Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology and Policy Program, February 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-67). / Although the use of Aluminum in cars has been increasing for the past two decades, there has been limited progress in the development of aluminum auto bodies. Although some carmakers have developed all aluminum spaceframe designs, aluminum is far from being a material of choice for autobodies. Most aluminum substitution has come in the form of castings and forgings in the transmission, wheels etc. The substitution of steel by aluminum is partly influenced by the regulatory pressures to meet fuel efficiency standards by lightweighting and recycling standards. The thesis looks at the possible reasons-both regulatory pressures and market forces as to why aluminum has been a part by part substitute for steel rather than for the entire autobody. The key obstacle is the high cost of primary aluminum as compared to steel. Both the aluminum and the automotive industries have made attempts in their respective areas to make aluminum a cost-effective alternative to steel. The thesis looks at the possible options for the aluminum industry in the current macroeconomic conditions including scale economies and cost analysis of newer rolling technologies. The thesis then analyzes the cost of fabrication and assembly of four different aluminum car body designs compared with the conventional steel designs. The cost of the car design depends on the how cost effective that the aluminum producers can be in producing the primary aluminum. We then attempt to analyze if the aluminum can be an alternative to steel at lower primary aluminum prices, if these can be feasible and the possible implications for the aluminum producers and the regulators. / by Ashish S. Kelkar. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology and Policy Program, 2000. / "June 2000." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-109). / The evaluation of the Orinoco-Meta Corridor megaproject requires the use of a custom-made methodology that can take proper account of its complexity and particular characteristics. The methodology should contribute to increase the probability of achieving the objectives set by the multiple stakeholders. But the megaproject has been conceived, and will be carried into the evaluation and implementation stages, in a setting where there is lack of consensus on its design and objectives, non-alignment on the criteria for selection, and huge risks and uncertainties. Furthermore, the evaluation needs to deal with the long duration of each stage and the frequent unrelatedness of ex-ante evaluations with the implementation stages. The evaluation methodology for the megaproject in question should therefore tackle these concerns with the aid of Multiobjective Real Options Design. This requires a progressive evaluation that starts with the construction of a multi objective vector, which consists of a Cost-Benefit Analysis and the assessment of five non-monetary variables - Environmental Impacts, Population Distress, Effects on Employment, Distributional Effects, and Effects on Comparative Advantage. Next, the methodology needs to build-on with Risk Analysis and Decision Analysis to produce the design of real options for the megaproject. The proposed methodology also includes a framework for encapsulating the megaproject into a participatory process at both the evaluation and implementation stages. At the end it is recognized that even after fulfilling the requirements of the proposed evaluation methodology, some gaps will still need to be filled in the areas of organization, financing, international coordination, and local security to provide conditions conducive to the successful implementation of the megaproject. / by Daniel E. Aldana Sanín. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Technology and Policy Program, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-114). / Extended producer responsibility is a business strategy whereby a firm assumes responsibility for the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire lifecycle. By taking such responsibility, a firm realizes an incentive to design environmentally preferable products that are easier to recycle, reuse, or re-manufacture. Many extended producer responsibility strategies involve product take-back, whereby the producer can harvest residual value of the product at the end of its useful lifetime. This strategy is connected to sustainable development in that producers are taking responsibility for the products they are offering. Society is faced with many global environmental problems that threaten ecological stability and social wellbeing. Extended producer responsibility facilitates awareness of these problems and encourages the design of innovative products with minimal environmental impacts. This awareness is an important step toward the possibility of sustainable development. There are three requirements for successful differentiation of a product. First, consumers must be willing to pay for the new product. Second, credible information must be available regarding the product. Third, barriers must be erected to prevent competitors from imitating the product. A producer who attempts to satisfy these requirements is exhibiting rational economic behavior. Hence, this thesis asks whether firms that invest in sustainable product differentiation through extended producer responsibility are exhibiting rational economic behavior. Four products are examined in extensive detail. These include Xerox's Document Center 265, Interface's environmental flooring products including the Evergreen Lease, Kodak's single use camera, and Deep E. Co.' s environmental footwear. Each case study has shown evidence of rational economic behavior. However, Interface and Deep E. Co. have also displayed strong environmental propensities that seem to prohibit successful differentiation. Furthermore, two other requirements are found that are particularly important for extended producer responsibility. First, the producer must invest in an extensive R&D relationship with its suppliers. Second, to harvest residual value of the product, reverse logistics systems must be in place. The thesis concludes that regulation is not necessary for products such as those studied here. However, voluntary programs resembling EPA's Energy Star program may help in communicating the benefits of extended producer responsibility to other businesses. / by Michael J. Augusteijn. / S.M.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology and Policy Program, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-155). / by Chow Yin Tan. / M.S.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-82). / Fuel consumption of cars and light-duty trucks is one of the most vigorously debated issues in the U.S. While impressive gains have been made in terms of both fuel efficiency and individual vehicle fuel economy in the past two decades, the overall fuel consumption of the U.S. light-duty vehicle fleet continues to grow. Although concerns about the effect of emissions from the vehicles and a significant reliance on imported oil provide legitimate reasons for government action to manage fuel consumption, the economic and societal impacts of such intervention assume multiple dimensions. This research finds that there exists no silver bullet for reducing the fuel consumption of motor vehicles in the U.S. However, there are several different policy measures available to affect the production and purchase of more fuel efficient vehicles as well as reduce the amount of driving. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of individual of policy options reveals the potential for combination of policies. A fleet model helps understand the time delay between the introduction of new fuel efficient vehicles and the reduction in fuel consumption of the fleet. Analysis of political and institutional obstacles enables an evaluation of the feasibility of a comprehensive policy package. A reinforcing combination of different policies can increase the overall effectiveness of the proposed strategy. Such an approach aims at exploiting synergies between different measures, remove perverse incentives, and increase political acceptability of the overall strategy by spreading the impact and responsibility. An integrated policy package that combines fuel economy standards, fee and rebate scheme for vehicles, fuel taxes and increased renewable content in fuels / (cont.) is evaluated as an example. Such a coordinated set of policy actions might result in reduction of 32% up to 50% in overall fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of the light-duty vehicles. / by Anup P. Bandivadekar. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology and Policy Program, 1998. / Original t.p. missing; re-created from June 1998 degree book and abstract. "June 1998." / Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-73). / Currently the electric utility companies are going through a deregulation process that is going to result in market competition for the generating and the transmission companies. The competition is going to be mainly realized by the nuclear power generating companies. The main reason behind this is that existing nuclear power plants have incurred large capital costs that have not been fully recovered. Hence it is predicted that nuclear power plants will not be able to survive the competition. Accordingly there is a need to reduce the cost of operating nuclear power plants without deterioration to plant safety. In addition the regulations delineate the procedures that the plants have to go through for maintenance and surveillance in a prescriptive manner. While the essence of prescriptive regulations is to limit miscommunication and false diagnoses, prescriptive regulations have adversely affected worker cognition and decreased plant workers to routine following robots. These two factors namely the upcoming competition and the adverse effects of prescriptive regulations indicate a need for nuclear power plant operation modification which in turn implies regulations modification. Recently the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a number of policies and rules that promote the use of risk informed decision making in the regulatory process. These include Safety Goals policy, the PRA policy, the Backfit Rule and the Maintenance Rule where the latter promotes performance rather than prescription based regulations. In addition the NRC has to function under recent congressional budgetary cuts and directives to include Cost/Benefit analysis of regulations, their application and their enforcement. This thesis is concerned with formulating / (cont.) an appropriate framework for moving from the current prescription based regulations to risk informed performance based regulations. Hence the goal is to integrate the NRC's new Risk-Informed policies and performance based regulations. There will be particular focus on the Emergency Diesel Generator System for demonstration purposes. This work is funded by the INEL and is pursued with the cooperation of the Milstone-3 power plant of Northeast Utilities. / by Sarah Ali Abdelkader. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-115). / Drivers using information from an Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) could potentially make better travel decisions to reduce travel time and increase trip reliability, thereby benefiting both guided drivers as well as those without such access. However, market penetration of ATIS can have dramatic effects on the performance of the transportation system in terms of overall benefits conferred as well as the distributional effects between guided and unguided drivers. Because market penetration will be determined both by private market structure and public policies, the effective deployment of ATIS depends critically on the private and public organizations that will provide these services. An understanding of the relationship between transportation system performance and ATIS market penetration provides important insights into a sustaining market structure for the ATIS industry. This thesis provides an empirical study of the impact of ATIS on transportation network quality of service using an application of DynaMIT (Dynamic network assignment for the Management of Information to Travelers). An analysis of the simulation results serves to inform the public and private stakeholder positions in the creation of a better market for ATIS. The main results are that the provision of dynamic route guidance can simultaneously benefit the individual performance of drivers, both guided and unguided, as well as the system performance of existing transportation infrastructure. In order to perform this analysis, it was necessary to develop a new software framework for the real- time integration of DynaMIT and a Traffic Management Center (TMC). / by Daniel George Florian. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-101). / Unsustainable transportation systems have been the cause of many problems facing urban areas around the world. Lack of regard for sustainable development considerations by those responsible for planning and implementing transportation systems has caused unhealthy air quality, noise pollution, traffic congestion, loss of green spaces and biodiversity, disruption of neighborhoods, equity problems, resource use etc. Many factors could potentially cause unsustainable transportation systems to persist. Transportation planning and decision-making is crucial in determining the structure and operation of transportation systems and hence also its sustainability. This thesis explores the idea of transportation planning institutions with the capability to design and implement sustainable transportation systems and how these institutions can be developed. The Regional Strategic Transportation Planning/CLIOS Process and Regional Planning Architecture Protocol were combined to form a Regional Planning Architecture Strategic Design Framework. To illustrate the use of the framework, it was applied in developing a RPA for planning a sustainable APTS-enabled regional multimodal public transportation system for the rapidly developing Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Region in Malaysia. / by Zulina Zakaria. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2005. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis reports on two technology and policy issues directly related to hydrogen economy. The first issue concentrates on the end-use application of hydrogen as a transportation fuel, and deals with the following question: what is the place of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles among the new, more-efficient advanced vehicle technologies. Our analysis indicates that fuel cell vehicles using hydrogen from fossils fuels offer no significant energy efficiency advantage over hybrid vehicles in urban driving cycle. Therefore, there is a strong justification for federal support for hybrid vehicles that will achieve similar results, quicker. The second issue focuses on another important technology and policy question related to large scale hydrogen production: are there any comparative efficiency, cost and/or political advantages of using an advanced nuclear reactor coupled to a thermochemical conversion plant to produce hydrogen with respect using a conventional nuclear reactor coupled to an electrolysis plant? The results suggest that given the existing technical and cost uncertainties, developing an advanced nuclear reactor technology solely for the use of thermochemical hydrogen production is not good energy (R&D) policy. Electrolysis is a more promising alternative provided a more efficient electrolysis technology can be coupled to an advanced nuclear energy (i.e. electricity) source at a reasonable cost. Therefore, large R&D investment in thermochemical hydrogen production should be balanced with a similar R&D in large scale electrolysis technologies that are relatively easier to deploy and have lower engineering risks. / by Nurettin Demirdöven. / S.M.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-68). / There are currently about 120 airport rail links existing or proposed to be constructed around the world. The growth in the number of airport rail links reflects the almost relentless growth in air travel and the associated worsening congestion and delays on both landside and airside of airports. Rail-Air Passenger Intermodal Development (RAPID) in the United States has lagged behind the world trend, especially in comparison with Europe and Japan. This paper consists of two tasks: to examine technical priorities for the competitiveness of rail a s a feeder to a irports, a nd to i dentify key b arriers a nd recommend changes for RAPID development in this nation. Having an effective intermodal connection has proved to be the prerequisite for the successfulness of RAPID. When such a connection is available, enhancing intermodal cooperation is likely to be more effective than operating high speed rail in terms of the competitiveness of railfor airport trips. The speed of trains only needs to be high enough to ensure door-to-door trip time advantages over highways and flights in short- to mid- distance corridors. All the necessary technical options for RAPID have been widely applied in the world for decades. Even without technical challenges, RAPID development might be expensive and complicated with with many stakeholders and interest groups directly and indirectly impacted. Lack of effective intermodal infrastructure has been the primary hurdle impeding RAPID development in this nation. Unbalanced development in this nation's intercity passenger transportation system has resulted in the inability of intercity railroads to promote RAPID and the unwillingness of air carriers to connect and cooperate with the rail system. / (cont.) These problems make RAPID unlikely to be developed by relying solely on the private sector. Mode separation in the administrative framework and modal bias in policy generate further hurdles for RAPID from the public sector in terms of public funding, information, planning and cooperation. To succesfully achieve RAPID, the federal government must play a major role in terms of provding a) sufficient federal funding specifically for RAPID infrastructures and b) incentives to enhance the willingness of state and localities to support RAPID. The federal leadership and institutional support will also be necessary to increase modal integration to facilitate RAPID research, planning and decision making. / by Dalong Shi. / S.M.