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This paper presents an integrated vehicle model to simulate simultaneously the driver, powertrains, chassis, body, road condition, vehicle dynamics and the Active Suspension (AS) system with/without an energy harvesting module. The developed model is used to investigate the ride comfort and influences of energy harvesting AS system on the total energy consumption of battery Electric Vehicles (EVs) relative to EVs with a passive suspension system. Preliminary simulation results show that compared to EVs with a passive suspension system, the ones with AS system improve ride comfort, up to 31% reduction of the vehicle body acceleration RMS value, with an expense of higher energy consumption. This expense can be reduced to about 2.8% when using an energy harvesting AS system. Simulation results also demonstrate that the available energy for recuperation during the AS system operation is significant in relation to the regenerative braking energy of the propulsion system, up to approx. 70% on bumpy road surfaces.

A mesocosm approach was used to investigate the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on a natural plankton community in coastal waters off Norway by manipulating CO2 partial pressure (pCO2). Eight enclosures were deployed in the Raunefjord near Bergen. Treatment levels were ambient (~320 µatm) and elevated pCO2 (~2000 µatm), each in 4 replicate enclosures. The experiment lasted for 53 d in May-June 2015. To assess impacts of OA on the plankton community, phytoplankton and protozooplankton biomass and total seston fatty acid content were analyzed. In both treatments, the plankton community was dominated by the dinoflagellate Ceratium longipes. In the elevated pCO2 treatment, however, biomass of this species as well as that of other dinoflagellates was strongly negatively affected. At the end of the experiment, total dinoflagellate biomass was 4-fold higher in the control group than under elevated pCO2 conditions. In a size comparison of C. longipes, cell size in the high pCO2 treatment was significantly larger. The ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids of seston decreased at high pCO2. In particular, the concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (C 22:6n3c), essential for development and reproduction of metazoans, was less than half at high pCO2 compared to ambient pCO2. Thus, elevated pCO2 led to a deterioration in the quality and quantity of food in a natural plankton community, with potential consequences for the transfer of matter and energy to higher trophic levels

This document describes the general specifications for each of the pilots that will be part of the INVADE Project. The pilots are located in five countries: Norway, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Germany and Spain. It´s specified a list of sections for each one of the pilots. A general description, grid topology, flexibility services, technical details and a list of the general equipment that will be necessary in the execution of the project. For each of the pilots, the use cases will be related to the PUCs defined in D4.1 which has been a good input in order to identify the possible use cases for all the different pilots.

Tyre modelling is a major challenge when using time domain multibody simulation models to evaluate ride comfort on off-highway commercial vehicles. Further, parameters for these big tyres are difficult to obtain and thus, commercial car tyre models are difficult to apply. In this research work, a simple vertical tyre model for off-highway ride comfort evaluation is suggested. A displaced volume approach has been developed and combined with the slip theory to yield a tyre model that can be characterised by only three parameters. Full scale measurements on a dump truck have been carried out. Force responses from measurements are compared to the simulation results. Acceleration responses and the level of whole-body vibrations have also been compared.

Considering the role of transport for a 1.5 Degree stabilization pathway and the importance of light-duty vehicle fuel efficiency within that, it is important to understand the key elements of a policy package to shape the energy efficiency of the vehicle fleet. This paper presents an analysis focusing on three types of policy measures: (1) CO2 emission standards for new vehicles, (2) vehicle taxation directly and indirectly based on CO2 emission levels, and (3) fuel taxation. The paper compares the policies in the G20 economies and estimates the financial impact of those policies using the example of a Ford Focus vehicle model. This analysis is a contribution to the assessment of the role of the transport sector in global decarbonisation efforts. The findings of this paper show that only an integrated approach of regulatory and fiscal policy measures can yield substantial efficiency gains in the vehicle fleet and can curb vehicle kilometres travelled by individual motorised transport. Using the illustrative example of one vehicle model, the case study analysis shows that isolated measures, e.g. fuel efficiency regulation without corresponding fuel and vehicle taxes only have minor CO2 emission reduction effects and that policy measures need to be combined in order to achieve substantial emission reduction gains over time. The analysis shows that the highest level of impact is achieved by a combination regulatory and fiscal policies rather than only one policy even if this policy is more aggressive. When estimating the quantitative effect of fuel efficiency standards, vehicle and fuel tax, the analysis shows that substantial gains with regard to CO2 emission are only achieved at a financial impact level above 500 Euros over a four year period.

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.

This paper outlines the key elements of a low‐carbon stabilization pathway for land transport, focusing on the potential of key policy measures at the local and national level, opportunities for synergies of sustainable development and climate change objectives, and governance and institutional issues affecting the implementation of measures. It combines several approaches to provide an integrated view on the decarbonization of the transport sector based on recent literature. It will assess the quantitative basis potential climate change mitigation pathways and will then look into policy and institutional aspects that relate to the feasibility of these pathways. This combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to measure the potential, options, and feasibility of climate change mitigation strategies in the transport sector aims to synthesize recent papers on the subject and draw conclusions for future research. WIREs Energy Environ 2017, 6:e257. doi: 10.1002/wene.257This article is categorized under: Energy Policy and Planning > Economics and Policy Energy and Development > Climate and Environment