Impact of real-world driving characteristics on the actual fuel consumption of motorcycles and implications for traffic-related air pollution control in Vietnam

Abstract

This study aims to identify the impact of real-world driving characteristics on the actual fuel consumption (FC) of motorcycles (MC) so that drivers can have better driving behavior to save fuel and reduce air emissions. A data logger installed directly on MC was utilized to gather real-world operation data of MC which includes instantaneous speed and fuel consumption rate (FRinst), second by second. The collected data were preprocessed, then fed to extract typical driving characteristic parameters that strongly impact the fuel consumption of MC. Among the extracted parameters, vehicle-specific power (VSP) and its distribution best reflect the impact of real-world driving characteristics on the FC rate of MC (R2 = 0.88). The VSP bin in the range [0, 1] has the highest FC, 3.6 L/100 km, while the actual FC corresponding to the full VSP distribution of MC in Hanoi is 3.01 L/100 km only. Among the running modes of MC, creeping mode is the most fuel-wasting one, up to 7.9 L/100 km. In steady running mode, FRinst in the high-speed range is higher than that in the low-speed range. Overall, the larger the average speed and cruising time proportion plus the smaller the proportions of stopping and creeping time, the lower the emissions and the better the fuel economy. Thus, smooth driving technique could save fuel and reduce air pollutant emissions.