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

  • Brazil weighs its WIM options
    July 21, 2021
    Recent legislation in Brazil is allowing greater use of weigh-in-motion technology, all in an attempt to address some familiar challenges, writes Intercomp's Jon Arnold.
  • Energy efficient cement testing solution
    February 27, 2012
    In determining the mechanical strength of cement, the European Standard EN 196 prescribes both compressive and flexural tests, so when Italian company Tecnotest designed its current generation of cement testing machines, the aim was to obtain highly accurate results over the full scale despite the wide range involved by implementing a dual scale in a single test bay, using load cells as dynamometers.
  • JV to develop and manufacture fuel cell systems in Japan
    March 16, 2012
    Intelligent Energy, a specialist in clean power systems, and the Suzuki Motor Corporation have announced the creation of a joint venture company called Smile FC System Corporation, to develop and manufacture air-cooled fuel cell systems for a range of industry sectors.
  • Project AME: the world’s first 3D-printed excavator
    March 7, 2017
    The world’s first 3D-printed excavator was unveiled in the new Tech Experience zone of CONEXPO-CON/AGG. Project AME (Additive Manufactured Excavator), led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and involving multiple partners from industry, trade associations and academia, was instigated back in 2014 when visiting members of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) saw ORNL’s 3D-printed car.