Product Description
Technology/Engineering/Automotive

Engineering for advancing ground vehicle mobility

A standard text and reference for both the educational and professional communities, Theory of Ground Vehicles gives aspiring and practicing engineers a fundamental understanding of the critical factors affecting the performance, handling, and ride essential to the development and design of ground vehicles. In view of the growing concerns over environmental impact, energy efficiency, and safety, this new Fourth Edition has been revised and expanded to address these issues and other developments in the field.

Retaining the contents and format of previous editions, the Fourth Edition introduces new material to reflect recent advances in ground transportation technology, including:
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Computer-aided methods for design and performance evaluation of off-road vehicles and their practical applications
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Emissions and fuel economy
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Hybrid electric drives and fuel cells and their operating principles
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Selection of vehicle configurations for off-road operations
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Road vehicle stability control
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ISO 2631-1:1997 and its applications to evaluating vehicle ride characteristics

As in previous editions, this book focuses on applying engineering principles to the analysis of vehicle behavior. A large number of practical examples and problems are included throughout to help readers bridge the gap between theory and practice. With its broad coverage and pedagogical aids, Theory of Ground Vehicles, Fourth Edition remains the text of choice for students, engineers, and researchers wishing to master and apply basic theory to solve real-world, road and off-road vehicle mobility problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good Book
This is a good book. It is not all inclusive however and is semi-technical with not very many workout problems.

So much information
Theory of Ground Vehicles by J.Y. Wong (4th edition) is an excellent resource for automotive engineers. There are so many plots, visuals and other useful resources that it is almost overwhelming. However, if you know a specific topic you are interested in learning about this vast wealth of information proves extremely useful. I have only been focusing on the performance of road vehicles chapters in the book so I haven't had a chance to look at other sections in detail. However, there is significant discussion about off-road vehicles as well.

Theory of Ground Vehicles
It is a present for my boyfriend.I was able to find it easily on the site and it arrived quickly after I made the purchase.

useful book
I recommend every automotive engineer to use this book, It's a good reference.

Handles both road vehicles and tracked vehicles
The book covers dynamics of ground vehicles over hard surfaces and unprepared terrain - mechanics of vehicle-terrain interactions, terramechanics. Tracked vehicles such as a military tank or a bulldozer that is propelled by tracks instead of pneumatic tires are also covered in detail in this book. There is also attention to air-cushion vehicles (hovercrafts). However, the guided ground vehicles which are constrained to move along a fixed path, such as railway vehicles and tracked levitated vehicles are not covered in this book.

There is a very good chapter on the mechanics of pneumatic tires, which has both theoretical and practical information. Attention is also given to performance of tires on wet surfaces. This issue is frequently overlooked by the other vehicle dynamics books; however, the behavior of tires on wet surfaces is of considerable interest from a safety point of view, as many accidents occur on slippery roads. The tire is also analyzed as both spring and a damper. There are useful graphs and tables in this chapter, as well as throughout the whole book. The table of damping coefficient of tires shows that the damping coefficient of tire drops with increase of the inflation pressure.

Mechanics of vehicle-terrain interactions studies distribution of stresses in the terrain under vehicular loads, empirical methods for predicting off-road vehicle performance, a computer-aided method for evaluating the performance of vehicles with flexible tracks, and so on.

Performance characteristics are covered separately for road and off-road vehicles. For the road vehicles, the author analyzes equation of motion and maximum tractive effort, aerodynamic forces and moments, vehicle power plant and transmission characteristics, prediction of vehicle performance, operating fuel economy, engine and transmission matching and braking performance. For off-road vehicles, the author examines drawbar performance, fuel economy of cross-country operations, transport productivity and efficiency, mobility map and mobility profile, selection of vehicle configurations for off-road operations.

Handling characteristics of road vehicles and steering of tracked vehicles are also separately analyzed.

There is a very good chapter on vehicle ride characteristics and human response to vibration.

I also recommend "Race Car Vehicle Dynamics" by William F. Milliken and Douglas L. Milliken, which is also a good compromise between theoretical and practical information. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
With growing concerns about energy security and global warming, interest in hybrid vehicles is on the rise due to their advantages in using the existing infrastructure and offering a means to reduce consumer fuel consumption and cost while significantly reducing levels of the pollutants contributing to global warming. However, the average consumer is only willing to pay $1000 to $1500 extra for a hybrid and current costs are approximately three times this amount.

Author John M. German, a recognized expert in hybrid technology from American Honda Motor Co., closely examines the various technological and commercial facets of hybrids. The report explores the basis of hybrid components and system engineering, and then delves into the design constraints, challenges and opportunities. Hybrid Powered Vehicles concludes with a look toward the future presenting an expert's outlook on developments in the technology, its applications and potential markets.

Chapters include :

Hybrid Vehicles - Transitional Technology or Ultimate Solution
Hybrid Electric System Design
Hybrid Components
Real World Design Constraints
Hybrid System Optimization: Challenges and Optimization
Customer Acceptance
Future Hybrid Technology Development
Future Hybrid Markets ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (17)

A fun read
This was a fun book that also did a good job of teaching on the basics of an electric vehicle.Presented in a fun engaging story fashion shows how a group that knew very little at first went on to win the national championship.It is similar to the movie Coach Carter but cented around a science project rather than basket ball.

Is Chevy Volt going cheap?Shocker III achieved a 100 mile range.
1. The gross vehicle weight could not exceed 3,135 pounds
2. Shocker's battery weight was 1,056 pounds or 66 pounds for each battery, 16 six volt batteries.A battery box was welded to support the 16 batteries.Shockers final Gross weight was 3,135 pounds.
3. Steel tube roll cage, battery box, and several other parts added several hundred pounds (1,400 pounds was the max additional weight to add to the Escort frame having already be reduced by 1,700 pounds)
4.Shocker was body frame was a 1985 Ford escort.Shocker had no doors, no hood, no seats, and roll bar.Additional springs had to be added to handle the weight of the batteries.
5. The batteries were wired in a series.Cable the positive pole of battery one with the negative pole of battery two, and the negative pole of battery two to the positive pole of battery three.
6. The electric motor replaced the gasoline motor.The motor weighted 140 pounds and was 15 inches long
7. The primary system connect together, batteries to the controller to the motor to the transmission.A DC/DC convert was used to keep the battieries charged.
8. A battery was rated to go 530 minutes at 25 amps or 145 minutes at 75 amps.Shocker could hit a top speed of 75 mph.
9. The North Hampton, NC, team wins three EV Grandprix championships. Shocker III achieved a range of 100 miles

Small Town Kids Make it Big
Electric Dreams, an account of a group of high school kids from a remote part of North Carolina who work together to build an electric car, should leave you feeling inspired.

The writing style matches the story - it simple and fast-paced.I suppose that comes from the author's background as a reporter.Caroline Kettlewell doesn't let anything get in the way of the facts, because they alone are more than enough to drive you on to the next page.

I have been to this part of North Carolina.It is a place with lots of wide open spaces, plenty of timber, and peanut farms.Plenty of birds migrate through here each year.It is a place where you can find a lot of old Ford Escorts and Chevy S-10s. It is definitely a place where the expression of the phrase "number 10" is followed quickly by the thought of "Ricky Rudd." It has 13 percent college graduates, the median household income is about $23,000, and more than 80 percent of the kids are on free and reduced lunch.

Unfortunately, these are some coincidental forces that conspire to make it seem like this is not a place where you would expect to find path breaking innovations in engineering. It is not a place where your average Berkeley-educated young person can move into town and expect a welcome. All of those elements are present in Kettlewell's story.To find out that this really happened here is to be refreshed.

This is a story that might be interesting to anyone concerned about small towns or about eastern North Carolina. It is also one more example of how well the Teach for America program is working across our country. More broadly, its a great piece of non-fiction.This really happened.Find out about it.

This is an interesting feel-good read
This book is everything everyone says it is when it comes to a warm, feel-good read. More than half the book is dedicated to the situation of the school in rural North Carolina and the experiences of a teacher who went there from California to get a different experience. The main characters in the book are a couple of teachers and community leaders, and not necessarily the kids who built the car. The real story of the electric car doesn't get started until about halfway through the book. While I would have been interested in a few more details about the project, the book is still a good read. It skips large sections of the actual project. You seem to go from the initial planning stages to the competition without knowing if the kids painted the car, but that's a minor drawback. By the time the competition starts, it seems like there are only a few pages left, but that's probably the most powerful part of the book. The "disadvantaged" kids manage to win the competition in an emotional and unexpected surprise performance by their car. It appears as though the victory was partially due to painstaking planning and the good luck of having chosen better drivers who knew how to get the most out of the car. Finally, I would have liked a little more closure. There is a section at the end that quickly wraps up what happened later, and while it gives the basic details, it leaves you wanting to know just a little more. Still, in spite of all the drawbacks, this is a very good book, and if you are interested in electric vehicles, it's a different take on the topic.

Awesome Book
This was a wonderful book. She portrayed Miller & Ryan perfectly. I had the wonderful opportunity of being a member of the NEAT the year after the events in her book took place. She captured every detail perfectly and I was able to relive a wonderful part of my life. Once you pick up this book you will not be able to put it down until you have read the last page!! ... Read more

Product Description
The development of hybrid vehicles, prompted by the pressing requirement for the reduction in the environmental impact of land transport, is probably one of the most significant recent advances in automotive technology. The hybrid vehicle is just coming of age, and the first generation of hybrid cars is now available to the general public. Hybrid buses and trolleybuses have already entered regular service.

In this timely book, the authors review recent progress in the development of a range of hybrid vehicles, from small cars to buses and light rail vehicles, and describe the results of field trials and operational experience. Numerous tables, graphs and black-and-white photographs are included while clear references are also featured to aid further investigation.

The volume will be of great interest to engineering and technical staff working in the road and rail vehicle industries, final year undergraduates and postgraduates studying mechanical and automotive engineering, transport planning personnel, and technically literate readers who wish to find out more about this subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

New subject well covered, but containing too many errors.
To my knowledge, this is the only book ever written strictly about a comprehensive history of the electric auctomobile.The author does a credible job, including both the technical and business sides.Unfortunately, however, I found many typos and at least a few demonstrably incorrect facts.It appears that the book was rushed into print for some reason.Future historians reading this book should take care to check anything drawn from it. The book is quite readable.It includes an index and a listing of electric vehicle manufacturers.Unfortunately, Wakefield does not include production figures for the manufacturers. ... Read more

Product Description
P. Griffith of the Santa Barbara Electric TransportationInstitute ... Read more

Product Description
In the United States, research is continuing into using fuel cells to improve the fuel economy of both sport utility vehicles (SUV's) and passenger cars. Predictions are that through the innovative use of a fuel cell powering an electric motor in an SUV, an increase of 15 per cent in fuel economy may be achieved along with a drastic reduction in emissions, even using an on-board reformer. Only a few years ago, predictions were that fuel cells would not be used in production vehicles for at least a decade. Today, production vehicles will be available by 2003. Chapters Include: The Time isRight for Fuel Cells; What are Fuel Cells?; Types of Fuel Cells; Auxiliary Power Units; Fuels; Reformers; Fuel Cell Powered Vehicles; The Challenges; and References. ... Read more

Product Description
With energy consumption rising and with it our dependence on crude oil from politically uncertain regions, and faced with the threat to the environment from polluting emissions, it is becoming ever more evident that fuels from renewable resources are an increasingly attractive option to fossil fuels. Edinger and Kaul, like a growing number of other experts, hold the mobility of populations--transportation, in other words--responsposible for the rise in the rate of greenhouse gas emissions, a condition that can only get worse as less developed regions of the world emerge with their own needs and demands for mobility. What to do? Edinger and Kaul outline in sharp detail the shortcomings of current vehicular technologies and dominant fossil fuels. They present a careful, authoritative examination of innovative technologies that in their opinion have the best chance of combating dangerous reliance on conventional means of power, not only for transportation but other purposes as well. And they focus on special forms of fuel cell drive systems, with their high efficiencies and reduced consumptions, and on other emerging renewable technologies and their innovative, sustainable power sources--such as fuels from biomass and renewable electricity, a particularly promising source of energy for newly growing economies. Wide ranging in coverage, forthright in style, the book is an important review of how things are today, why they could get worse, but perhaps most importantly, what we can do about it. ... Read more

Product Description
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE. In the near future, America and the rest of the world will be caught short with dwindling petroleum supplies, sending gas prices spiraling upward. Even more pressing is the environmental damage our iron horses cause when burning dinosaur remains (gasoline and diesel fuel).We believe that 3-wheelers will have a prominent place in that future. With a real need for minimal energy requirements, the 3-wheeler is hard to beat.3-wheelers can minimize weight, have low rolling resistance, small frontal area, and a very low drag coefficient with its natural teardrop shape. Neither autos nor motorcycles can match the efficiency of the 3-wheeler and still provide a comfortable and weather-tight ride.Manual includes: 96 full-sized pages of pictures, drawings, tables, and text. A real education in electric vehicle technology, and custom car construction techniques. Also, lots of information about 3-wheelers in general, including 3-wheeled vehicle dynamics, why a 3-wheeler can be much more efficient than a 4-wheeler; how it can be classified as a motorcycle for DMV/DOT purposes; how it can be just as stable as a 4-wheeled sedan; etc. etc.There is also a section on how to build your own designs from scratch, including design considerations, models, mock-ups, prototypes, where to get supplies, etc.Compared to conversion manuals, these plans are specific to the Subaru flat-4 drivetrain. But, from these specifics, a much more general knowledge can be obtained compared to any conversion manual that we know of.EV, electric vehicle, electric vehicle, battery power, electric car, charge, alternative energy vehicle, alternative fuel vehicle, battery powered vehicle, plug-in BEV, pure electric vehicle ... Read more

Product Description
Here is a story of how one individual converted an old pickup truck from gasoline to electric power.The author received a big assist from an experienced conversion compnay located hundreds of miles away.The book is not a how-to technical manual, but it chronicles what happended from start to finish.The story is often humorous, since the author was highly motivated but lacked the automotive experience and mechanical and electrical skills to efficiently complete the plan.This book is a must-read for anyone considering such a project. ... Read more

Product Description
The automotive industry is waking up to the fact that hybrid electric vehicles could provide an answer to the ever-increasing need for lower-polluting and more fuel-efficient forms of personal transport. This is the first book to give comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the hybrid vehicle design, from its power plant and energy storage systems, to supporting chassis subsystems necessary for realising hybrid modes of operation. Key topics covered include hybrid propulsion system architectures, propulsion system sizing, electric traction system sizing and design, loss mechanisms, system simulation and vehicle certification.

Also available:

Local Energy: Distributed generation of heat and power- ISBN 9780863417399
The Electric Car: development and future of battery, hybrid and fuel-cell cars- ISBN 9780852960134 ... Read more

Product Description
This superbly written book describes how large scale solar thermal farms with overnight heat storage, photovoltaic’s, and electric vehicle technology will soon dominate the growth of our energy economy. The book explains with numerous pictures and illustrations how solar farms, rooftop photovoltaics and electric cars can be integrated into a new national high voltage DC grid to power the U.S. day and night. You will also learn why solar thermal farm and photovoltaic technology will soon become our cheapest and cleanest national energy source. Solar thermal farms and rooftop photovoltaics already produce 100 times the transportation energy per acre compared to the most advanced biofuels. You will also see the advances in 2 and 4 wheeled lithium battery powered vehicles using electricity costing the equivalent of 65 cents per gallon and re-charge times of only 10 minutes, and how electric vehicles will soon recharge themselves in sunlight using thin film photovoltaic’s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Reaching the Solar Tipping Point
The book presents a historical summary of various energy sources, providing an interesting read. The most notable item for me was presented in the graphic on page 50, depicting the global surface area required to satisfy the energy needs of Germany (small box), all of Europe (medium box) and the current entire world's energy need (largest box) utilizing solar energy. The boxes were overlaid on a picture of North Africa. The good news is that the world's energy could be supplied with solar energy utilizing an area approximately the size of Austria.Not an impossible goal.

Reaching the Solar Tipping Point is a must read.
Bruce Allen's new book is a must read - he demonstrates the mechanics of how we can become energy independent by using the only free, energy source that cannot be depleted: our sun.Mr. Allen explains in language accessible to the interested layperson how we can best harness the sun's rays, transfer it into electricity at commercial levels, using technology that has already been proven.He shows how that electricity can be meaningfully joined to our current electrical grid and gives a comprehensive view of a world that uses electric transportation, heating, cooling and manufacturing.In the course of the book, we learn why alternative energy sources such as bio-fuels, nuclear and so-called "clean coal" are not the answer to the energy needs of the future.Mr. Allen shows us that we have passed the point of no return in our dependence on foreign oil for both practical and political reasons.I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fact-based view of how we can become energy independent, so long as we make the right choices and put funding into the right technologies.

M. A. Taylor

Solar Energy Review
Bruce Allen's new book, "Reaching the Solar Tipping Point" is a super review of many current, important, and, in several cases, little publicized facts applying to the U.S. (and world) energy situation.The book gives clear and specific (easily checked and confirmed) information using the popular "tipping point" concept to tell us several things:
*Widespread use of solar energy is inevitable.
*Many, if not most concepts of solar energy application are actually producing power throughout the world.
*We can and should push the U.S. forward in the best areas of solar energy in order to reap all the benefits that will come, sooner rather than later.In addition, the sooner done, the more likely that benefits will accrue to the United States and not to other countries.

This topic is a must for our country and this book is a sharp survey.

Comprehesive tutorial on Solar Energy
Bruce Allen offers in his new book, Reaching the Solar Tipping Point -- hope that our future life-style is not to be constrained by diminished fuel sources or limited electrical energy.Mr. Allen presents an upbeat case that renewable solar energy will allow -- the safe, economic and pollution free life -- we all desire. This optimism from Mr. Allen is limited only by the need for urgency and political will. His book is an easy read, despite the plethora of data-facts; he blends anecdotes with history to make solar energy appear to have a bright future. (NPI)He takes shots at energy ideas that have been shown to be wrong, such as the economic failure of corn ethanol and the contradiction in terms of "clean coal".Bruce Allen's book is at once timely and timeless; it is a comprehensive technical dissertation and an orderly reference book for the layman. I highly recommend his book for a solar game plan that considers local and national initiatives. Like the T. Boone Pickens' bridge to energy independence, solar can help to "transform our energy future" -- so says Bruce Allen. ... Read more

Product Description
Booz-Allen and Hamilton, Inc. for N.Y. State Energy Research and Development Authority ... Read more