Towards Sustainable Road Transport

Increasing pressure on global reserves of petroleum at a time of growing demand for personal transport indeveloping countries, together with concerns over atmospheric pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, areleading to a requirement for more sustainable forms of road transport. Major improvements in the efficiencyof all types of road vehicles are called for, along with the use of fuels derived from alternative sources, orentirely new fuels. Towards Sustainable Road Transport first describes the evolution of vehicle designs andpropulsion technologies over the past two centuries, before looking forward to possible new forms of energyto 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 powersources, advanced vehicle design, and associated infrastructure. The comprehensive technical informationsupplied by an expert author team ensures that Towards Sustainable Road Transport will provide readerswith 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 storagesystems