Overview

The objective of this tutorial is to demonstrate how design decisions affect a product’s performance and its impact on the environment.  Specifically, you will examine how design attributes of the automobile affect fuel economy and emissions, and finally, how these associated emissions during a vehicle’s use phase impact local air quality.  This tutorial is broken down into five sections:

Vehicle Design

We begin with an overview of vehicle design and discuss how factors such as aerodynamic shapes, lightweight materials, and alternative powertrains can contribute to fuel economy improvements.

Air Pollution

Next, we will discuss how emissions from line sources (i.e. automobiles) and point sources (i.e. power plants and industrial sources) create air pollution that has an adverse affect on human health and the environment.

Vehicle Design Module

Then, you will assume the role of an automotive engineer, and you will be asked to design a car that will compose the entire Ann Arbor vehicle fleet.  You will be given the opportunity to choose a vehicle shape, mass, and powertrain to obtain fuel economy and emission values specific to your configuration.

Air Quality Model

With your new vehicle design, you will be given the opportunity to see how it impacts the air quality within the central campus of the University of Michigan.  You will be introduced to statistical dispersion modeling and utilize the CALINE 4 model to predict pollutant concentration at various locations throughout campus.

Exercises

This tutorial concludes with some exercise where you can apply these topics to quantitatively address real life issues pertaining to automotive design and air quality in the environment.