Towards Sustainable Road Transport

Increasing pressure on global reserves of petroleum at a time of growing demand for personal transport in developing countries, together with concerns over atmospheric pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, are leading to a requirement for more sustainable forms of road transport. Major improvements in the efficiency of all types of road vehicles are called for, along with the use of fuels derived from alternative sources, or entirely new fuels. Towards Sustainable Road Transport first describes the evolution of vehicle designs and propulsion technologies over the past two centuries, before looking forward to possible new forms of energy to substitute for petroleum. The book also discusses the political and socio-economic drivers for change, investigates barriers to their broad implementation, and outlines the state-of-the-art of candidate power sources, advanced vehicle design, and associated infrastructure. The comprehensive technical informationsupplied by an expert author team ensures that Towards Sustainable Road Transport will provide readers with a clear understanding of the ongoing progress in this field and the challenges still to be faced.

Drivers of technological change in road transport and the infrastructure requirementsDiscussion of alternative fuels for internal combustion engines and fuel conversion technologiesDetailed exploration of current and emerging options for vehicle propulsion, with emphasis on hybrid/ battery electric traction, hydrogen, and fuel cellsComparative analysis of vehicle design requirements, primary power source efficiency, and energy storage systems

Chapter 1: The evolution of unsustainable road transport

Chapter 2: Drivers for change

Chapter 3: Unconventional fuels

Chapter 4: Development of road vehicles with internal combustion engines

Chapter 5: Progressive electrification of road vehicles

Chapter 6: Mains electricity supply for charging vehicle batteries

Chapter 7: Batteries and supercapacitors for use in road vehicles

Chapter 8: Hydrogen, fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles

Chapter 9: The shape of things to come