Seminar: Optimal Control of Vehicle and Powertrain Operation Using Connectivity and Automation

We are currently witnessing an increasing integration of energy and transportation, which, coupled with human interactions, is giving rise to a new level of complexity in the new generation of transportation systems. Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) provide the most intriguing and promising opportunity for enabling users to better monitor transportation network conditions and make better operating decisions to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, travel delays and improve safety. While several studies have shown the benefits of CAVs to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce fuel consumption in specific transportation scenarios, one key question that remains unanswered is “what are the implications of the new generation transportation systems, consisting of CAVs, electric vehicles (EVs), on the energy consumption and GHG emissions?” In this talk, I will present how we could address this question by simultaneously optimizing both the vehicles’ speed profiles, e.g., coordinating CAVs to eliminate stop-and-go driving and harmonizing the speed on freeways, and the powertrain of the vehicles that could lead to an energy efficient mobility system. The talk will also highlight research efforts towards making vehicles realizing their optimum efficiency based on consumers’ needs and preferences.

About the Speaker

Andreas Malikopoulos is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware (UD). Before joining UD, he was the Deputy Director and the Lead of the Sustainable Mobility Theme of the Urban Dynamics Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and a Senior Researcher with General Motors Global Research & Development. He received a Diploma from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, in 2000, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2004 and 2008, respectively all in Mechanical Engineering. His research interests span several fields, including analysis, optimization, and control of cyber-physical systems; decentralized stochastic systems; stochastic scheduling and resource allocation; and complex systems. The emphasis is on applications related to energy, transportation and operations research. Dr. Malikopoulos is the recipient of several prizes and awards, including the 2007 Dare to Dream Opportunity Grant from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, the 2007 University of Michigan Teaching Fellow, and the 2010 Alvin M. Weinberg Fellowship. He has been selected by the National Academy of Engineering to participate at the 2010 German-American Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) Symposium and organize a session in transportation at the 2016 European-American FOE Symposium. He has also been selected as a 2012 Kavli Frontiers of Science Scholar by the National Academy of Sciences.

Hosted by Professor Giorgio Rizzoni

This Seminar is jointly hosted by the MAE Department and the Center for Automotive Research.