scholarly journals To LDT or Not to LDT: Assessment of Principal Impacts of Light-Duty Trucks

2000 ◽  
Vol 1738 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara Maria Kockelman
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Economy ◽  
Sport Utility Vehicle ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Passenger Car ◽  
True Cost ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Light Duty ◽  
Cost Differences ◽  
Utility Vehicle ◽  
Light Duty Truck

Light-duty truck classification allows manufacturers and owners to avoid a host of passenger-car regulations, including gas-guzzler taxes, safety standards, and more stringent emissions and fuel-economy standards. The distinct policies that govern light-duty trucks and passenger cars are described; the emissions, safety, and fuel economy differences that have resulted are evaluated; and the household use differences across such vehicles are investigated. The result is that when the average new pickup truck or sport-utility vehicle is compared with a passenger car, there appears to be an implicit subsidy of roughly $4,400 favoring the light-duty truck. When minivans are compared with passenger cars, this subsidy is estimated to be around $2,800. With more equitable vehicle regulations, it is likely that prices would more accurately reflect the true cost differences resulting from the use of these vehicles, causing light-duty trucks to lose some of their popularity or clean up their act.

Assessment of NCHRP Report 350 Test Vehicles

2002 ◽  
Vol 1797 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-37
Author(s):  
King K. Mak ◽  
Roger P. Bligh
Keyword(s):  
Potential Problem ◽  
Sport Utility Vehicle ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Test Vehicle ◽  
Passenger Car ◽  
Pickup Truck ◽  
Current Test ◽  
Entire Vehicle ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Utility Vehicle

The appropriateness of test vehicles specified in NCHRP Report 350 was assessed, including ( a) whether the 2000-kg, three-quarter-ton pickup truck should continue to be used as a test vehicle, and if not, what replacement vehicle would be appropriate; ( b) whether the 820-kg passenger car should continue to be used as a test vehicle, and if not, what replacement vehicle would be appropriate; and ( c) whether another test vehicle should be added to the matrix—for example, an intermediate-sized passenger car. From the analysis, the following conclusions and recommendations were drawn: ( a) The three-quarter-ton pickup truck appears to be a good surrogate for the light truck subclasses. The recommendation is to keep the 2000-kg, three-quarter-ton pickup truck as one of the design test vehicles in the update of the guidelines for NCHRP Report 350. ( b) A potential problem is the availability of three-quarter-ton pickup trucks with standard cabs. An alternative design test vehicle may be an intermediate-sized sport utility vehicle, ( c) The availability of the 820-kg passenger car design test vehicle will be a problem within the next few years. The recommendation is to keep the current test vehicle as long as it is still readily available, or until the NCHRP Report 350 guidelines are updated, and to increase the curb weight to a level consistent with the curb weights of the two smallest passenger cars with reasonably high sales volume. ( d) The addition of a third design vehicle—for example, a 1500-kg intermediate-sized passenger car—to ensure that a roadside feature performs satisfactorily across the entire vehicle spectrum is highly desirable but cost-prohibitive. The addition of an intermediate-sized design test vehicle is therefore not recommended except in situations in which there is a perceived concern that the device may not function properly when impacted by an intermediate-sized vehicle.

Effect of Fuel Economy on Automobile Safety

2005 ◽  
Vol 1941 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjana Ahmad ◽  
David L. Greene
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Economy ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Cointegration Analysis ◽  
Corporate Average Fuel Economy ◽  
Traffic Fatalities ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Light Duty ◽  
Light Trucks ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Light Duty Vehicle

Since 1975, the fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks has been regulated by the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, established during the energy crises of the 1970s. Calls to increase fuel economy are usually met by a fierce debate on the effectiveness of the CAFE standards and their impact on highway safety. A seminal study of the link between CAFE and traffic fatalities was published by R. W. Crandall and J. D. Graham in 1989. They linked higher fuel economy levels to decreases in vehicle weight and correlated the decline in new car weight with about a 20% increase in occupant fatalities. The time series available to them, 1947–1981, includes only the first 4 years of fuel economy regulation, but any statistical relationship estimated over such a short period is questionable. This paper reexamines the relationship between U.S. light-duty vehicle fuel economy and highway fatalities from 1966 to 2002. Cointegration analysis reveals that the stationary linear relationships between the average fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks and highway fatalities are negative: higher miles per gallon is significantly correlated with fewer fatalities. Log–log models are not stable and tend to produce statistically insignificant (negative) relationships between fuel economy and traffic fatalities. These results do not definitively establish a negative relationship between light-duty vehicle fuel economy and highway fatalities; instead they demonstrate that national aggregate statistics cannot support the assertion that increased fuel economy has led to increased traffic fatalities.

Legibility of Overhead Guide Signs with Encapsulated Versus Microprismatic Retroreflective Sheeting

2003 ◽  
Vol 1844 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Carlson ◽  
Gene Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vehicle Design ◽  
Sport Utility Vehicle ◽  
Passenger Car ◽  
Late Model ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Transportation Agencies ◽  
Utility Vehicle

A study was conducted to determine the legibility impacts of freeway guide signs when encapsulated retroreflective sheeting is replaced with microprismatic retroreflective sheeting. The study included freeway guide signs mounted in an overhead position and exclusively illuminated with vehicle headlamps. A total of 60 subjects divided into three age groups participated in this nighttime study. All 60 subjects drove two vehicles, a modern sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a late-model passenger car. The findings show that microprismatic sheeting does provide statistically longer legibility distances than encapsulated sheeting. Overall, the improvement was 53 ft, or 9.5%. However, for the modern SUV, the improvement was much greater (78 ft) compared with the late-model passenger car (28 ft). The main differences are related to the evolution of vehicle design and specifications. Today’s United States citizens prefer large vehicles such as an SUV, pickup, and minivan. These vehicles also meet recently revised headlamp specifications. These two issues inherently reduce the amount of headlamp light retroreflected from the sign back to the driver. Unfortunately, these counterproductive trends show signs of continuing. Considering the increasing proportion of older drivers in the United States, it becomes even more critical that transportation agencies do all they can to increase overhead-sign luminance. The findings show that increasing overhead-sign luminance by switching from encapsulated retroreflective sheeting to microprismatic retro-reflective sheeting results in significantly longer legibility distances. The magnitude of the difference will continue to increase as long as the SUV-like proportion of the U.S. fleet continues to grow and headlamp specifications continue to direct less light toward overhead signs.

Meeting the Challenge: A Stochastic Assessment of the U.S. Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parisa Bastani ◽  
John B. Heywood ◽  
Chris Hope
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Economy ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Corporate Average Fuel Economy ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Policy Model ◽  
Light Duty ◽  
Stochastic Transport ◽  
Light Trucks ◽  
Light Duty Vehicle ◽  
The U.S

The U.S. Department of Transport and EPA have recently proposed further regulation of the light-duty vehicle corporate average fuel economy and GHG emissions for model years 2017 to 2025. Policy makers are setting more stringent targets out to 2025 in a context of significant uncertainty. These uncertainties need to be quantified and taken into account systematically when evaluating policies. In this paper, a stochastic technology and market vehicle fleet analysis is carried out, using the STEP (Stochastic Transport Emissions Policy model), to assess the probability of meeting the proposed CAFE targets in 2016 and 2025, and identify factors that play key roles in the near and midterm. Our results indicate that meeting the proposed targets requires (a) aggressive technological progress rate and deployment, (b)aggressive market penetration of advanced engines and powertrains, (c) aggressive vehicle downsizing and weight reduction, and (d) a high emphasis on reducing fuel consumption. Three scenarios are examined to assess the likelihood of meeting the proposed targets. The targets examined here, 32.5 and 34.1 mpg in 2016 and 44 and 54.5 mpg in 2025, are reduced from the nominal CAFE values after allowing for the various credits in the proposed rulemaking. The results show that there is about a 42.5% likelihood of the passenger cars average fuel economy falling below 32.5 mpg and a 5.3% likelihood of it exceeding 34.1 mpg in 2016, and about a 4% chance of it exceeding 44 mpg in 2025, under the plausible-ambitious scenario. Under the EPA/DOT preferred alternative scenario, the likelihood of passenger cars average fuel economy meeting or exceeding 34.1 mpg in 2016 and 44 mpg in 2025 increases to about 74% and 34.5% respectively. The probability of meeting these combined CAFE targets drops to less than 1% in both near and mid terms, once light trucks are included in the mix. This analysis quantifies the probability of meeting the targets therefore to enable risk-based contingency planning, and identifies key drivers of uncertainty where further strategic research is needed.

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