Lane Departure Warning Assistant: Dutch DOT Advertises for Partners in Field Operational Testing

Webraska and AirFlash Merge to Create Worldwide Location-based Services Leader
Merged Company Uniquely Positioned in Telecommunications and Automotive Markets
Most Complete Offering for Development of LBS Applications

ENERGIES... week of September 16, 2001

The CyberCars project has officially started the 1st of August 2001, the 1st. A kick-off meeting gathering all participants has been held at INRIA Rocquencourt the 30-31 of August.

Vizzavi Netherlands selects Webraska to launch nation-wide real-time traffic information services

Mise en place du PREDIT 3
Mise en place du Programme Nationale de Recherche et d'Innovation dans les Transports Terrestres
2002 - 2006
PREDIT3_Misenplace.pdf

Future Wheels
Interviews with 44 Global Experts On the Future of Fuel Cells for Transportation And Fuel Cell Infrastructure AND A Fuel Cell Primer
FuelCells.pdf

ENERGIES... week of June 10, 2001

A new book on Intelligent Vehicle Technologies by L Vlacic, M Parent F Harashima
Intelligent Vehicle Technologies

ENERGIES... week of June 17, 2001 (Special Extended Edition)

Ne touchez pas à la ligne blanche !

Pacific Access-Webraska alliance paves the way for web and wireless location and navigation

Sydney, Australia, 5 June 2001

Capteur hybride anti-collision pour l'automobile
Thierry MAHE

Pour lire l'article : Le quotidien de la technologie > vendredi 01/06/01

Une plateforme multimédia pour l'automobile
Thierry MAHE

Pour lire l'article : Le quotidien de la technologie > vendredi 25/05/01

Une lutte sanglante entre l'automobile et les télécommunications
Entretient : René Trégouët

Pour lire l'article : Le quotidien de l'auto 17/05/01

La réponse des villes à la nouvelle demande de mobilité
INTA - le forum mondial du développement urbain en coopération avec RATP - Régie autonome des transports parisiens

13-16 mai 2001
Paris, France

Mobilité et accessibilité font la ville ; ces deux fonctions sont la raison d'être de la ville, tout autant que les instruments de la créativité et de l'innovation : ils conditionnent les déplacements de toutes sortes et créent les relations entre les acteurs de la ville. La mobilité que l'on recherche dans les villes n'est pas seulement physique et technique, elle est tout autant individuelle et collective, psychologique et politique, dans les esprits et dans les institutions. Cependant, mobilité et accessibilité sont de plus en plus paralysées par l'encombrement de l'espace urbain, les contraintes spatiales du développement, la dislocation des fonctions urbaines et la pression de la croissance. Les coûts associés à la mobilité -infrastructures et coût des services- absorbent des parts croissantes du revenu des ménages. Dans tous les pays, ce problème majeur n'est plus seulement technique, il retient l'attention des responsables politiques, économiques et financiers, parce qu'il est devenu la clé du développement urbain et qu'il se situe au c¦ur du choix de vie dans les villes.

Dans la plupart des pays, l'expansion urbaine a entraîné une reformulation du transport collectif. Cette mise à plat n'est pas propre aux villes des pays développés, mais atteint une dimension mondiale. Elle a amené un peu partout les pouvoirs publics (Etat ou collectivités locales) à reprendre eux-mêmes la gestion des réseaux de transport avec des financements publics; malgré cette intervention massive, les transports collectifs résistent mal à l'expansion de la voiture individuelle. On peut imaginer qu'avec le développement des technologies, de nouvelles formes de mobilité vont surgir tant dans l'espace que dans le temps, défi auquel les transports publics doivent répondre comme acteur d'une politique de la ville.

L'objectif de la rencontre est de définir ensemble les types de stratégies et les modalités de concertation qui permettent d'améliorer les conditions de déplacements et de circulation en ville. La conférence fait donc une large place aux échanges d'expériences entre élus et institutionnels.

Une visite du réseau de la RATP permettra d'appréhender un exemple de multimodalité, et d'intégration et l'apport de nouvelles technologies; elle servira à introduire un débat sur les interactions entre technologies et comportements dans la fabrication de la ville. D'autres thèmes considérés comme prioritaires seront abordés au cours de présentations plus formelles. La conférence se poursuivra par une série de plénières :

• Evolution des mobilités urbaines et modèles de villes
• Méthodologie et outils du management de la mobilité
• L'effort collectif en faveur des transports publics
• L'espace politique de la mobilité urbaine : le choix des élus.

Des ateliers apporteront des réponses aux préoccupations immédiates des décideurs locaux :

• Le rôle des transports dans le renouvellement urbain
• La mobilité des biens dans la ville
• Temps de la ville et organisation des transports
• La gestion de l'espace urbain
• Les réponses aux nouvelles demandes de mobilité : intermodalité, dessertes spécifiques, NTIC
• Economie de la mobilité et partenariats public /privé
• Transport, accessibilité : vecteurs de citoyenneté et de développement local
• Les architectes du déplacement: les choix des générateurs de trafic.

Une exposition permettra aux entreprises partenaires de faire partager leurs visions de la mobilité: RATP International Investissement, EDF, Bouygues, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation, Irisbus, Systra, Matra Transport International, Bombardier, Adtranz, Siemens, Alstom, Lohr Industries,...

Pour l'information supplémentaire voire: http://www.inta-aivn.org/francais/20-Activites/html/ville-en-devenir.htm

INTA - le forum mondial du développement urbain Nassau Dillenburgstraat 44 2596 AE La Haye Pays Bas Tél: 31-70-324 4526 Fax: 31-70-328 0727 [email protected] http://www.inta-net.org

The First North American Shared Car Conference will be held in downtown Atlanta on April 17 - 19, 2001.
They hope to have representatives there from most of the car-sharing and station-car organizations in Canada and the U.S., i.e., the North American Shared Car Industry.
Conference Information and the Agenda can be found at: http://www.cleanearthaction.com/2001conf.shtml

Communiquer ou conduire, il faut choisir

Pour lire l'article : Le quotidien de la technologie > mardi 10/04/01

Robots in Human Environments and Haptic Interaction

Oussama Khatib
Robotics Laboratory
Department of Computer Science
Stanford University

A new field of robotics is emerging. Robots are today moving towards applications beyond the structured environment of a manufacturing plant. They are making their way into the everyday world that people inhabit -- hospitals, offices, homes, construction, and other cluttered and uncontrolled environments. The successful introduction of robotics into human environments will rely on the development of competent and practical systems that are dependable, safe, and easy to use. The discussion focuses on models, strategies, and algorithms associated with a number of autonomous capabilities that are essential for robot operations in human environments. The second part of the presentation concerns haptic interaction and its augmentation with accurate dynamic simulations of contact and impact forces. The focus is on methodologies and algorithms that address the computational challenges associated with the real-time requirements for haptic interaction with dynamic simulations of complex virtual environments.

About the Speaker
Oussama Khatib is Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. His work is on autonomous robots, human-centered robotics, robot design, virtual dynamic environments, and haptic interactions. The emphasis of his research is on methodologies and technologies that address the intricate dynamic nature of these systems, provide the capabilities needed for their action and interaction with the environment, and cope with their real-time requirements. This research spans a variety of topics ranging from the autonomous ability of a robot to cooperate with a human to the haptic interaction of a user with a virtual prototype, an animated character, or a surgical instrument.

10 Year National ITS Program Plan and Research Agenda

"CLEAR ZONES ON THE ROAD TO THE CITY OF TOMORROW"

New Ideas for Reducing Traffic and Pollution in City Centres

The Rutherford Conference Centre, The Institute of Physics 76 Portland Place, London W1N 3DH

As local authorities are declaring Air Quality Management Areas, they need to start thinking about what actions they can take and defining their Air Quality Action Plans. This one-day conference looks at how Clear Zones can plan a part in a city's Air Quality Action Plan. The issues covered are traffic reduction measures, new fuels, vehicles and traffic management and impacts on the local economy.
The conference will be relevant to local authorities, technology providers, developers and retailers.

Registration Fee - £45 plus VAT @ 17.5% (includes lunch and delegate pack)

For a full programme and registration form, please contact:
Miss Rebecca Richardson, Clear Zones Office
TTR Ltd, Arundel House, 6 Portland Square, Bristol BS2 8RR
Tel: 0117 907 6522 Fax: 0117 907 4146
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.clearzones.org.uk

A Joint Conference Between the Clear Zones Initiative and the NSCA Cleaner Transport Forum, supported by the DETR

Motorola iRadio™ System Hits the Road at Consumer Electronics Show 2001
Motorola Inc. (ticker: MOT, exchange: New York Stock Exchange) NewsRelease - 4-Jan-2001

Feel Good Cars Inc.
Canadian specialists in electric propulsion vehicles for your better world.
www.feelgoodcars.com

AIR LIQUIDE ET NUVERA CONSTITUENT UNE NOUVELLE SOCIETE POUR COMMERCIALISER DES PILES A COMBUSTIBLES
Air Liquide et Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc. ont annoncé aujourd’hui un accord relatif à la constitution d’une société commune dont le nom sera communiqué ultérieurement et qui sera basée à Sassenage, (Isère), France. Cette société développera à l’échelon mondial, des systèmes d’équipements complets de production d’énergie à partir de piles à combustibles et de réformeurs (voir note), pour des applications portatives, stationnaires ou dans le domaine des transports.

L’accord prévoit que la société assurera le développement, la fabrication et la commercialisation de systèmes d’équipements pour usage portatif, de modules pour applications stationnaires et d’équipements adaptés aux transports collectifs (bus, tramways) ou aux véhicules utilitaires ; tous ces systèmes utiliseront de l’hydrogène comme combustible primaire pour produire une énergie propre, sans rejet nuisible à l’environnement. La nouvelle société poursuivra, en outre, ses recherches dans le domaine des piles à combustible pour développer, tester, enrichir sa technologie .

L’entité ainsi créée recevra l’appui d’une équipe dédiée d’ingénieurs issus du bureau européen de Nuvera, qui prendra en charge le coeur des piles à combustible (stack). Air Liquide, de son côté, assistera NUVERA pour le développement du coeur du système et sera responsable du développement des procédés de production et de stockage de l’hydrogène, du développement des auxiliaires de la pile à combustible, des tests et travaux de qualification des systèmes intégrés.
Lire le communiqué de presse.

HONDA¹S NEW FCV ENTRY
Equipped with a fuel cell stack of its own design, Honda has added a new edition of its FCX-V3 fuel cell vehicle to the fleet at the California Fuel Cell Partnership. Previous Honda FCV¹shave used Ballard stacks.
This latest test vehicle, which is based on Honda¹s EV Plus battery electric, has improved performance thanks in part to the inclusion of a Honda-developed ultra capacitor in the drive system for better acceleration. Start-up time has also been reduced from 10 minutes in some previous Honda FCV¹s to 10 seconds in this car.
Other specifications include a maximum speed of 130 km/h (80 mph) and a vehicle weight of 1750 kg (3860 lbs). The FCX-V3 runs on compressed hydrogen stored at 3674 psi in a 100 liter (26 gal) tank. The fuel cell¹s power output is 70 kW and the vehicle¹s electric motor maximum power is 60 kW (about 80 hp), but with 238 Nm (175 ft/lb) of torque.
Honda calls its stack a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) which is technically the same as a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell.
Visit Honda at http://www.honda.com/ and the Partnership at http://www.fuelcellpartnership.org/.

L'INRIA RECRUTE : Ouverture de concours

HITACHI SE LANCE DANS L'ITS
Hitachi se lancera dans le domaine de l'ITS (Intelligent Transport System) vers le milieu de cette annee 2001. La societe etablira une filiale pour offrir plusieurs services de type ITS distribution de musique et d'informations, reservation de billets et d'hotel, navigation routiere avancee, etc. Tous ces services seront factures et payes via le systeme de reglement ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System). (Source Nikkei Electronics, 1er janvier 2001) (Pour plus d'informations ) (ref 169/TIC/1280)

Toshiba cree un processeur d'image pour l'ITS.

Toshiba Corp. a developpe un processeur de reconnaissance d'images pour les vehicules intelligents (ITS, ou Intelligent Transportation System). Ce processeur est base sur un concept de processeur de media configurable. Il contient de fait tous les circuits de base necessaires aux fonctions des vehicules intelligents. Il devient donc inutile de concevoir une puce pour chaque application. Il suffit de choisir le circuit correspondant a chaque tache.

De plus, Toshiba a incorpore des processeurs de signal numerique peu chers dans la puce, afin d'effectuer rapidement tous les calculs repetitifs. L'unite centrale s'en trouve allegee, et l'operation est plus rapide. Enfin, cela reduit le nombre d'unites centrales necessaires et le cout global.

(Source : Nikkei Industrial Daily du 07/02/2001)
(Pour vos questions, contactez [email protected])
(Contact : Toshiba : fax : +81 3 5444 9202, ou http://www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm)

Toshiba Announces World's First Image Recognition LSI For Intelligent Vehicle System
Versatility of a Configurable Media-Processor Demonstrated

TOKYO, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba today announced the world's first image recognition LSI integrating a configurable media-processor. A version of the new LSI, customized for an intelligent vehicle system, was reported today at the International Solid-State Circuit Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco.

Toshiba's new LSI realizes the new concept of a configurable media processor that enables optimization for a specific application by means of design-time configuration. Synthesizable RTL components are provided with the processor's template architecture, which can incorporate common components used in multiple applications and custom components for specific target applications. This versatility promises to introduce a high level of cost-performance into embedded solutions.

The application reported at ISSCC adopts advanced image recognition technology that isolates dynamic movement against its background. The application system is able to transact seventeen or eighteen real-time image frames a second, the level required to detect passing vehicles.

The application reported at ISSCC adopts advanced image recognition technology that isolates dynamic movement against its background. The application system is able to transact seventeen or eighteen real-time image frames a second, the level required to detect passing vehicles.

The LSI can also be applied to other driving activities, such as crossing two lanes of traffic, monitoring the road ahead for obstacles, monitoring the driver's line of vision, and adaptive cruise control (ACC) that maintain a pre-determined distance between vehicles. In such applications as lane crossing and ACC, the processor can transact an average of 100 frames a second.

Toshiba expects to commercialize a monitoring system incorporating the new LSI within 2002.

Development Background
The cope of intelligent traffic systems (ITS) is widening from electronic toll-collection systems to cover overall driving safety, a move that has seen the commercialization of rear monitoring systems for installation in vehicles. However, current systems require a number of standard processors and offer a poor level of cost performance.

Toshiba has sought enhanced cost performance through advanced image recognition and customizable processor technologies, and their application to monitoring the road behind and beside the vehicle on which they are installed. The company also hopes that such advances in reliability will stimulate the market for ITS and contribute to a safer driving environment.

Outline of New LSI
The new LSI integrates a configurable media-processor developed for system LSIs that handle data-centric applications, such as multimedia, image processing, communications and audio processing. The media processor provides superior cost performance customization for each specific application.

The customizable media-processor integrates Very Long Instructions Word (*VLIW) architecture as an extension support. Various digital signal processors (DSP) can be realized by integrating a dedicated data path for each application. The present LSI uses the VLIW architecture to integrate a dedicated data path for transacting image recognition for the intelligent vehicle system. The processing unit consists of 3-way-VLIW and can process 32-bytes per cycle in parallel.

A memory of optimized size and structure is integrated as a result of the detailed analysis by the image recognition algorithm: 4-kilobyte (KB) instruction cache, 4KB data cache and 16KB two-banked scratch pad memory. In addition, direct memory controller is also integrated for direct interface between external memory and scratch pad memory. By parallel transaction of memory and processor, data access time of memory can be minimized.

In order to offer a competitive system of image recognition for the intelligent vehicle system, peripheral circuits are integrated, including Electric Erasable PROM controller, parallel I/O, image data input unit and SDRAM controller. The SDRAM controller can be directly connected to 8MB of SDRAM operating at 125MHz.

* VLIW-an instruction contains several tasks.
Specifications of New LSI
Process: 0.25-micron four-layer metal
Logic and memory size: approximately 300,000 gates for random logic,
4KB instruction cache, 4KB data cache and 16KB data memory
Power supply: 3.3V (I/O), 2.5V (Internal)
Power consumption: 1.95W
Chip size: 7.1 x 7.1 millimeters
SOURCE: Toshiba

A new computer-controlled tractor leaves the driving to the Global positioning System.

A farmer sits on his front porch, reading The Economist. His wife is checking her stocks on the Internet. The farmhand is driving to town for chicken feed.
Who’s plowing the field? The tractor, of course.
This scenario isn’t as fanciful as it seems. Life on the farm could be changed dramatically by a new kind of tractor one that plows perfect rows, day or night, all by itself. Using satellite signals for guidance, this new tractor could help ease the monotony of endless plowing.
Those of us who think corn comes from the grocery store may not appreciate the difficulties farmers face. Driving a tractor isn’t like driving a car. There are no yellow lines. To plow straight, the farmer must use his hood ornament a gun sight to line up the tractor with a distant landmark, like a notch in the mountains. By aiming for that notch, he can keep the tractor’s path straight within about a foot.
But he’s also pulling a plow, typically 30 feet wide. It doesn’t matter how straight the tractor drives if the plow jostles off course. The driver must not only stay focused on the distant mountain, but constantly turn and look to make sure the plow (or any other implement he tows) is still in line.
Poor visibility also makes driving tough. A farmer needs a windless day to spray fertilizer or pesticide. But in areas like California’s Central Valley, a calm day may bring dense fog , making it impossible to visually line up rows. In the future, an automated tractor could solve these problems. By calculating its current position and the path it needs to follow, a robotic tractor can drive a precise path, perfectly matching rows to one another in the thickest fog or the dark of night.

In the Global Positioning System (GPS) lab at Stanford University, engineers led by professor Bradford Parkinson have developed an automatic system that uses satellite signals for steering control. Such control, according to the researchers, saves time, increases farm efficiency, and lowers overall costs.
http://natsci.ucsc.edu/acad/scicom/SciNotes/0001/plows.htm

Auto News from Japan, Germany, Michigan

Following the example of Toyota’s innovative hybrid gas-electric car, the Alliance award-winning Prius, and Honda’s Insight, the Ford Motor Co. announced plans this month to introduce a new technology to Ford Explorers in 2004 to raise fuel efficiency from 19 to 27 miles per gallon.
General Motors says it will begin offering a wide range of vehicles powered by hybrid gas-electric engines in 2004.
DaimlerChrysler will begin selling a fuel-cell powered van to the parcel-delivery company Hermes Versand Service in 2001.
Finally, The BMW Group announced this month that its fleet of hydrogen powered sedans will be coming to the United States on July 12 of this year.
www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/business/09AUTO.html
www.latimes.com/business/20010109/t000002319.html
www.daimlerchrysler.com/index_e.htm?/news/top/2001/t00102_e.htm
www.bmwusa.com/news_events/news_l.cfm?item_id=2035600010

The Car of the Future on the Streets Today

SUVs are so 20th century. In San Francisco, where CNET is headquartered, these gas-guzzling monstrosities make even less sense. With gridlock on the streets, some of the highest gas prices in the country, and a critical shortage of parking spaces, we're in dire need of "cars" like the ones used on The Jetsons. While we haven't see anything that drastic yet, there are a lot of newfangled automobiles on the roads today, so we'd thought we'd see what they're all about.

And we're not writing about concept cars or demonstration models, either. These are real-world vehicles for sale and on the streets right now. All of these autos are so geeky-cool, though, that you're bound to attract more attention with them than you wanted. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if exhibitionism motivated their purchase more often than environmentalism. But any way you look at it, the roads are getting a whole lot more interesting. http://home.cnet.com/consumerelectronics/0-3622-8-4387628-1.html

IEEE ITSC (IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Council) Newsletter

Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2001

IN THIS ISSUE
COUNCIL NEWS

• From the Editor
• From elected IEEE ITS Council President
• Calendar of Council Events
• ITS for Rent
• Dualmode: Transportation's future
• Report on the ITS Council meeting, Oct 1, 2000
• CFP: The IEEE 4th International Conference on Intelligent
• CFP: 2001 IEEE Intelligent Vehicle Symposium
• Report on IEEE Trans. on Intelligent Transportation Systems
• IEEE Trans. on Intelligent Transportation Systems - Index
• CFP: IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems

NON-COUNCIL NEWS

• Postdoctoral or PhD Position available at K.U.Leuven
• CFP: IEEE International Vehicle Electronics Conference
• CFP: IEEE Intelligent Systems Magazine
• CFP: Vision in Vehicles 9
• Book Review: "Computerised Vehicle Routing and Scheduling in Road Transport"

http://www.ce.unipr.it/itsc

POTENTIAL FOR MODE TRANSFER OF SHORT TRIPS

Recently the Centre for Transport Studies at University College London has completed a project with this title for the UK Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The reports on the project can be obtained from: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/transport-studies/shtrp.htm.

The objective of the project was to contribute to UK Government policy to encourage walking, cycling and the use of the bus instead of the car for short trips (less than 5 miles or 8 kilometres).
The approach adopted in this research was to identify a number of short trips by car and then discuss with those making them, the alternatives which they might adopt. A two-stage survey procedure was adopted. The first stage involved collecting information on all trips made over a two-day period in five areas of the country (London, Leeds, Ipswich, Hereford and Dorset). The second stage involved detailed discussions about alternatives for the short car trips made during the two days by some of those who made short car trips. The surveys were carried out by Steer Davies Gleave in the second half of 1998.

The 377 in-depth interviews about short trips by car have been analysed to establish why the car was used, what alternatives were perceived and what would induce a change to the alternatives. Alternatives to the car were identified for nearly 80% of short car trips, with business and work trips the least likely to transfer, and taking children to school the most likely. Of all the short trips by car, it seems that about 31% could transfer to walk, 31% could go by bus and 7% could be cycled. The single policy intervention that the respondents said would do most to attract them out of their cars would be to improve bus services which could attract up to 21% of car drivers, particularly increasing route coverage and frequency. There is little in the nature of specific policy intervention that could encourage more walking or cycling, so it would require personal initiative. Hence there is a need to make car drivers more aware of the benefits of walking and cycling.

The main findings of this work are available in two main reports: one reviewing existing data and the literature in this field, and the other describing the results of the surveys. They can be obtained via the UCL website at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/transport-studies/shtrp.htm. The executive summaries of these two reports can be obtained separately from this website, since the reports are rather long. (The executive summaries are included in the full reports). A brief factsheet containing the main findings from the surveys has been produced. A paper presented at the European Transport Conference (ETC) held in Cambridge in September 2000 can also be accessed. The files are all portable document (pdf) files that can be read using Adobe Acrobat software.

CONTROLE DE TRAJECTOIRE CHEZ NISSAN.

Nissan Motor Co. a annonce le 28 decembre 2000 la commercialisation d'une aide au controle de trajectoire sur la version remodelee de sa limousine de luxe Cima, qui doit sortir en janvier 2001.
Le systeme de Nissan utilise une camera pour detecter les bords de route, et un moteur corrige la direction. Cela peut etre tres pratique lors de coups de vent lateral ou sur route inclinee. Il n'entre en action qu'entre 65 et 100 km/h, et est deconnecte des que le conducteur utilise les clignotants ou tourne le volant pour changer de route. L'adoption de ce systeme sera la premiere commercialisation d'une technologie visant a aider au controle de trajectoire.
Il sera commercialise en commun avec une technologie deja existante qui permet de garder une distance de securite avec le vehicule precedent.
L'ensemble des deux coutera 425000 Yens supplementaires (4500 Euros).
(Source : Nihon Keizai Shimbun du 29/12/2000)
(Pour vos questions, contactez [email protected])
(Contact : Nissan : fax : + 81 3 3544 0109, ou http://global.nissan.co.jp/index_e.html)

Germans dig deep for transportation solution

AUTOMATED TUNNELS COULD EASE TRAFFIC CONGESTION CAUSED BY DELIVERY TRUCKS

BY CAROL J. WILLIAMS Los Angeles Times

BOCHUM, Germany -- It's called the Achilles' heel of the New Economy, and nowhere is the weakness of delivery so apparent as in this city in the middle of the densely populated Ruhr River valley.

Truck traffic through the 40-mile corridor connecting nearly 6 million people and many of Germany's heavy industries is so thick that the average drive between the corridor's far points, the cities of Duisburg and Dortmund, is an aggravating two hours. Backups sometimes stretch 200 miles, spilling out of the valley.

A few mouse clicks are all that is needed these days to buy anything from apples to automobiles, but timely arrival of goods is frustrated by the overwhelmed road network threading this congested stronghold of the Old Economy.

So when engineering Professor Dietrich Stein and a few friends at Ruhr University proposed moving freight delivery to an underground system of automated cargo capsules traveling through pipelines, they were not dismissed as mad scientists.

In fact, the Ruhr region's daily highway gridlock has made planners here open to unconventional solutions. With development money from the Science Ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia state, the professors of economics, engineering, construction, law, energy and environmental technology are building a prototype delivery drone and a test track. They expect to secure funding early next year for the first 45-mile stretch of tunnels.

``Every year businesses and industries in Germany waste 200 billion marks ($90 billion) on time lost to traffic jams that delay workers getting to their jobs, supplies getting to manufacturers and purchases getting to customers,'' Stein said. ``If we could eliminate most of the trucks by creating an underground delivery system, that would free up the roads for car drivers.''

The Ruhr valley is already such a maze of highways that transportation engineers have ruled out building new ones. Most of the existing roads traverse narrow gaps between apartment houses, stores and factories in the chain of cities that grew into a thick urban tangle after the rapid industrial development of the 19th century.

``The key to the success of this project will be integrating it into existing transportation systems, which we have done in designing the capsules to carry standard European shipping pallets,'' explained Gerhard Wagner, a professor of mechanics and transport technology, who is among the project's half-dozen founders.

The Cargo Cap, as the professors have named the sleek drone, is an electric motor-propelled cylinder over 5 feet across that carries about 1,200 pounds of freight, the equivalent of two standard cargo pallets.

The initial pipeline, to run east-west between rail terminals just outside the extremes of the corridor, is to be outfitted with sidetracks leading to 13 loading stations below major shopping centers and manufacturers. There, pallets can be electronically dispatched along rollers into a waiting elevator and lifted to the store or factory at ground level.

Eventually, the system could be extended to reach every business and household, replacing the need for overnight express, grocery and furniture deliverers and mail carriers. Departing capsules could carry away refuse and recyclables.

Large retailers also save on personnel costs, some managers in the sector believe, because the drones would require neither drivers nor traffic controllers. Each capsule would be programmed by the shippers to take contents to specified destinations, following a preset path through the pipeline system much like a guided missile is programmed to reach its target.

``Automated delivery will one day become a public utility that is as much taken for granted as indoor plumbing or electricity or telephone service are today,'' said Stein, who has spent his career developing sewer and drainage systems.

The scientists' test track will be completed by spring, and they forecast the inaugural stretch could be in operation within two years of the start of construction. The only thing slowing down the project is the absence of firm financing.

The scientists estimate the inaugural route and sidetracks will cost about $450 million, reimbursed by user tolls. That is only a bit more expensive than the same length of new highway, and relative costs could drop as tunneling becomes more technology-driven.

Forecasts show today's bad situation will only get worse. By 2005, the cargo volume traversing roads in this region will have grown by 90 percent from its 1990 levels, Klemmer said.

That's the fear of retailers who already cannot guarantee timely delivery.

``It's our worst hurdle to customer satisfaction,'' said Gerhard Schnuerch, head of the regional warehouse for Quelle, Germany's biggest mail-order business. ``People get very angry when they are asked to stay home all morning or all afternoon for a delivery that doesn't come.''

BOGOTA, THE WORLD'S FIRST CAR FREE CITY

Bogotanos approve innovative plan for 100% peak hour private car ban
On Sunday, 29 October 2000, after long and careful preparations, the Mayor of Bogota, Enrique Peñalosa, called a referendum to gain citizen support and to establish a long term legal context for a new transportation program which promises to change the face of the city as well as to provide a new model for organizing transport in many world cities.

This was the first such public consultation ever called in the city, and the mayor and many others called it "an outstanding exercise in popular democracy, which give the citizens of Bogota an opportunity to make their voice heard about the destiny of their own city".

The main measure put before the public consultation was a proposal of banning car use during six peak hours daily beginning January 1st, 2015. All cars except taxis will be off the streets from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. during work days. The proposal received 51% of the voters’ support, against 34% negative votes (the rest cast blank ballots). Annual Car Free Day also approved

Bogotanos also approved at the same time a second measure establishing an annual Car Free Day, to be held the first Thursday of February of every year beginning the year 2001. In this case, the vote was 63% for versus 26% against. The exceptionally strong support for this measure can be traced to last February 24, when the city held its first complete Car Free Thursday in which the 98% of the city's activities functioned normally. The Stockholm Challenge Prize for the environment was awarded for this unique community effort.

Mayor Enrique Peñalosa says that with only 30% households presently owning cars in his city, it is still possible to avoid the advanced cities' fate of becoming spaces dedicated to cars rather than people. He emphasizes the futility of trying to solve congestion problems by continuing to build ever more new roads and highways, which it is now well known only bring on yet further traffic increases and urban sprawl. He points to the United States example, where "more than cities with highways there are highways with cities, and yet time lost in traffic jams is doubling every five years".

The proponents of a car free Bogota during peak hours like to remind us, that a society in which most of its members drive dozens and even hundreds of kilometers daily burning non-renewable fuel is not sustainable. They believe that Bogota’s new model will not only bring considerable environmental advantages, but significant economic rewards as well. Saving billions of dollars of unnecessary taxes for excessive road construction and maintenance, as well as on fuel and cars, Bogotanos should be better able to attend to priority education, health, culture and other more humanly enriching investments.

Peñalosa believes that the city's mild temperature, averaging 15 ºC (57 ºF) all year round, high population density (210 inhabitants per hectare) and as-yet low car ownership, are advantages on which this entirely new model of city life can be built.

The Mayor is keen to emphasize the social implications of the new model in a society with very high income inequalities. "The company's vice-president will sit next to the cleaning lady on the bus, and the shanty town dwellers will stand at a traffic light on his bicycle next to the upper class businessman. They will no longer be separated by the window of an expensive car".

"Cars are marvelous for traveling to the countryside. But they are also the most powerful instrument of social differentiation and alienation that we have in society" says the Mayor.

With 800,000 cars already on our city streets, traffic would already be at a total standstill if it were not for our traffic restraint program "Pico & Placa" (Peak & License Plate) and new transport projects. There is no way that we will be able to accommodate the additional 40,000 - 60,000 that are being added each year and still have a city which respects its architectural and historic traditions and is safe and livable. We need an entirely new transportation model to do this.

The measures that have now been approved by the public consultation and are entering into effect can only be changed by new referendum, which for the moment seems hardly likely to be won by the proponents of unrestricted car use.

In the meantime, the city administration is hard at work completing hundreds of kilometers of new cycle paths and pedestrian facilities for daily transport, a new high capacity busway system that is to crisscross the city (Transmilenio), and other programs which constitute the core of the new transportation system which is already in operation.
Web Site: Vote Bogota 2000 at http://ecoplan.org/votebogota2000

GENERAL MOTORS TAKES STEPS TOWARD A FUEL CELL-POWERED VEHICLE FOR COMMERCIAL USE

DETROIT, Mich. - General Motors today unveiled new advancements in fuel cell development as it moves closer to putting a fuel cell-powered vehicle on the road in 2002. Byron McCormick, co-director of GM's Global Alternative Propulsion Center, announced GM has successfully tested its current generation gasoline fuel processor at more than 80 percent efficiency with a breakthrough catalyst system.

The catalyst will be used in the next-generation fuel processor that will be installed in a Chevrolet S-10 pickup that GM plans to demonstrate in early 2002. The processor will be 50 percent lighter, half the size of the previous generation, and capable of starting in less than three minutes, compared to the 12-15 minute start times in previous generations. In another step toward developing fuel cell systems for commercial use by the end of this year, GM will demonstrate an integrated system with this advanced fuel processor and a fuel cell stack that produces 25 kW. GM selected the 25kW system as a learning platform, which approaches the overall efficiency requirements for automotive use.

"Make no mistake about it, we are on the path to commercialization of fuel cells," McCormick said. "But we must continue to develop the technologies. We need less costly materials that still meet the durability and the standards that customer's demand. And we need a reliable and safe fuel infrastructure that will make hydrogen as readily available as gasoline is today."

Fuel cell vehicles run on electricity generated by an electrochemical process that uses hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cells are a quiet, clean source of power, with water as the only emission.
While GM believes hydrogen is the fuel of the future, it is developing gasoline processors as a bridge between today's fuel cell cars and tomorrow's true hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The unique, new catalyst GM has developed for its gasoline fuel processor solves a problem that has plagued engineers - how to prevent the catalyst from breaking down due to vibration during driving. In a fuel cell, the catalyst is critical because it helps convert the fuel into electricity.

The new catalyst is "supported" in a honeycomb-like device that holds it in place, preventing it from breaking down. GM has tested this system for more than 1,000 hours - about 20 percent of the time needed for automobile applications - with no reduction in performance.
GM expects this fuel cell system to achieve nearly 40 percent peak efficiency, nearly twice that of today's typical internal combustion engine.

GM believes gasoline fuel cells make use of an existing infrastructure and a readily available fuel supply. By using gasoline as the source of hydrogen, these environmentally sound vehicles can be in the public's hands by the end of this decade.

"Our stated goal is to put millions of fuel cell-powered vehicles on the road that customers want to buy," McCormick said. "Of the challenges that we face, I know we will deliver on the ones inside the vehicle like the cost and performance of the enabling technologies. The critical piece is the hydrogen infrastructure, because when that develops, mass commercialization will shortly follow."

General Motors has continued its leadership in fuel cell development with several recent breakthroughs, including:
Development of a highly efficient fuel cell processor that uses gasoline as a fuel to create a high-quality stream of hydrogen to power a fuel cell.
Start-up of a fuel cell stack at -20 degrees C, which clears a significant developmental hurdle in the evolution of fuel cell technology. Fuel cells create electricity in the presence of water, and frozen water in a fuel cell is akin to a dead battery in a conventional car.

The HydroGen1, an Opel Zafira-based vehicle that runs on liquid hydrogen and features the auto industry's most advanced operational fuel cell stack. It achieves full power nearly 12 times faster in freezing conditions than the same design unveiled in 1999.

http://www.generalmotors.com/cgi-bin/pr_display.pl?1806

EVERYDAY FUEL CELL VEHICLES. DaimlerChrysler has introduced its latest experimental fuel cell vehicle, the NECAR 5. In doing so the practical issues of fuel cell vehicle operation are being addressed. The new version now runs on methanol reformed by an on-board processor into hydrogen. The company admits that developing an infrastructure to distribute hydrogen would be too expensive. Ambient temperature methanol would be pumped like gasoline and would be produced from natural gas. However, DaimlerChrysler hopes methanol would eventually be made from biomass feedstock. The NECAR 5 also sports 50 percent more power - 75 kilowatts - from one Ballard Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack giving a respectable top speed of 90 mph. The entire fuel cell drive system, with reformer from Xcellsis, fits in the underside of the car. Ballard has also introduced an experimental 3 kilowatt Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC). Installed in a one person demonstration vehicle, the DMFC is PEM technology operating on methanol without a fuel processor.
Visit DaimlerChrysler at http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com(click Europe), Ballard at http://www.ballard.com/ and Xcellsis at http://www.xcellsis.com/.

Visit Green Energy News on the Web at http://www.nrglink.com/ . For free ENERGIES subscription contact [email protected]. Copyright Green Energy News Inc. 11/11/00 vol.5 no.32

SIMPLE CARS. Do people need large, expensive and complicated vehicles to run errands or perform basic tasks? Certainly the growing interest in Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) will be discussed in the above project. The California Energy Commission along with the City of Sebastopol, a Holiday Inn and Zapworld.com are co-funding a $120,000 project to demonstrate the use of NEV¹s for everyday use in Sebastopol. Zapworld, which supplies cars built by Global Electric MotorCars (GEM), uses them to shuttle employees and supplies between five locations within the city. The City has begun using the NEV¹s to read water meters - estimated to save $100 a week in fuel costs. The Holiday Inn uses NEV¹s to shuttle guests, is planning a solar charging station and is considering offering NEV rentals. NEV¹s have become a new federal category for vehicles to encourage their use in inner cities. The cars are limited to roadways with a maximum 35 mph speed limit. NEV¹s can have a top speed of 25 mph and must have automotive grade headlights, seat belts, brakes, and a windshield.
Visit Zapworld at http://www.zapworld.com/ , GEM at http://www.gemcar.com .

Visit Green Energy News on the Web at http://www.nrglink.com/ . For free ENERGIES subscription contact [email protected]. Copyright Green Energy News Inc. 11/11/00 vol.5 no.32

ENERGIES...

2005 World Exposition Aichi, Japan

"Cyber Hall" features cutting-edge technology Visitors to the year 2000 edition of the Mondial de l'Automobile will enjoy more than 5,000 square meters (54,000 sq. ft.) of exhibit space dedicated to the convergence of the Internet and the automobile in the world's first-ever automotive Cyber Hall. Located in Paris Expo Hall 8, the Cyber Hall will showcase the latest automotive technology that promises to keep drivers and passengers in touch with all the world, all the time.
http://carpoint.msn.com/mondial2000/en/cyberhall.asp

Visionary believes Detroit could become pedestrian-friendly community after all
http://detnews.com/2000/detroit/0009/06/s09-115913.htm

"Smart Cruise 21 - Demo 2000" Paves the Way for Full-Scale Driving Support. From November 28 through December 1, 2000, the Ministries of Transport and Construction will hold "Smart Cruise 21 - Demo 2000" in Tsukuba City near Tokyo. This is a public demonstration of a driving support system combining the Ministry of Transport's Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) end the Ministry of Construction's Advanced Cruise Assist Highway Systems (AHS) concepts. http://www.demo2000.gr.jp/index_e.htm

 

The SF-ASME is happy to invite you to the conference of:

 

Frank Keith

ASME Legislative Fellow who serves as the technical advisor to all fifty state governments in the areas of energy, waste management, and transportation

who will make a talk on the topic:

 

Ground Transportation for the 21st Century

This lecture is based on the speaker's recent book, "Ground Transportation for the 21st Century". The book is the result of concerns among state legislators in the USA regarding future challenges in automobile and rail transportation. At present, 97% of the energy for US transportation comes from petroleum sources and almost 60% of oil is imported. Legislators are concerned about the increasing cost of petroleum, pollution from the exhaust of automobiles and increasing congestion on highways with resulting gridlock. The book treats ground transportation options to solve the transportation dilemma, including electric and hybrid vehicles, hydrogen-powered fuel cells, high efficiency IC engines, telecommuting, and alternative fuels. The talk will highlight the state of development of these options and describe successes and failures in legislative efforts to deal with transportation problems in the US. Finally, the talk will speculate on ways and means to provide a viable ground transportation infrastructure in the future.

The talk will take place at 17h30 on September 20, 2000 at École des Mines de Paris

60, boulevard Saint Michel, Paris, FRANCE

The subject covered by this eminent adviser of the United States is today one of most important of those which worry the world, therefore SF ASME invites the interested experts to attend exposed and to take part in the discussion.

To forewarn its presence, and for any further information, you can contact:

Bernard Gindroz

Chemin de la Butte

Ficabruna

20620 Bigublia, FRANCE

Tel: (+33) 611 30 58 76

Cyril Cocq

16 résidence du Parc

91330 Yerres, FRANCE

Tel : (+33) 614 75 18 48

 

A second presentation will take place on September 22, 2000 at Poitiers, at the laboratory of the LMS on the site of Futuroscope

For more information, contact:

Michel Fillon

LMS

SP2MI, Bd Pierre et Marie Curie, BP 30179

86962 Futuroscope Chasseneuil Cedex, FRANCE

Tel: (+33) 549 49 65 43