CAR receives 2012 Engagement Impact Grant

Developing FleetCalc to Reshape Our Nations Vehicle Fleets

Partners: Giorgio Rizzoni, Center for Automotive Research and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech, John Glenn School of Public Affairs; James Durand and Vincenzo Marano, Center for Automotive Research

Fleet owners now have a plethora of fuel options, vehicle types and technologies to choose from. There is a huge amount of information available on these options, some of which is contradictory, hard to compare, misleading or false. This same gauntlet is faced by policy makers who look to formulate strategies to accomplish a particular goal, or who wonder what the implications are of a particular program or initiative.

Complex fleet calculators have been developed giving fleet owners detailed information on the implications of a particular vehicle option. These fleet calculators require large amounts of data, and their results are complex and difficult to interpret. In contrast, this initiative will develop a simple-to-use software tool called FleetCalc that would: provide policy makers with a high level look at the results of a given policy, enable scoping studies by fleet owners to identify vehicle options of high interest, and provide educational information on available options in a clear, concise and consistent manor.

FleetCalc objectives include: (1) provide the ability to rank vehicle options in a variety of ways; (2) give an overview analysis while still providing accurate guidance; (3) allow the user to get good results with simple inputs; (4) provide policy level outputs and guidance; (5) provide a fleet owner with the capability of doing a high level scoping analysis; and (6) give educational guidance in the forms of hyperlinks, videos, and linked reports to help the user gain a solid overview of each option.

Engagement Impact Grants

The Office of Outreach and Engagement’s grant program supports innovative and creative outreach and engagement initiatives that connect academic excellence with societal needs; it enhances and/or creates partnerships between members of the university community and community partners; and enhances development of a unit’s outreach and engagement mission. The Engagement Impact Grant program has a proven record of success, with metrics demonstrating an approximately 14:1 return on investment.

Reposted with permission from Ohio State's Office of Outreach and Engagement (link).