Field Test Used FHWA AV Fleet to Evaluate Fuel Saving of an Eco-Driving Algorithm.
Virginia, United States
Maryland, United States
Eco-Drive Experiment on Rolling Terrain for Fuel Consumption Optimization-Summary Report
Summary Information
Eco-drive has been developed to increase vehicle fuel efficiency and improve the sustainability of the entire transportation system within the connected vehicle (CV) paradigm. As additional fuel wastage is a major concern due to the inefficient transformation between kinetic and potential energy, this study proposed an eco-driving algorithm that optimizes fuel consumption on rolling terrains. For this study, a research team out of FHWA's Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center tested and verified newly developed eco-driving algorithms in the field on an innovative connected and automated vehicle (CAV) platform to better understand its performance and enable optimal vehicle control in support of eco-driving. The CAV used in the field experiment is a part of FHWA’s automated vehicle fleet. The results were quantified to estimate fuel saving benefits of eco-drive.
METHODOLOGY The experiment was conducted on seven rolling roadway segments in Virginia and Maryland, with a total experimental mileage of around 47 miles. The types of terrain varied from mildly rolling to very hilly. Two scenarios were tested in the experiment:
Experimental data were analyzed at the segment and subsegment level to derive insights into the effectiveness of eco-drive. The subsegment level analysis compared average fuel consumption of baseline and eco-drive runs at each of the seven sites. Understanding of general eco-drive performance was obtained through close examination of vehicle speed, acceleration, brake status, brake percentages, and instantaneous fuel consumption profiles. Linear regression models were built to understand certain roadway attributes that contributed the most to fuel savings. FINDINGS
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