Monster Trucks

Monster Trucks
Author: Marty Garza
Publisher: Cartech
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2019-03-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9781613252949

For the past four decades there have existed a variety of debates concerning the creation of the monster truck. Most of the arguments are flawed, as they are largely based on the fundamental presumption that the monster truck is a static concept in terms of both construction and purpose. This book delineates how the monster truck is not a singular creation but instead the sum of many technologies orchestrated in a manner to achieve purposes that, like the vehicles, have evolved over time. Author Marty Garza takes the reader on a journey through various phases of monster truck development and occasionally provides evidence of the existence of variations of the concept that predate the establishment of the term. Monster truck fans will be provided with not only the nuts and bolts of individual technological developments but also the context in which they were created. Monster Trucksdepicts unique images that are true to the very nature of the developments themselves. The imagery may be dated, but it's vitally important for the preservation of the heritage of the monster truck industry and serves to recognize those individuals whose contributions have been largely overlooked though they played a significant role in achieving the spectacular level of technology observed today.

Technologies and Approaches to Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Technologies and Approaches to Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2010-07-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309159474

Technologies and Approaches to Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles evaluates various technologies and methods that could improve the fuel economy of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, transit buses, and work trucks. The book also recommends approaches that federal agencies could use to regulate these vehicles' fuel consumption. Currently there are no fuel consumption standards for such vehicles, which account for about 26 percent of the transportation fuel used in the U.S. The miles-per-gallon measure used to regulate the fuel economy of passenger cars. is not appropriate for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which are designed above all to carry loads efficiently. Instead, any regulation of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles should use a metric that reflects the efficiency with which a vehicle moves goods or passengers, such as gallons per ton-mile, a unit that reflects the amount of fuel a vehicle would use to carry a ton of goods one mile. This is called load-specific fuel consumption (LSFC). The book estimates the improvements that various technologies could achieve over the next decade in seven vehicle types. For example, using advanced diesel engines in tractor-trailers could lower their fuel consumption by up to 20 percent by 2020, and improved aerodynamics could yield an 11 percent reduction. Hybrid powertrains could lower the fuel consumption of vehicles that stop frequently, such as garbage trucks and transit buses, by as much 35 percent in the same time frame.

Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels

Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2013-04-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309268524

For a century, almost all light-duty vehicles (LDVs) have been powered by internal combustion engines operating on petroleum fuels. Energy security concerns about petroleum imports and the effect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on global climate are driving interest in alternatives. Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels assesses the potential for reducing petroleum consumption and GHG emissions by 80 percent across the U.S. LDV fleet by 2050, relative to 2005. This report examines the current capability and estimated future performance and costs for each vehicle type and non-petroleum-based fuel technology as options that could significantly contribute to these goals. By analyzing scenarios that combine various fuel and vehicle pathways, the report also identifies barriers to implementation of these technologies and suggests policies to achieve the desired reductions. Several scenarios are promising, but strong, and effective policies such as research and development, subsidies, energy taxes, or regulations will be necessary to overcome barriers, such as cost and consumer choice.

Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Autonomous Vehicle Technology
Author: James M. Anderson
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0833084372

The automotive industry appears close to substantial change engendered by “self-driving” technologies. This technology offers the possibility of significant benefits to social welfare—saving lives; reducing crashes, congestion, fuel consumption, and pollution; increasing mobility for the disabled; and ultimately improving land use. This report is intended as a guide for state and federal policymakers on the many issues that this technology raises.

Future Powertrain Technologies

Future Powertrain Technologies
Author: Stephan Rinderknecht
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2020-12-17
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3039437534

Among the various factors greatly influencing the development process of future powertrain technologies, the trends in climate change and digitalization are of huge public interest. To handle these trends, new disruptive technologies are integrated into the development process. They open up space for diverse research which is distributed over the entire vehicle design process. This book contains recent research articles which incorporate results for selecting and designing powertrain topology in consideration of the vehicle operating strategy as well as results for handling the reliability of new powertrain components. The field of investigation spans from the identification of ecologically optimal transformation of the existent vehicle fleet to the development of machine learning-based operating strategies and the comparison of complex hybrid electric vehicle topologies to reduce CO2 emissions.

Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Fatigue, Long-Term Health, and Highway Safety

Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Fatigue, Long-Term Health, and Highway Safety
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2016-09-12
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0309392527

There are approximately 4,000 fatalities in crashes involving trucks and buses in the United States each year. Though estimates are wide-ranging, possibly 10 to 20 percent of these crashes might have involved fatigued drivers. The stresses associated with their particular jobs (irregular schedules, etc.) and the lifestyle that many truck and bus drivers lead, puts them at substantial risk for insufficient sleep and for developing short- and long-term health problems. Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Fatigue, Long-Term Health and Highway Safety assesses the state of knowledge about the relationship of such factors as hours of driving, hours on duty, and periods of rest to the fatigue experienced by truck and bus drivers while driving and the implications for the safe operation of their vehicles. This report evaluates the relationship of these factors to drivers' health over the longer term, and identifies improvements in data and research methods that can lead to better understanding in both areas.

Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership

Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2008-10-19
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0309122082

The 21st Century Truck Partnership (21CTP), a cooperative research and development partnership formed by four federal agencies with 15 industrial partners, was launched in the year 2000 with high hopes that it would dramatically advance the technologies used in trucks and buses, yielding a cleaner, safer, more efficient generation of vehicles. Review of the 21st Century Truck Partnership critically examines and comments on the overall adequacy and balance of the 21CTP. The book reviews how well the program has accomplished its goals, evaluates progress in the program, and makes recommendations to improve the likelihood of the Partnership meeting its goals. Key recommendations of the book include that the 21CTP should be continued, but the future program should be revised and better balanced. A clearer goal setting strategy should be developed, and the goals should be clearly stated in measurable engineering terms and reviewed periodically so as to be based on the available funds.

Motor Truck Engineering Handbook

Motor Truck Engineering Handbook
Author: James Fitch
Publisher: SAE International
Total Pages: 456
Release: 1993-11-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 076802417X

This fourth edition updates the basic truck engineering data from previous editions and introduces the latest advancements in electronic applications to truck power trains and operations, assuring optimum performance and economy with a safer and cleaner environment. Useful data from official government tests on anti-lock brakes and traction enhance this edition. Likewise, environmental concerns are addressed through the use of non-polluting vehicles using alternative fuels and electrical energy.

Cost, Effectiveness, and Deployment of Fuel Economy Technologies for Light-Duty Vehicles

Cost, Effectiveness, and Deployment of Fuel Economy Technologies for Light-Duty Vehicles
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 812
Release: 2015-09-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309373913

The light-duty vehicle fleet is expected to undergo substantial technological changes over the next several decades. New powertrain designs, alternative fuels, advanced materials and significant changes to the vehicle body are being driven by increasingly stringent fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards. By the end of the next decade, cars and light-duty trucks will be more fuel efficient, weigh less, emit less air pollutants, have more safety features, and will be more expensive to purchase relative to current vehicles. Though the gasoline-powered spark ignition engine will continue to be the dominant powertrain configuration even through 2030, such vehicles will be equipped with advanced technologies, materials, electronics and controls, and aerodynamics. And by 2030, the deployment of alternative methods to propel and fuel vehicles and alternative modes of transportation, including autonomous vehicles, will be well underway. What are these new technologies - how will they work, and will some technologies be more effective than others? Written to inform The United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards, this new report from the National Research Council is a technical evaluation of costs, benefits, and implementation issues of fuel reduction technologies for next-generation light-duty vehicles. Cost, Effectiveness, and Deployment of Fuel Economy Technologies for Light-Duty Vehicles estimates the cost, potential efficiency improvements, and barriers to commercial deployment of technologies that might be employed from 2020 to 2030. This report describes these promising technologies and makes recommendations for their inclusion on the list of technologies applicable for the 2017-2025 CAFE standards.