(Press-News.org)
A new study published in Engineering introduces LearningEMS, a unified framework and open-source benchmark designed to revolutionize the development and assessment of energy management strategies (EMS) for electric vehicles (EVs).
The automotive industry has recently undergone a transformative shift fueled by the growing global emphasis on sustainability and environmental conservation. EVs have become a crucial part of the future of transportation. However, effectively managing the energy in EVs, especially those with complex power systems like battery EVs, hybrid EVs, fuel cell EVs, and plug-in EVs, remains a challenge. An efficient EMS is essential for optimizing the energy efficiency of these vehicles.
LearningEMS provides a general platform that supports various EV configurations. It allows for detailed comparisons of several EMS algorithms, including imitation learning, deep reinforcement learning (RL), offline RL, model predictive control, and dynamic programming. The framework comes with three distinct EV platforms, over 10 000 km of EMS policy dataset, ten state-of-the-art algorithms, and over 160 benchmark tasks, along with three learning libraries.
The researchers rigorously evaluated these algorithms from multiple perspectives, such as energy efficiency, consistency, adaptability, and practicability. For example, in the benchmark test results, they found that discrete action space algorithms like DQN and D3QN perform well in simple EMS tasks but are less efficient when dealing with complex control parameters. On the other hand, off-policy algorithms with continuous action spaces, like DDPG, TD3, and SAC, show great potential in optimizing energy efficiency and maintaining consistency across different driving conditions. The on-policy algorithm PPO, however, exhibits significant performance variations in different vehicles or operational conditions.
The study also delves into important aspects of RL in EV energy management, such as the design of state, reward, and action settings. The researchers discuss how these elements can significantly impact the overall performance of the EMS. Additionally, they introduce a policy extraction and reconstruction method for deploying learning-based EMS onto real-world vehicle controllers and conduct hardware-in-the-loop experiments to prove its feasibility.
According to the researchers, LearningEMS has the potential to improve energy efficiency, reduce vehicle operating costs, and extend the lifespan of power systems. The open-source nature of LearningEMS encourages further research and innovation in the field, allowing engineers and researchers to develop more advanced EMS algorithms.
The paper “LearningEMS: A Unified Framework and Open-source Benchmark for Learning-based Energy Management of Electric Vehicles,” authored by Yong Wang, Hongwen He, Yuankai Wu, Pei Wang, Haoyu Wang, Renzong Lian, Jingda Wu, Qin Li, Xiangfei Meng, Yingjuan Tang, Fengchun Sun, and Amir Khajepour. Full text of the open access paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2024.10.021. For more information about the Engineering, follow us on X (https://twitter.com/EngineeringJrnl) & like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EngineeringJrnl).
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A new analysis from researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History reveals that nearly half of the genus Heliconia, a group of tropical plants popular for their bright, beak-shaped flowers, are threatened with extinction. The findings, published today, March 7, in the journal Plants, People, Planet, reveal that many of these imperiled plants are not found within protected areas or botanical gardens, making additional conservation action crucial to saving these charismatic, horticulturally important and ecologically significant floras.
The new work places Heliconia among a select group of plants to undergo a detailed, comprehensive ...
New research from the University of Oxford has provided fresh insights into how bird songs evolve over time, revealing a significant role for population dynamics in shaping song diversity and change. The findings – based on an analysis of over 100,000 bird songs – have been published today (7 March) in the journal Current Biology.
The researchers spent three years collecting over twenty thousand hours of sound recordings from a wild population of great tits (Parus major) in Oxfordshire, which has been studied for the past 77 years as part of the Wytham Great Tit study. ...
About 7% of U.S. adults have been present at the scene of a mass shooting in their lifetime, and more than 2% have been injured during one, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research.
The study, published March 7 in the journal JAMA Network Open, also found that younger generations were significantly more likely to have been exposed than their parents or grandparents were.
Generation Z— adults born after 1996—were at greatest risk.
“This study confirms that mass shootings are not isolated tragedies, but ...
About The Study: In this systematic review and meta-analysis of depression and anxiety among individuals with chronic pain, approximately 40% of adults had clinically significant depression and anxiety. Women, younger people, and people with nociplastic pain were most likely to have depression and anxiety. The co-occurrence of chronic pain with depression and anxiety is a significant public health concern necessitating routine screening in clinical settings, equitable access to specialty care, and innovative treatment development.
Corresponding Author: To contact ...
About The Study: The findings from this survey study of U.S. adults underscore the extensive and often overlooked regular exposure to mass shootings in this country. The demographic disparities in exposure highlight the need for targeted interventions and support for the most affected groups, particularly younger generations and males. Understanding these patterns is essential for addressing the broader impacts of gun violence on public health and community well-being.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, David C. Pyrooz, PhD, email david.pyrooz@colorado.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...
HOUSTON – (March 7, 2025) – A new study published in Cell Reports reveals a breakthrough discovery linking genetic variants in the gene ITSN1 to a significantly elevated risk of Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects nearly 2% of adults older than 65 years. This work, led by an international team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, AstraZeneca and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, could pave the way for new treatments aimed at slowing or preventing Parkinson’s disease progression.
“Parkinson’s disease, the ...
“Forests are among the most important ecosystems in nature, constantly evolving, yet their monitoring is often delayed,” says Rytis Maskeliūnas, a professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). Climate change, pests, and human activity are transforming forests faster than we can track them – some changes become apparent only when the damage is already irreversible.
KTU researchers are proposing innovative technological solutions: an innovative forest regeneration model and a sound analysis system that can predict forest conditions and detect environmental changes in real time.
Forest ...
Background and objectives
Recent studies have highlighted a link between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and gut microbiota. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the effects of electroacupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine on gut microbiota and metabolomics in ALS patients.
Methods
Ten ALS patients were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (electroacupuncture with Chinese herbal medicine, n = 6) or a control group (waiting treatment, n = 4). Healthy controls (age- and sex-matched, n = 10) were also included. Data were collected after 12 sessions of electroacupuncture and follow-ups at three and six months. ALS ...
A new study has uncovered how the brain seamlessly transforms sounds, speech patterns, and words into the flow of everyday conversations. Using advanced technology to analyze over 100 hours of brain activity during real-life discussions, researchers revealed the intricate pathways that allow us to effortlessly speak and understand. These insights not only deepen our understanding of human connection but also pave the way for transformative advancements in speech technology and communication tools.
[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]– A new study led by Dr. Ariel Goldstein, from the Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the Business School at ...
Researchers create gel that can self-heal like human skin
The hydrogel has a unique structure, making it the first to combine strength and flexibility with self-healing capabilities.
We all encounter gels in daily life – from the soft, sticky substances you put in your hair, to the jelly-like components in various foodstuffs. While human skin shares gel-like characteristics, it has unique qualities that are very hard to replicate. It combines high stiffness with flexibility, and it has remarkable self-healing capabilities, often healing completely within 24 hours after injury.
Until now, artificial gels ...
