Impact of Signalized Intersections on CO 2 and NO x Emissions of Heavy Duty Vehicles

Nicolás Deschle, Ernst Jan van Ark, René van Gijlswijk and Robbert Janssen
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Nicolás Deschle: Sustainable Urban Mobility and Safety Group, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO), 2595 DA The Hague, The Netherlands
Ernst Jan van Ark: Sustainable Urban Mobility and Safety Group, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO), 2595 DA The Hague, The Netherlands
René van Gijlswijk: Sustainable Transport and Logistics Group, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO), 2595 DA The Hague, The Netherlands
Robbert Janssen: Sustainable Transport and Logistics Group, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO), 2595 DA The Hague, The Netherlands

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: Pollutant emissions have been a topic of interest in the last decades. Not only environmentalists but also governments are taking rapid action to reduce emissions. As one of the main contributors, the transport sector is being subjected to strict scrutiny to ensure it complies with the short and long-term regulations. The measures imposed by governments clearly involve all the stakeholders in the logistics sector, from road authorities and logistic operators to truck manufacturers. The improvement of traffic conditions is one of the perspectives in which the reduction of emissions is being addressed. Optimization of traffic flow, avoidance of unnecessary stops, control of the cruise speed, and coordination of trips in an energy-efficient way are necessary steps to remain compliant with the upcoming regulations. In this study, we have estimated the CO 2 and NO x emissions in heavy-duty vehicles while traversing signalized intersections, and we examined the differences between various behavioral scenarios. We found a consistent trend indicating that avoiding a stop can potentially reduce CO 2 and NO x emissions by up to 0.32 k g and 1.8 g , respectively. Furthermore, an upper bound for the yearly CO 2 savings is provided for the case of The Netherlands. A reduction of 3.2 % of the total CO 2 emitted by heavy-duty vehicles is estimated. These results put traffic control in the main scene as a yet unexplored dimension to control pollutant emissions, enabling authorities to more accurately estimate cost–benefit plans for traffic control system investments.

Keywords: sustainable transport; emissions; fuel consumption; connected transport; intelligent transport systems; energy efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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