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This paper presents an overview of research on the behaviour of drivers in simulated accident situations. The research was carried out by the authors of this work as a part of a research N N509 549 040 funded by the National Science Centre including new accident situations. The paper presents a description of the methodology and implementation of research on a track. During the tests, the simulation concerns about an accident risk situation involving pedestrians and passenger cars intruding the road area. In contrast to earlier research carried out by the authors, the scenario included the possibility of a pedestrian 'entering' from behind a curtain, both from the left and from the right sides of the road. This was possible thanks to a specially developed test stand. The paper analyses the values of driver's reaction times characteristic to driver's impact on: acceleration control pedals, service brake and steering wheel. In addition to the determination of average reaction time values and the regression line for the test group of 30 drivers, the assessment of the frequency of drivers taking individual defensive reactions was carried out.

There is a range of anxiety-related phenomena among users and potential buyers of electric vehicles. Chief among them is the fear of the vehicle stopping and its users getting “stuck” before reaching their designated destination. The limited range of an electric vehicle makes EV users worry that the battery will drain while driving and the vehicle will stall on the road. It is therefore important to know the factors that could further reduce the range during daily vehicle operation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of selected parameters on a battery’s depth of discharge (DOD). In a simulation study of an electric vehicle, the effects of the driving cycle, ambient temperature, load, and initial state of charge of the accumulator on the energy consumption pattern and a battery’s depth of discharge (DOD) were analyzed. The simulation results confirmed that the route taken has the highest impact on energy consumption. The presented results show how significantly the operating conditions of an electric vehicle affect the energy life. This translates into an electric vehicle’s range.

The rapid transition to electric-drive vehicles is taking place globally. Most automakers are adding electric models to their lineups to prepare for the new electric future. From the analysis of the automotive market, it is evident that there is a growing interest in such vehicles. They are expected to account for half the models released after 2030. Electric-drive vehicles include battery-electric vehicles. As indicated in the research literature and emphasized by experts, electric vehicles (EVs) are supposed to be an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional vehicles. The rising number and variety of EVs contribute to a better understanding of their performance. With more EVs on the market, there are problems to be solved and challenges to overcome. This article is the first part of a two-article series reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of EVs. The article analyzes the environmental effects of EVs at each stage of their life cycle, compares large- and small-scale recycling methods, and explores the potential applications of second-life batteries. This article is an attempt to find out how environmentally friendly EVs are.

Driver behavior is one of the most relevant factors affecting road safety. Many traffic situations require a driver to be able to recognize possible danger. In numerous works, aggressive driving is understood as unsafe and as a hazard entailing the risk of potential crashes. However, traffic safety is not the only thing affected by a vehicle operator’s driving style. A driver’s behavior also impacts the operating costs of a vehicle and the emission of environmental air pollutants. This is confirmed by numerous works devoted to the examination of the effect of driving style on fuel economy and air pollution. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of aggressive driving on fuel consumption and emission of air pollutants. The simulation was carried out based on real velocity profiles collected in real-world tests under urban and motorway driving conditions. The results of simulations confirm that an aggressive driving style causes a significant increase in both fuel consumption and emission of air pollutants. This is particularly apparent in urban test cycles, where an aggressive driving style results in higher average fuel consumption and in pollutant emissions as much as 30% to 40% above the average compared to calm driving.

The partial recovery of kinetic energy during braking allows the vehicle’s battery to be additionally charged and thus extends the range of an electric vehicle. Because of the different operating strategies of the braking energy recovery system, it is important to understand the factors influencing the level of recovered energy. The driving conditions at the place of use have a direct impact on the energy efficiency of an electric vehicle. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the energy recovered during braking in different driving conditions. The tests were based on the parameters of actual trips made along urban and suburban routes, and express roads. The collected actual speed profiles were used for the simulation studies. AVL cruise vehicle simulation software was used in the study. Simulation tests revealed that the levels of energy recovered during braking in an electric vehicle were the highest in urban conditions. The amount of energy recovered during urban driving can account for 20% of the total trip energy. In driving conditions characterized by different intensities caused by trips at different times of the day, similar values of recovered energy were recorded. When driving in the afternoon hours, the level of recovered energy per 1 km was about 2% lower than when driving in rush hour conditions. From the results presented in this paper, it can be concluded that driving conditions have an impact on the level of recovered energy. The type of road on which the electric vehicle drives is particularly important.

The electrification of road transport is developing dynamically around the world. Many automotive companies are introducing electric vehicles to the market, and their popularity is constantly growing. The increasing popularity of electric vehicles is caused by individual countries’ governments encouraging people to switch to electric vehicles and their lower operating costs. In 2022, the number of electric vehicles in China will exceed 10 million. Europe and the USA rank second and third in global electric car stock, respectively. The number of available electric vehicle models is constantly growing, remaining approximately 2.5 times smaller than the case of vehicles with an internal combustion engine. Among others, a significant limitation to the popularity of electric cars is users’ fear of range and the density of the charging infrastructure network. This paper presents the objectives regarding public areas and charging stations around the European Union’s comprehensive and core transport network. It is worth noting that the vehicle and charging point’s charging connectors vary depending on the geographical region. Therefore, the currently used charging connectors for different regions are presented. Charging time depends significantly on the charging current, the power of the charging point, and the devices installed in the vehicle. The paper analyzes the limitations of charging power resulting from the onboard charger’s power and the charging point’s power. It presents the charging time of selected electric vehicles. The second aspect that is also the subject of user concerns and discussed in this article is issues related to the safety of electric vehicles. General safety indicators of such vehicles based on Euro-NCAP tests are characterized. Attention was also paid to more detailed problems related to active and passive safety and functional safety analyses. The issue of the fire hazard of electric vehicles was discussed together with modern experiences regarding post-accident procedures in the event of fires.

The safety of road users is one of the priority issues taken into account in both the operation and design of vehicles. The presented work is part of a study that aims to develop a method for parametric assessment of driver behavior. The driving style of a driver depends on their skills and psychophysical characteristics, the type and performance of the vehicle used by the driver, and the type of road. This method involves the continuous measurement of the longitudinal and lateral acceleration values of a vehicle body. The paper analyzes how the type of road influences the structure of the maneuvers undertaken by the driver. The paper formulates criteria for distinguishing basic maneuvers (acceleration, braking, and turning). The structure of maneuvers was analyzed for two parameters: the extreme value of acceleration occurring during the execution of a given maneuver and the frequency of maneuvers during the passage of a given route. The analysis presented in this paper confirms that the type of road has a significant influence on the structure of the maneuvers undertaken by the driver.

A vehicle’s longitudinal acceleration is a parameter often used for determining vehicle motion dynamics. This parameter can also be used to evaluate driver behavior and passenger comfort analysis. The paper presents the results of longitudinal acceleration tests of city buses and coaches recorded during rapid acceleration and braking maneuvers. The presented test results demonstrate that longitudinal acceleration is significantly affected by road conditions and surface type. In addition, the paper presents the values of longitudinal accelerations of city buses and coaches during their regular operation. These results were obtained on the basis of registration of vehicle traffic parameters in a continuous and long-term manner. The test results showed that the maximum deceleration values recorded during the tests of city buses and coaches in real traffic conditions were much lower than the maximum deceleration values found during sudden braking maneuvers. This proves that the tested drivers in real conditions did not have to use sudden braking. The maximum positive acceleration values recorded in acceleration maneuvers were slightly higher than the acceleration values logged during the rapid acceleration tests on the track.

The role of the road transportation of people and goods is increasing [...]

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the operating parameters of electric vehicles (EVs) and parameters related to road conditions. The data for analysis came from urban driving trips conducted at different times of day. The average energy consumption was the dependent variable in the model. The following parameters were used as independent variables: the stopping time;; the journey time; the average speed; the quartiles of speed, acceleration, and deceleration, and their maximum values; the number of braking; stops; and the acceleration time and regenerative braking. A multiple linear regression model was developed to predict the average energy demand of an EV based on its kinematic parameters. The proposed model enables the analysis of the influence of various factors related to the route and driving style of the driver on the average energy consumption in the vehicle.