Skip to main content

Study aims to improve fuel economy by up to 30 per cent

A US$1.2 million three-year research project, one of the first major US studies to focus on 'eco-driving' techniques, conducted by the Center for Environmental Research and Technology at the University of California, Riverside, is aimed at the development of a next-generation, environmentally friendly driving feedback system with the goal of generating fuel savings of between 10 and 30 per cent. The project is being funded by a US Department of Energy grant, which is part of a $175 million federal programme
March 20, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A US$1.2 million three-year research project, one of the first major US studies to focus on 'eco-driving' techniques, conducted by the Center for 4106 Environmental Research and Technology at the University of California, Riverside, is aimed at the development of a next-generation, environmentally friendly driving feedback system with the goal of generating fuel savings of between 10 and 30 per cent. The project is being funded by a US Department of Energy grant, which is part of a $175 million federal programme aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of the next generation of US vehicles.

Participants in the project include the University of California at Berkeley, Riverside Transit Agency, the 2451 California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), 212 esri, 3516 Navteq, 4107 Earthrise Technology, 4108 Beat The Traffic, and Automatiks. Work on the project will be based out of the Center for Environmental Research and Technology at UC Riverside, while field tests will be performed by commuter and commercial travellers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The three-year project aims to develop and demonstrate a comprehensive driver feedback technology that will improve fuel efficiency of passenger cars and fleet vehicles of businesses and government. This technology already exists on a small scale, but this study will make large advances in a fully integrated feedback system that includes better trip planning and routing, improved efficiency while driving, and comprehensive reporting on a periodic basis."This grant allows us to go beyond small, anecdotal studies to show, on a large scale, the significant positive economic and environmental impacts of eco-driving principles and the value of feedback systems," said Matthew Barth, the principal investigator on the project and the director of UC Riverside's Center for Environmental Research and Technology at the Bourns College of Engineering.

Related Content

  • Researching vehicle tyre safety
    February 15, 2012
    For the last two years a team of European partners has been examining the interaction between vehicle tyres and road surfaces. According to the UK's TRL, one of the partners in the European project Tyrosafe (Tyre and Road Surface Optimisation for Skid resistance And Further Effects), devices to measure skid resistance were developed at the forerunner of the UK's TRL in the 1930s.
  • ARTBA highlights US bridge issues
    May 10, 2016
    The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is calling for more bridge repairs in the US. There are still too many structurally deficient bridges in the country according to a recent analysis. This report states that while there were 2,574 fewer structurally deficient bridges in 2015 compared to the number in 2014, there are still 58,500 on the structurally deficient list. Worse still, at the current pace of bridge investment it will take at least 21 years before these bridges are all r
  • Road user charging, the way to highway investment?
    February 27, 2012
    Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports
  • Hertz first to trial wireless EV recharging
    March 16, 2012
    The Hertz Corporation and Hertz Global EV are implementing what is claimed as the first wireless charging system for electric vehicles (EVs) in the car rental industry.