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ITS-Davis e-news is the electronic newsletter of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. Written for alumni and friends, ITS-Davis e-news reports information from ITS-Davis and affiliated campus departments that conduct transportation-related research and education. For previous issues, see the e-news archives.
| Contents | Issue 11 | September 2002 |
| Education Highlights |
As the 2002-2003 academic year gets underway, ITS-Davis welcomes three new faculty members whose transportation research in affiliated departments broadens the academic offerings of the campus and enhances the Institute’s multidisciplinary approach to research and education.
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Paul
A. Erickson joins the UC Davis Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical
Engineering as assistant professor. Erickson moved to Davis from the University
of Florida, in Gainesville, where he recently received his PhD in Mechanical
Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering Science, and was a
teaching assistant and lecturer.
Erickson’s
teaching and research plans are to continue his investigation into energy
conversion methods. “I’m especially interested in energy conversion dealing
with vehicle applications, including renewable hydrogen production,” he says.
One
of his research specialties involves hydrocarbon reformation for fuel cell
vehicles. “I am optimistic about their potential, especially if we can develop
an efficient and affordable process for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to use the
existing gasoline infrastructure with only slight modifications,” he says.
In
Florida, Erickson was actively involved in a project to refurbish and
demonstrate liquid-fueled fuel cell buses. In addition, his research has
involved enhancement of processes through superposition of acoustic fields.
 Susan Handy, associate professor, Environmental Science and Policy and ITS-Davis Transportation Technology and Policy faculty |
Susan L. Handy - Transportation, Land Use, Behavior
A graduate of UC Berkeley
who conducted her post-doctoral research at ITS-Davis
a decade ago, Susan L. Handy is returning to UC Davis as associate
professor of Environmental Science and Policy and a member of the ITS-Davis
Transportation Technology and Policy faculty. She previously taught in the
Community and Regional Planning Program, School of Architecture, University of
Texas at Austin.
Handy’s
expertise follows two main tracks,
she explains. One is the relationship between transportation and land use —
how land use patterns influence travel behavior, and, conversely, how
transportation patterns affect land use patterns. The other is the policy and
philosophy of transportation and land use.
“Instead
of thinking about how we can make it easier to drive, let’s think about making
it easier to not have to drive,” she exclaims. “So my work looks at
land use and travel behavior, and at designing communities so people have a
choice.”
In
recent years, Handy has examined the question of travel by choice or by
necessity. She hopes to continue her work that examines motivating factors
behind peoples’ choices in travel, in collaboration with ITS-Davis Associate
Director Pat Mokhtarian. She will likely also participate in research projects
associated with the ITS-Davis New Mobility Center.
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John T. Harvey - Pavement Research Center
John T. Harvey has joined the
Department of Civil Engineering as associate professor and research engineer.
His arrival in Davis coincides with the beginning of a process that will
relocate the Pavement Research Center, currently operated through ITS-Berkeley,
to Davis over the next five years. Since receiving his PhD from Berkeley in
1992, Harvey has been an adjunct associate professor and research engineer, as
well as principal investigator of the Pavement Research Center.
“I’m looking forward to new
opportunities at Davis, to expanding the network of people we work with,”
Harvey tells e-news. “Through students, faculty and staff at Davis, we will
bring additional expertise to bear on the range of pavement research problems.
And a lot of that expertise is available at ITS-Davis.”
ITS-Davis Director Dan Sperling
speaks with great enthusiasm about the opportunities ahead. “Professor Harvey
is an outstanding researcher and leader, and brings an important new area of
research to the Davis campus. The Pavement Research Center is one of the most
prominent research centers in its field in the country,” Sperling exclaims.
Traditionally, pavement
research has focused on the mechanical understanding of how pavement materials
work together. In addition to performing traditional research, the Pavement
Research Center emphasizes construction quality control, practice and
productivity, environmental impacts, lifecycle cost analysis for pavements, and
the impacts of pavement activities on urban freeway traffic in its research.
“One of the things we’re
trying to do is widen the scope of pavement research beyond the basic materials
of rocks, concrete and sand, to incorporate the larger system that includes
users or drivers, the environment, and the inter-relationships of this broader
network,” Harvey explains.
 UCD Team Fate with Yosemite. L to R: Michael Crozat, Jason Parks, Mark Duvall, Alexandre Babary, Chris Nitta, Arnaud Cogoluegnes, Remi Bellepaire, Joey Holdner, Florent Davier, Tyler Garrard, Charnjiv Bangar, Aashish Dalal |
FUTURETRUCK 2002 Results: Team Fate Takes Third Overall
Team Fate, the UC Davis
FutureTruck team, captured a third place overall victory in this year’s
national FutureTruck Competition. In addition, the Engineering students from UC
Davis won first place in a number of individual categories: Best Technical
Report, Best Use of Renewable Fuels, Best Use of Advanced Technology, Best
Telematics, and Best Dynamic Consumer Acceptance.
Fifteen university teams from
across the country competed in this year’s contest to increase the fuel
economy, reduce emissions, and maintain the performance of a Ford Explorer. Last
year Team Fate walked away with a first place victory with their hybrid electric
Chevy Suburban, named Sequoia.
Under the direction of Prof.
Andy Frank, the Davis team built a compact, lightweight parallel
charge-depletion hybrid drivetrain. A so-called plug-in hybrid, this year’s
vehicle, Yosemite, uses nickel-metal hydride batteries that provide a 60-mile
all electric range.
“The vehicle runs most
efficiently under electric power, but is designed to give the driver control
over how to drive the vehicle. Whether pure EV, pure gasoline, or some
combination of the two, it’s up to the driver to decide,” says Frank.
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| New Initiatives |
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GETTING FROM POINT A TO POINT B: Using A "Smart Mobility" Approach to Plan for the Future
Compared to many big cities,
driving on Sacramento region roadways is still relatively easy. But rapid
growth is fueling increased traffic congestion prompting concerns about
diminished quality of life. The state forecasts the region’s population to
reach 2.8 million by 2025, a 49 percent increase. In response, community
leaders are carefully examining transportation and personal mobility options
as they plan for future decades.
Researchers are wrapping up
the first stage of a multi-year regional project designed to encourage the
development and testing of innovative mobility services in concert with smart
growth and efficient land use. The Sacramento-Davis Smart Mobility Model
Project is a collaborative effort among the California Department of
Transportation, UC Davis Campus, UC Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways
(UC PATH), and ITS-Davis.
Susan Shaheen, an ITS-Davis
and UC PATH researcher, and Caroline Rodier, a post-graduate researcher with
ITS-Davis, are the principal investigators on the project. “Basically, we
are interested in all aspects of travel behavior. We are developing a better
understanding of people’s use of bicycles, walking, automobiles, and transit
in the Sacramento-Davis region and on the UC Davis campus for this project,”
Shaheen said.
Rodier, whose expertise is in
transportation planning and modeling, is examining Sacramento regional travel
data and integrating smart mobility, information technology, and smart growth
approaches. She is also working with models to identify the impacts of
innovative mobility options on the region.
The premise behind “Smart
Mobility” is choice. With access to a wide range of cost-effective,
convenient modal options appropriate to trip-making — cars, public transit,
bicycles, electric bikes, small electric cars, smart shuttles, telecommuting,
and e-commerce — people can choose those services that best suit their needs
and budget. Smart mobility emphasizes a variable fee for travel based on
actual usage, instead of a fixed fee associated with a car. As a result
mobility becomes a service that users subscribe to, rather than a product
(e.g., a car) that they own.
Over the next several months,
Smart Mobility Model Project researchers will examine regional baseline
mobility problems and transportation options using surveys and focus groups in
Sacramento and Davis, and on the UC Davis campus. Researchers are also
communicating with Transportation Management Agencies, businesses, and local
agencies involved with transportation and air quality issues as part of their
assessment.
The first round of data
collection focuses on Davis’ on-campus community. In October, researchers
will administer an online survey to a sample of university students, faculty,
and staff. Participants will be asked to keep a travel diary for one day and
to answer many mobility-related questions, such as: “What is the main means
of transportation that you typically use to get to the UC Davis campus?” and
“How many bicycles does your household own?”
Campus planners hope to
incorporate this information into their long-range plans. Matt Dulcich, a
campus associate environmental planner says the timing of this study is
excellent, since planners are currently examining campus housing,
infrastructure, and academic facility options as part of the ongoing Long
Range Development Plan process. “We are really excited to have the project
take a fresh look at transportation issues,” Dulcich said.
After key data are collected
and mobility options assessed via scenario analysis, next year the project
will focus on pilot program design, which will include a variety of innovative
mobility services. Once implemented, researchers will evaluate the efficacy of
the selected pilot programs, including user perceptions, changes in modal
choice, and impacts on the broader transportation system.
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| Research Results |
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Transportation Publications from UC Davis: Hot Off the Presses
This Issue's Highlight
Evaluation
of Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power Units for Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks, Brodrick,
C.J., Lipman, T., Farshchi, M., Lutsey, N.,
Dwyer, H., Sperling, D., Gouse, S., Harris, D., King, F., Transportation Research Part D, Vol. 7, 2002, pp. 303-315.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-13.
UC
Davis researchers have found that a fuel cell APU in a heavy-duty truck
could reduce NOx emissions by 0.2 to 1 ton a year — between 6 percent and
29 percent of its total NOx emissions — depending on idle time, accessory
load and engine speed. In a comprehensive economic analysis of the fuel cell
APU compared to existing truck idling strategies, researchers determined
that the fuel cell APU payback period could be as little as 2.6 to 4.5
years.
New
Publications
Patterns of Telecommuting Engagement and Frequency: A
Cluster Analysis of Telecenter Uses, Mokhtarian, P., Meenakshisundaram, P., Prometheus,
Vol. 20, No. 1, May 2002, pp. 21-37. Publication
No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-05.
A
Methodology for the Disaggregate, Multidimensional Measurement of
Residential Neighbourhood Type,
Bagley, M., Mokhtarian, P., Kitamura, R., Urban
Studies, Vol. 39, No. 4, June 2001, pp. 689-704.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-06.
Environmental
Protection, Quinet, E., Sperling, D., Handbook of
Transport Systems and Traffic Control, Chapter 15, Elsevier Science
Limited, May 2002, pp. 241-254. Publication
No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-07.
The
Health and Visibility Cost of Air Pollution: A Comparison of Estimation
Methods,
Delucchi, M., Murphy, J., McCubbin, D., Journal
of Environmental Management, Vol. 64, 2002, pp. 139-152.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-08.
Clean
Diesel: Overcoming Noxious Fumes, Brodrick, C.J., Sperling, D., Dwyer, H., Access,
Fall 2001, pp. 16-25. Publication
No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-12.
Metropolitan
Transportation Planning in the 1990’s: Comparisons and Contrasts in New
Zealand, Chile, and California,
Lee, R., Rivaplasta, C., Transport
Policy 2001, Vol. 8, pp. 47-61. Publication
No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-14.
Shared-Use
Vehicle Services: A Survey of North American Market Developments, Shaheen,
S., Meyn, M., ITS-Davis & Partners
for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH), August 2002, pp. 12. UCD-ITS-RP-02-15.
Heuristic
Policy Analysis of Regional Land Use, Transit, and Travel Pricing Scenarios
Using Two Urban Models, Rodier,
C., Johnston, R., Abraham, J., Transportation
Research Part D, Vol. 7, 2002, pp. 243-254. Publication No.
UCD-ITS-RP-02-16.
Travel
Behaviour-Land Use Interactions: An Overview and Assessment of the Research,
Handy, S., In Perpetual Motion: Travel Behavior Research Opportunities and
Application Challenges, Chapter 10, pp. 224-236. Publication No.
UCD-ITS-RP-02-17.
Time
Use: Workshop Report, Kitamura,
R., In Perpetual Motion: Travel Behavior Research Opportunities and
Application Challenges, Chapter 16, 2002, pp. 334-338.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-18.
Household
Adaptations to New Personal Transport Options: Constraints and Opportunities
In Household Activity Spaces, Kurani,
K., Turrentine, T., In Perpetual
Motion: Travel Behavior Research Opportunities and Application Challenges,
Chapter 3, Elsevier Science Limited, 2002, pp. 44-69.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-19.
Emerging
Travel Patterns: Do Telecommunications Make A Difference? Mokhtarian, P., Salomon, I., In Perpetual Motion: Travel Behavior Research Opportunities and
Application Challenges, Chapter 7, Elsevier Science Limited, 2002, pp.
143-182. Publication No.
UCD-ITS-RP-02-20.
Emissions
of Nitrous Oxide and Methane From Conventional And Alternative Fuel Motor
Vehicles, Lipman,
Timothy E., Delucchi, Mark, Climatic
Change, Volume 53, 2002, pp. 477-516.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-21.
Updating
Automotive Research, Daniel
Sperling, Issues in Science and
Technology, Spring 2002, pp. 85-89.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RP-02-22.
Effects
of Engine Speed and Accessory Load on Idling Emissions from Heavy-Duty
Diesel Truck Engines, Brodrick, C.J., Farshchi, M., Dwyer, H., Harris, D., King, F., Journal
of the Air & Waste Management Association, September 2002, pp.
174-179. Publication No.
UCD-ITS-RP-02-23.
Marketing
Clean and Efficient Vehicles: A Review of Social Marketing and Social
Science Approaches, Kurani, K., Turrentine, T., August 2002, pp. 54.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RR-02-01.
Overview
of the Lifecycle Emissions Model (LEM), August 2002, pp. 11. Publication No. UCD-ITS-RR-02-02.
The
Adoption and Consideration of Commute-Oriented Travel Alternatives,
Clay, M., Mokhtarian, P., ITS-Davis, August 2002, pp. 59.
Publication No. UCD-ITS-RR-02-04.
Publications
can be ordered by fax, e-mail or mail. Some are now available online.
ITS-Davis has recently completed an extensive
update of its publications list and is in process of getting all research
reports in downloadable pdf format online.
Ordering
information: http://www.its.ucdavis.edu/publications
E-mail: itspublications@ucdavis.edu
Fax: 530-752-6572
Mail: Publications, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis,
One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8762
For
information contact: ITS-Davis
Event and Publications Coordinator Lauren Palmer at 530-752-4909, or lapalmer@ucdavis.edu.
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| ITS-Davis and Campus Highlights |
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Dennis
Schuetzle, director of International Research and Technology at Ford, led a
seminar titled “Environmental, Energy and Mobility Challenges for Asia” on
campus earlier this month. Dr. Schuetzle acknowledged that conserving energy,
sustaining resources, improving the environment and preserving ecology must be
factored into the mobility picture and that transportation companies must play
a leading role in advancing sustainable transportation options.
“Energy
is the biggest problem that we have facing us as a world. The key to
conserving energy is renewable fuels,” said Schuetzle. He cited di-methyl
ether (DME), hythane, and bio-ethanol as examples of renewable fuels with
great potential.
 Scholars from the U.S. and China discuss draft manuscripts for a forthcoming book, at a UC Davis meeting in July |
UC Davis recently hosted a special joint committee of the US National Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences that is investigating the future of automobiles in China. ITS-Davis Director Dan Sperling is participating on the 16-member committee co-chaired by Dale Compton, head of the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University and a former VP of research for Ford Motor Company, and Guo Kong Hui, a distinguished professor (Jilin University) and leader in China. The joint US-Chinese committee met three times over the past year, in Beijing, Washington, and most recently, here at the UC Davis campus in July, to research and write the forthcoming book, Personal Cars in China (National Academy Press, January 2003). During the international guests’ visit to Davis, The UC Davis Office of Research, Office of International Programs, and ITS-Davis hosted a campus reception and panel discussion.
ITS-Davis Board of Advisors members Geoffrey Ballard, chairman, General Hydrogen Corp. of Vancouver, and Paul MacCready, founder, AeroVironment, Inc., have received Discover magazine Innovation Awards. The Awards honored five scientists whose work has dramatically revolutionized the science community and subsequently changed the potential of our lives. Ballard won the award for energy, while MacCready was honored for his contributions to aerospace. The awards recognized extraordinary achievements in these fields, as well as in communications, computing, and medicine. They were presented at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. in June.
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| EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT: ITS-Davis and Associated UC Colleagues in the News |
Dan Sperling, in Los
Angeles Times, 9-15-02, in article on pending changes in the California
Zero Emission Vehicle regulation as a result of a federal court injunction.
Dan Sperling, ITS-Davis
graduate student researcher Deborah Salon, and Eileen Claussen of Pew Center
on Global Climate Change, in San Francisco Chronicle, 8-25-02, in an
advance article on the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg. The story focused on impacts of increased greenhouse gas
emissions in developing countries, and cited the Pew-funded research series on
Transportation in Developing Countries.
Ken Kurani, in Davis
Enterprise, 8-9-02, in article about the Nissan Hypermini demonstration
and electric vehicle popularity in Davis.
Bob Moore, in San Francisco
Chronicle, 7-25-02, in an article about Honda’s demonstration fuel cell
vehicle.
Andrew Burke, in an Associated
Press article, 7-5-02, on the history of air pollution regulation in
California, after the governor signed AB 1493.
UC Davis FutureTruck team, in
Los Angeles Times, 7-3-02, in an article on the team’s results at the
annual FutureTruck contest.
Pat Mokhtarian, 6-24-02, in
an Associated Press article about the increasing popularity of
telecommuting, and its resulting increase in worker productivity.
Dan Sperling, in The
Chronicle of Higher Education, 6-21-02, in an article on highways’
hidden toll. The article features Richard Foreman, Harvard University,
co-author with Sperling of forthcoming book, “Road Ecology: Science and
Solutions,” to be published in November by Island Press.
Dean
Karnopp, professor of Mechanical Engineering, in Los Angeles Times,
6-19-02, in an op-ed on the fuel efficiency of tilting three-wheeled vehicles,
co-authored with Allen Dusault of Sustainable Conservation.
Ken Kurani, in Davis
Enterprise, 6-10-02, in front page features story on the Nissan Hypermini
demonstration in Davis.
UC Davis FutureTruck Team, on
Sacramento TV Stations KOVR and KXTV, 6-6-03, in advance of the July
FutureTruck contest.
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