The transportation industry plays a significant role in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions on a large scale. With the evolving technologies in powertrains and vehicles, there is an increased need for tools that can provide insights into how vehicles are utilizing energy. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has developed a new tool called Autonomie Express to address this need.
Autonomie Express is a free tool designed to assist transport and mobility companies, researchers, city planners, and other stakeholders in estimating their vehicles’ energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It offers a wide range of vehicles, both current and future, in its library for simulation. The tool includes models of various powertrains, fuel economies, and battery usage for different types of vehicles, from light-duty passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks.
One of the key features of Autonomie Express is its ability to help stakeholders visualize the impact of their current practices and vehicle fleets. For example, stakeholders can estimate potential savings by switching to electric vehicles or analyze how rush-hour traffic contributes to a city’s energy consumption. The tool can work in conjunction with traffic flow simulation tools to model the impact of new technologies such as electrification, connectivity, and automation on a larger scale.
Autonomie Express has been designed to be user-friendly, with a graphical interface that simplifies vehicle selection and connection with simulation tools. The tool offers pre-defined fleets for multiple scenarios, allowing researchers to accurately estimate the energy impacts of different technologies. This ease of use is intended to encourage users to explore more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible transportation options.
Autonomie Express has the potential to revolutionize how stakeholders in the transportation industry analyze energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. By providing a comprehensive library of vehicle models and a user-friendly interface, the tool offers valuable insights into the impact of different vehicle technologies. The development team at Argonne National Laboratory hopes that making Autonomie Express available for free will encourage users to adopt more sustainable transportation practices and reduce their environmental footprint.
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