IUCRC Phase II University of Alabama: Center for Efficient Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation Systems (EVSTS)

阿拉巴马大学（UA）是高效车辆和可持续交通系统（EVSTS）多机构产业大学合作研究中心（IUCRC）的一部分，该中心支持美国汽车行业努力满足严格的联邦汽车燃油经济性和排放法规，以及社会对提高可持续性的期望。实现环境的可持续性是一个世代的问题，可能是我们这个时代最关键的技术挑战。发电（31%）和运输（27%）是美国温室气体排放的最大贡献者。轮式地面车辆产生了大部分的交通排放，并且对发电排放的影响越来越大。解决方案必须既能解决汽车的可持续性问题，又不会过度扰乱对国家经济健康和公民生活方式至关重要的汽车行业。EVSTS中心与汽车行业的关键利益相关者——汽车制造商、零部件和系统供应商、车队运营商、地面交通基础设施提供商以及州/地方政府——合作，在地面车辆的能源效率和环境可持续性方面进行转型改进。工作范围包括乘用车、卡车和机动非道路设备，以及车辆级技术和运输系统基础设施，反映了汽车和地面运输行业的复杂性和全球性。EVSTS中心利用企业、政府和学术合作伙伴之间的合作，开展和传播与行业相关的技术和工具研究，促进节能、环境可持续的地面车辆的设计、制造、部署和运营。研究主要集中在五个技术领域：1)电动汽车动力系统，2)传统动力系统和替代燃料，3)非动力系统汽车系统优化，4)高效/可持续的自动驾驶汽车，5)交通系统和基础设施。具体来说，UA站点专注于通过以下特定站点的研究领域实现可持续电动汽车：电机和发电机的磁性材料，电动卡车的铁氧体辐条型电机，高性能电机控制以及基于机器学习的车辆部件预测。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The University of Alabama (UA) is part of a multi-institution Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Efficient Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation Systems (EVSTS) that supports the U.S. automotive industry’s effort to meet demanding federal regulations governing vehicle fuel economy and emissions, and society’s expectations for improved sustainability. Achieving environmental sustainability is a generational problem that represents perhaps the most critical technological challenge of our time. Electricity generation (31%) and transportation (27%) are the largest contributors to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Wheeled ground vehicles, in turn, generate most of the transportation emissions and have an increasing impact on emissions from electricity generation. Solutions must address vehicle sustainability without unduly disrupting an industry that is central to the nation’s economic health and its citizens’ lifestyles. The EVSTS Center engages the automotive industry’s critical stakeholders - vehicle manufacturers, component and system suppliers, fleet operators, ground transportation infrastructure providers, and state / local governments - in yielding transformational improvements in the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of ground vehicles. Scope of the work encompasses passenger cars, trucks, and motorized non-road equipment, as well as vehicle-level technologies and transportation system infrastructure, reflecting the complexity and global nature of the automotive and ground transportation industries.The EVSTS center leverages collaborations among corporate, government, and academic partners to conduct and disseminate industry-relevant research on technologies and tools that facilitate the design, manufacture, deployment, and operation of energy efficient, environmentally sustainable ground vehicles. Research is conducted in five technical focus areas: 1) electrified vehicle powertrains, 2) conventional powertrains and alternative fuels, 3) non-powertrain vehicle systems optimization, 4) efficient / sustainable autonomous vehicles, and 5) transportation systems and infrastructure. Specifically, the UA site focuses on realizing sustainable electrified vehicles through the following site-specific research areas - magnetic materials for electric motors and generators, ferrite spoke-type motors for electric trucks, high-performance electric motor controls, and machine learning-based vehicle component prognostics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.