The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has introduced a groundbreaking tool called Autonomie Express, which has the potential to revolutionize the way we analyze energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions on a large scale. This innovative tool is designed to assist a wide range of users, including transport and mobility companies, researchers, city planners, and more, in estimating the energy usage of their vehicles.
Breakdown of Vehicle Energy Usage
Autonomie Express has the capability to assess energy consumption for various types of vehicles, both current and future, in a detailed manner. As Phillip Sharer, the manager of Argonne’s model-based systems engineering group, explains, the tool enables users to explore scenarios such as transitioning 50% of vehicles to battery electric, allowing them to visualize the impact on traffic flow. With the continuous evolution of transportation technologies, including advancements in powertrain and vehicle intelligence, Autonomie Express provides a comprehensive library of vehicle models to accurately depict energy usage patterns.
A Glimpse into the Future
One of the key features of Autonomie Express is its extensive collection of vehicle types, ranging from light-duty passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks. The tool not only models the powertrains, fuel economy, and battery usage of existing vehicles but also includes projections for new models up to the year 2050. Ram Vijayagopal, the manager of the vehicle and technology assessment group, emphasizes that Autonomie Express covers a wide range of modern vehicles currently on the road, as well as those anticipated in the coming decades. With over 5,000 full vehicle models to choose from, transportation engineers can create realistic simulations of both present and future fleets.
Autonomie Express empowers stakeholders to evaluate the impact of their current practices and vehicle fleets, facilitating the transition to more sustainable transportation options. For instance, the tool can calculate potential cost savings for a transport company by switching to electric vehicles or quantify the energy consumption of rush-hour traffic in a city. By integrating with traffic flow simulation tools like Aimsun, PTV Vissim, and others, Autonomie Express enables users to model the effects of new technologies such as electrification and automation at scale. Aymeric Rousseau, the director of the vehicle and mobility systems department, underscores the user-friendly nature of the tool, with a graphical interface that streamlines vehicle selection and simulation processes.
The Autonomie Express development team has made the tool available at no cost, aiming to encourage users to adopt energy-efficient and environmentally responsible transportation practices. Through accurate energy impact estimations and scenario-based fleet simulations, Autonomie Express provides valuable insights into the potential benefits of transitioning towards energy-efficient vehicles. By leveraging this tool, stakeholders can make informed decisions that lead to a more sustainable transportation ecosystem.
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