Application of Smart Materials in the Actuation System of a Gas Injector

Composites in Vehicles Brake Systems-Selected Issues and Areas of Development

Modern composite materials, thanks to their excellent properties, are widely used [...].

Comparative Study of Combustion, Performance and Emission Characteristics of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil–Biobutanol Fuel Blends and Diesel Fuel on a CI Engine

This article is a study of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil and Butanol Fuel blends, which are mixed in three different proportions (HVOB5, HVOB10 and HVOB20), and the comparison of their combustion (in-cylinder pressure, pressure rise and ROHR), performance (fuel consumption, BSFC and BTE) and emission (CO2, NOX, HC and Smoke) characteristics with those of fossil diesel fuel. In the wake of finding an alternative fuel that requires little to zero modifications to the existing IC engines, it is necessary to account for the necessity of matching the efficiency of conventional fuels as well as greatly reducing its exhaust emissions. As a result of transesterification, HVO is found to have better stability and higher CN compared to other biofuels. It is termed a “renewable diesel” due to its ability to reduce emissions while maintaining efficiency. HVO as a fuel has higher cost efficiency, and for a more stable oxygen content in the fuel, an alcohol substitute is needed. Butanol, which has a considerable advantage over other alcohols due to its higher density, viscosity and CN, is selected. HVOB5 and HVOB10 are found to match diesel fuel in terms of fuel consumption while having a ~1% lesser efficiency. In terms of emissions, all the fuel mixtures including HVO100 are found to have ~4–5% lesser CO2, ~10–15% lesser NOX and a ~25–45% reduction in smoke levels.

Market Electrification for BEV and PHEV in Relation to the Level of Vehicle Autonomy

The automotive market has been developing very dynamically recently. Contemporary trends focus on the development of the so-called intelligent vehicles, often combined with modern technology and supporting systems. Cars with a large scope of operation in terms of driving autonomy can increasingly be found. These types of solutions can lead to changes in production processes through the emergence and growing importance of new concepts and technologies. The article presents the concept of BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) and PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) vehicles in relation to modern solutions and their levels of autonomy. The research was conducted in various groups of respondents, while the analyses were carried out mainly with the use of two grouping variables: gender and place of residence. Based on our own research, it can be concluded that due to many different factors, most respondents believe that PHEV hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles (BEV) are currently, and will most likely be in the near future, the dominant type of vehicles appearing on roads in Poland, at the same time indicating the level of advancement of autonomy as average (mainly level 1, 2 and 3).

The Planning Process of Transport Tasks for Autonomous Vans—Case Study

Transport is an area that is developing at a tremendous pace. This development applies not only to electric and hybrid cars appearing more and more often on the road but also to those of an autonomous or semi-autonomous nature. This applies to both passenger cars and vans. In many different publications, you can find a description of a number of benefits of using automated guided vehicles (AGV) for logistics and technical tasks, e.g., in the workplace. An important aspect is the use of knowledge management and machine learning, i.e., artificial intelligence (AI), to design these types of processes. An important issue in the construction of autonomous vehicles is the IT connection of sensors receiving signals from the environment. These signals are data for deep learning algorithms. The data after IT processing enable the decision-making by AI systems, while the used machine learning algorithms and neural networks are also needed for video image analysis in order to identify and classify registered objects. The purpose of this article is to present and verify a mathematical model used to respond to vehicles’ demand for a transport service under set conditions. The optimal conditions of the system to perform the transport task were simulated, and the efficiency of this system and benefits of this choice were determined.

Charging Electric Vehicles from Photovoltaic Systems—Statistical Analyses of the Small Photovoltaic Farm Operation

Zero-emission transport is a very important topic that is increasingly taken up by many institutions and research centers around the world. However, the zero-emissivity of the vehicle is quite a complex issue, which should be understood as not only the lack of emissions during the operation of the vehicle, but also the provision of clean energy to the vehicle. In this approach, charging the battery of an electric vehicle from renewable sources—a photovoltaic (PV) farm—and its operation can be considered as a totally zero-emission form of transport. The article presents a PV system containing two micro-installations with a capacity of up to 40 kWp each to supply electricity to two parts of the Lublin Science and Technology Park (LSTP) building. Thanks to the innovative monitoring system, it was possible to analyze the consumption and production as well as the effective use of electricity. Statistical analyses of consumption (charging the electric vehicle battery) and electricity production by the PV installation were carried out. It was found that charging an electric vehicle could be a good way to use the surplus energy production from the farm and thus a faster repayment on investment in the PV farm installation.