Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
11-2025
School/College
College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (COSET)
Degree Name
MS in Transportation Planning & Management
Committee Chairperson
Mehdi Azimi
Committee Member 1
Yi Qi
Committee Member 2
Fengxiang George Qiao
Committee Member 3
Yachi Wanyan
Committee Member 4
Krishna Murthy Gurumurthy
Keywords
Agent-Based Modeling, Activity-Based Modeling, POLARIS, Vehicle Emissions, Energy Consumption, Shared Mobility, Autonomie, SVTrip, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Rideshare Systems.
Abstract
The transportation sector remains a major source of criteria pollutants globally, with passenger vehicles contributing significantly to energy demand. While electric vehicles (EVs) offer a promising path toward energy efficiency, few studies have evaluated their impact at the metropolitan scale using integrated, high-fidelity modeling frameworks. This study investigates the energy implications of rideshare electrification in the Houston metropolitan area using a multi-stage simulation workflow. Travel demand is modeled using POLARIS, an agent-based, activity-based framework; vehicle trajectories are translated into second-by-second speed profiles using SVTrip; and energy consumption and criteria pollutant emissions are estimated using the Autonomie vehicle simulation platform. The study evaluates six distinct powertrain configurations, including internal combustion engines (ICE), hybrids, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs), across multiple scenarios: baseline, TNC-only electrification, and full fleet electrification. Results reveal that BEVs exhibit the highest energy efficiency and lowest emissions per kilometer, with fleet-wide electrification reducing overall pollutants by up to 49.5%. The findings highlight the effectiveness of electrifying high-utilization fleets such as rideshare vehicles and offer evidence-based insights to guide strategies in auto-oriented urban regions. This study contributes a replicable framework for modeling the energy and environmental impacts of emerging mobility systems under realistic demand conditions.
Copyright
Copyright © for this work is retained by the author. Any documents and information presented are protected by copyright under US Copyright laws and are the property of the author. All Rights Reserved. For permission to use this content please contact the author or the Graduate School at Texas Southern University ([email protected]).
Recommended Citation
Ghimire, Ajay, "Advancing Transportation Decarbonization through Electrification: Insights from Transit and Rideshare Scenarios" (2025). Theses (2016-Present). 83.
https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/theses/83