely, the consequences can be severe. Several accidents that have involved explosives are discussed in the literature. These accidents highlight the devastation likely to result from an explosion and underscore the importance of finding cost-effective solutions to mitigate the effects on the population and infrastructure. This paper presents a research program designed to investigate the effectiveness of suppressive shield containers in reducing the blast pressure outside the container and eliminating fragment hazards from an explosion. Several types of suppressive shield panels, including panels lined with aluminum foam, were tested in a blast chamber. The results show reduced peak blast pressure outside the container by as much as 60% and in the incident impulse by about 58%. When the suppressive shield was lined with aluminum foam, a further reduction in peak incident pressure (up to 80%) was achieved.

Freight movement is a significant and growing contributor to transportation emissions globally. Modal shifts in freight, that is, moving freight from a higher emission mode to one associated with lower emissions, are discussed as a strategy to reduce emissions of criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, there is limited knowledge of the magnitude of potential benefits and their impacts on human health. The overall goal of this study is to identify and characterize the potential of modal shifts in freight transport for mitigating air pollutant emissions, air pollutant concentrations, population exposure to air pollutants, and health impacts. The analysis was conducted in the Canadian context, with a focus on land-based freight such as trucks, trains, and pipelines, as well as marine shipping for inland and coastal waters. A structured review of the existing literature database, and a critical assessment of the findings was conducted, using a weight-of-evidence approach. The assessment took into consideration potential local and regional variables for Canada. The results indicated that there is limited evidence that road-to-rail, road-to-marine, and rail-to-marine modal shifts could reduce pollutant and GHG emissions. There was insufficient evidence on modal shifts involving the pipeline mode, and on the air quality, population exposure, and health impacts related to any modal shift. Several research gaps remain, which must be addressed establish the emissions, air quality, and health impacts of freight modal shifts.