Abstract

Throughout this essay a balance on Jürgen Habermas’ theoretical itinerary is exposed. We review his deeper motivations and questions to see how they anticipated to his mature reflections. It is highlighted the prevailing trends in social science to limit the reflection about the theoretical basis of this author and their possible connection with the subject of reason. After that, we present a summary of Frankfurt School main proposals, as well as a balance of the evolution perceived by critical theory about society and its key problem areas. It is emphasized the intent of this School to build an alternative paradigm face to the emergence of new forms of intelligibility, scientificity and rationality in social science. Finally, we present some ideas whose aim is to open a discussion about the theoretical and political importance found in entire Habermas work.

Abstract

Rear-end collisions are one of the most common types of accidents on roads. Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSS) have recently become sufficiently flexible and cost-effective in order to have great potential for use in rear-end collision avoidance systems (CAS). Nevertheless, there are two main issues associated with current vehicle rear-end CAS: "mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"""mml:mo stretchy="false""("/mml:mo""mml:mn fontstyle="italic""1"/mml:mn""mml:mo stretchy="false"")"/mml:mo""/mml:math" achieving relative vehicle positioning and dynamic parameters with sufficiently high accuracy and "mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"""mml:mo stretchy="false""("/mml:mo""mml:mn fontstyle="italic""2"/mml:mn""mml:mo stretchy="false"")"/mml:mo""/mml:math" a reliable method to extract the car-following status from such information. This paper introduces a novel integrated algorithm for rear-end collision detection. Access to high accuracy positioning is enabled by GNSS, electronic compass, and lane information fusion with Cubature Kalman Filter (CKF). The judgment of the car-following status is based on the application of the Adaptive Neurofuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The field test results show that the designed algorithm could effectively detect rear-end collisions with an accuracy of 99.61% and a false alarm rate of 5.26% in the 10 Hz output rate. Document type: Article

Abstract

In this paper we focus on the development of a new service model for accessing transport, namely Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and present one of the first critical analyses of the rhetoric surrounding the concept. One central assumption of one prevalent MaaS conceptualization is that transport services are bundled into service packages for monthly payment, as in the telecommunication or media service sectors. Various other forms of MaaS are being developed but all tend to offer door-to-door multi-modal mobility services, brokered via digital platforms connecting users and service operators. By drawing on literature concerned with socio-technical transitions, we address two multi-layered questions. First, to what extent can the MaaS promises (to citizens and cities) be delivered, and what are the unanticipated societal implications that could arise from a wholesale adoption of MaaS in relation to key issues such as wellbeing, emissions and social inclusion? Second, what are de facto challenges for urban governance if the packaged services model of MaaS is widely adopted, and what are the recommended responses? To address these questions, we begin by considering the evolution of intelligent transport systems that underpin the current vision of MaaS and highlight how the new business model could provide a mechanism to make MaaS truly disruptive. We then identify a set of plausible unanticipated societal effects that have implications for urban planning and transport governance. This is followed by a critical assessment of the persuasive rhetoric around MaaS that makes grand promises about efficiency, choice and freedom. Our conclusion is that the range of possible unanticipated consequences carries risks that require public intervention (i.e. steering) for reasons of both efficiency and equity. Peer reviewed

Abstract

Electrical energy storage is often proposed as a solution for the mismatch between supply patterns of variable renewable electricity sources and electricity demand patterns. However, effectiveness and usefulness of storage may vary under different circumstances. This study provides an abstract perspective on the merits of electrical energy storage integrated with decentralized supply systems consisting of solar PV and wind power in a mesolevel, residential sector context. We used a balancing model to couple demand and supply patterns based on Dutch weather data and assess the resultant loads given various scenarios. Our model results highlight differences in storage effectiveness for solar PV and wind power, and strong diminishing-returns effects. Small storage capacities can be functional in reducing surpluses in overdimensioned supply systems and shortages in under-dimensioned supply systems. However, full elimination of imbalance requires substantial storage capacities. The overall potential of storage to mitigate imbalance of variable renewable energy is limited. Integration of storage in local supply systems may have self-sufficiency and cost-effectiveness benefits for prosumers but may have additional peak load disadvantages for grid operators. Adequate policy measures beyond current curtailment strategies are required to ensure proper distribution of benefits and responsibilities associated with variable renewable energy and storage.

Abstract

Electrical energy storage is often proposed as a solution for the mismatch between supply patterns of variable renewable electricity sources and electricity demand patterns. However, effectiveness and usefulness of storage may vary under different circumstances. This study provides an abstract perspective on the merits of electrical energy storage integrated with decentralized supply systems consisting of solar PV and wind power in a mesolevel, residential sector context. We used a balancing model to couple demand and supply patterns based on Dutch weather data and assess the resultant loads given various scenarios. Our model results highlight differences in storage effectiveness for solar PV and wind power, and strong diminishing-returns effects. Small storage capacities can be functional in reducing surpluses in overdimensioned supply systems and shortages in under-dimensioned supply systems. However, full elimination of imbalance requires substantial storage capacities. The overall potential of storage to mitigate imbalance of variable renewable energy is limited. Integration of storage in local supply systems may have self-sufficiency and cost-effectiveness benefits for prosumers but may have additional peak load disadvantages for grid operators. Adequate policy measures beyond current curtailment strategies are required to ensure proper distribution of benefits and responsibilities associated with variable renewable energy and storage.