Los ciclos de manejo, una herramienta útil si es dinámica para evaluar el consumo de combustible y las emisiones contaminantes del auto transporte

Abstract

A REVIEW OF THE SPECIALIZED LITERATURE OVER DRIVING CYCLES WHICH HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED IN MANY CITIES AND COUNTRIES, ALLOW TO MAKE SOME REFLECTIONS OVER THIS TOPIC, AND TO COMMENT ABOUT THE EXPERIMENTATION ACTIVITIES (ON THE ROADS, MOTORWAYS, IN THE LABORATORY AND BY COMPUTATIONAL MODELS). THE RESEARCHERS THAT WORK IN THIS FIELD HAVE REPORTED SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES IN THE DRIVING PATTERNS. FEDERAL TEST PROCEDURE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CYCLES TO BE DEVELOPED (IT WAS KNOWN IN THE DECADE OF THE 60'S) AND IT HAS SUFFERED CHANGES FROM MANY YEARS AGO IN ORDER TO BE MODERNIZED EPA (1998). IN THE SAME WAY, MANY COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN COMUNITY HAVE DEVELOPED DIFFERENT DRIVING CYCLES AND WHEN THESE HAVE BEEN COMPARED WITH EURO93, IT WAS COMMENTED THAT THE ACTUAL CYCLE SHOULD BE MODERNIZED BECAUSE IT DOESN´T REPRODUCE THE REAL WORLD CONDITIONS, MAINLY IN URBAN AREAS (ANDRÉ M. ROBERT ET A., 2001). NOWADAYS NOT ONLY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED BY THE EMISSIONS THAT DIRECTRLY AFFECT HEALTH, BUT ALSO THE EXAGGERATED FUEL CONSUMPTION. IN ADDITION TO WASTING NON-RENEWABLE PRODUCTS, IT GENERATES LARGE VOLUMES OF ONE OF THE GREENHOUSE GASES, CO₂. A COMMITMENT EXIST IN ALL COUNTRIES, MAINLY THOSE WHICH ARE HIGHLY INDUSTRIALIZED TO REDUCE THE GENERATION OF CO₂, AND AS ROAD TRANSPORT IS ONE OF THE SECTORS THAT CONSUMES LARGEST VOLUMES OF ENERGY IT´S INTERESTING TO KNOW WHAT IS BEING DONE IN THIS RESPECT. IN THIS PAPER SOME POINTS OF VIEW ARE MENTIONED CONCERNING THE RESEARCHERS (FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES) ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES THAT ROAD TRANSPORTATION DEVELOP TO DECREASE FUEL CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS, AND THEREFORE COMPLY WITH THE GOALS OF KYOTO