IMPROVED AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTIVITY: SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF A MOBILITY ENTERPRISE SYSTEM
Abstract
Private automobiles are significantly underutilized in the United States. While approximately 80 percent of the trips are taken in vehicles with more than four seats, only about 20 percent actually require a vehicle that large. The low productivity is primarily due to the close ties between auto usage and auto ownership. The present study is focused on an innovative idea called "Mobility Enterprise" as a measure to improve automotive productivity. The enterprise concept is based upon better matching one's trip requirements to the vehicle's characteristics. An enterprise can be either for profit or run by a non-profit organization. Under an enterprise system, each participating member will have personal access to a small leased car for mostly work trips as well as access to a wide range of special purpose shared vehicles. Such an enterprise system is intended to encourage and foster the various uses of automobiles in an efficient manner. A methodology is developed for studying the operation of a mobility enterprise and evaluating system performance of such enterprise under various operating options. The methodology is complemented by an optimization module capable of selecting key decision variables in order to optimize the enterprize system configuration. Application of the methodology is demonstrated through various case studies. The proposed mobility enterprise can be beneficial to both the individual members and the society as a whole. The members can realize savings in transportation expenditure as well as a better level of service through an expanded vehicle selection. The society, on the other hand, can achieve more efficient use of scarce and expensive resources.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Civil engineering
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.