Title: A multi-criteria evaluation framework for alternative light-duty vehicles technologies

Authors: Reza Fazeli, Vitor Leal, Jorge P. Sousa

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal. ' Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; INESC Porto, Campus of FEUP – Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 378 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

Abstract: This paper presents a multi-criteria evaluation framework for the choice of alternative fuel/technology options of light-duty vehicle fleets in a mid-term horizon. These alternatives include not only fleets with one single technology but also fleets combining several fuel/technologies. A comprehensive literature review has identified the key metrics for comparing different pathways: user|s acceptance, emissions of pollutants to atmosphere, risk of the technology development, transition costs, and availability of fuel supply. To identify the preferred alternatives, a sequential screening process was applied, starting with a Pareto optimal (PO) approach, followed by a data envelopment analysis (DEA) and a trade-off weights (TW) procedure. To illustrate the approach, the methodology was applied to the case of Portugal.

Keywords: multicriteria decision making; MCDM; utility function; sequential screening; alternative fuels; vehicle technology; electric vehicles; Portugal; light-duty vehicles; vehicle design; user acceptance; vehicle emissions; technology development; transition costs; fuel supply; data envelopment analysis; DEA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCDM.2011.039588

International Journal of Multicriteria Decision Making, 2011 Vol.1 No.2, pp.230 - 251

Published online: 29 Nov 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article