Green Eco-Driving Effects in Non-Congested Cities

Juan Coloma,Andrés Monzón,Marta García,Yang Wang

doi:10.3390/su10010028

Juan Coloma, Andrés Monzón + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10010028

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Abstract

Despite technological advances in engines and fuels, the transportation sector is still one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gas (GHG). Driving patterns, including eco-driving techniques, are a complementary measure for saving GHG emissions. Most eco-driving studies so far have been conducted in large cities suffering chronic congestion problems. The aim of this research is therefore to analyse the potential of driver behaviour for reducing emissions in a small non-congested city. Driver performance parameters such as travel speeds, number of stops, revolutions per minute, and maximum acceleration-deceleration are also studied. The methodology is designed to measure the effect of both eco-driving and eco-routing under real traffic conditions. A campaign was carried out in the city of Caceres (Spain) to collect data on various types of roads under different traffic conditions. This research concludes that eco-driving leads to CO2 savings on all routes and road types of 17% in gasoline engines and 21% in diesel, although travel times are increased by 7.5% on average. The shortest route is also the most ecological, regardless of the traffic volume and characteristics, implying that consumption in non-congested cities depends mainly on distance travelled rather than driving patterns in terms of number of stops, speed and acceleration.

Highlights

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and overconsumption of energy resources pose a global problem in terms of both their causes and consequences [1]
Some policies need to be accepted by the public, while others depend directly on the mode of driving and on travel decisions. These measures include efficient driving or eco-driving, which has major potential for individual fuel savings, e.g., Xia et al [7] developed an eco-driving velocity planning methodology, showing individual vehicle fuel consumption and CO2 reductions of around 10–15% depending on corridor parameters, and on the other hand, Ahn and Rakha [8] achieved significant improvements to energy and air quality (6–7% fuel and CO2 savings) when drivers utilize a slower route they incur additional travel time
The performance features of the driving test in Caceres are shown in Table 2, along with the experimental statistics of distances driven by route and gender with each vehicle

Summary

Introduction

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and overconsumption of energy resources pose a global problem in terms of both their causes and consequences [1]. Public authorities have different ways of achieving environmental objectives: promoting social changes in mobility patterns to achieve greater use of cleaner modes, improving vehicle technology and fuel [4], reducing the number of motorized journeys through demand management [5], and using information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve transport efficiency [6]. These objectives can only be achieved with the contribution of the consumer. These measures include efficient driving or eco-driving, which has major potential for individual fuel savings, e.g., Xia et al [7] developed an eco-driving velocity planning methodology, showing individual vehicle fuel consumption and CO2 reductions of around 10–15% depending on corridor parameters (including traffic volume and speed), and on the other hand, Ahn and Rakha [8] achieved significant improvements to energy and air quality (6–7% fuel and CO2 savings) when drivers utilize a slower route they incur additional travel time

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