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Reducing fuel consumption through modular vehicle architectures

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  • Carvalho, Irene
  • Baier, Thomas
  • Simoes, Ricardo
  • Silva, Arlindo

Abstract

By identifying energy waste streams in vehicles fuel consumption and introducing the concept of lean driving systems, a technological gap for reducing fuel consumption was identified. This paper proposes a solution to overcome this gap, through a modular vehicle architecture aligned with driving patterns. It does not address detailed technological solutions; instead it models the potential effects in fuel consumption through a modular concept of a vehicle and quantifies their dependence on vehicle design parameters (manifesting as the vehicle mass) and user behavior parameters (driving patterns manifesting as the use of a modular car in lighter and heavier mode, in urban and highway cycles). Modularity has been functionally applied in automotive industry as manufacture and assembly management strategies; here it is thought as a product development strategy for flexibility in use, driven by environmental concerns and enabled by social behaviors. The authors argue this concept is a step forward in combining technological solutions and social behavior, of which eco-driving is a vivid example, and potentially evolutionary to a lean, more sustainable, driving culture.

Suggested Citation

  • Carvalho, Irene & Baier, Thomas & Simoes, Ricardo & Silva, Arlindo, 2012. "Reducing fuel consumption through modular vehicle architectures," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 556-563.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:93:y:2012:i:c:p:556-563
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.12.004
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    Cited by:

    1. Celalettin Yuce & Fatih Karpat & Nurettin Yavuz & Gökhan Sendeniz, 2014. "A Case Study: Designing for Sustainability and Reliability in an Automotive Seat Structure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(7), pages 1-24, July.
    2. Irene Carvalho & Ricardo Simoes & Arlindo Silva, 2018. "Applying the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) to identify design opportunities for improved passenger car eco-effectiveness," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 907-932, August.

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