Transportation System Components An Internal Perspective

Transportation System Components An Internal Perspective.

Another component is what we call "equipment." I put it in quotes because it is not always literally equipment. Equipment is machinery that operates to facilitate the transportation 5. enterprise. For example, a loading crane at an intermodal terminal that takes a container off a flatbed truck and places it into the hold of a container ship is an example of equipment. Equipment for railroad track maintenance is another example.

Airport baggage handling equipment is subsidiary, but essential, to the traveler transportation function. Other examples of what we loosely call equipment include storage facilities for fuel, sand and road salt, as well as roadway snow removal equipment.

The next component is the power system. Power systems include the electric motors that propel vehicles. Internal combustion and diesel engines are examples of commonly used power systems. Power systems usually constrain the maximum speed and acceleration attainable. Some power systems use regenerative braking, in which energy expended in braking the vehicle is recaptured for later use.

Human power—using bicycles or walking, for example—is another form of power systems. Animal power is still a major power system in the developing world. Sailing ships, using the power of the wind, is a system with historical importance and is still in use for recreational purposes.

Electricity is a fuel. The New York City subway system runs on electric power, as do intercity trains in Japan, France, and, to a modest extent, in the United States. Electricity is centrally generated—say, from coal—and transmitted via high-voltage lines to permit the propulsion of vehicles by onboard electric motors. Conversely, electric automobiles run on electric power that is stored in batteries that propel an electric motor.

Solar energy is a possible fuel for running automobiles with electric motors equipped with solar cells that convert solar energy to electricity.

The idea of having battery-powered automobiles, operating in conjunction with solar panels as a method to recharge the battery during operation, is a potentially important concept.

The internal combustion engine is the heart and soul of the worldwide automotive industry. Internal combustion engines (ICE) operating on gasoline are used in an overwhelming percentage of vehicles. As demonstrated by the oil shocks in 1973 and 1979, the geopolitical aspects of the dependence on foreign oil is very important in the United States. The scarcity of oil, as well as environmental concerns, motivates much of the research on other sources of vehicle power. Research and development is being done on hybrid vehicles, which have both an ICE and batteries that provide power to electric motors. The idea behind hybrid vehicles is that the batteries can take care of power surges during acceleration and thereby substantially improve gas mileage.