This study focused on driver behavior when Camera Monitor Systems (CMS) are used instead of conventional mirrors in lane-changing situations. Three sizes of monitors were attached to the base of the driver- side A-pillar. Differences in size indicated that behavior changed only for the smallest monitor. A higher frequency of lane changes when using the smallest monitor suggested that too small a monitor may lead to risk-taking behavior. Furthermore, the smallest monitor ranked the worst by sensory rating. These results indicated that many factors including size and layout should be carefully considered.

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In this study, we clarify the visual-attention tendencies of a driver group with the same characteristics when crossing stop-sign intersections. We also investigate suitable driving-support information based on a driver's attributes by conducting several driving-simulator experiments. We estimated the ranges at which drivers notice some changes in the surroundings with and without any information, and depicted this awareness as probability distributions in space coordinates derived from overlaps of those ranges. The results suggested that these ranges clearly differ for hazard perception ability and workload sensitivity among groups arranged by attributes.

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We have developed a new PHEV fuel economy simulation program to study effects of battery performance degradation on fuel economy of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). The lithium-ion battery in the vehicle was simulated using real data of fresh and degraded batteries. The results indicated that fuel economy of the PHEV is significantly affected by battery performance degradation such as capacity loss and internal resistance increase, which decrease the electric vehicle range and increase the engine operation.

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[in Japanese]

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