A prototype fuel-efficiency support tool

An effective way to reduce fuel consumption in the short run is to induce a change in driver behaviour. If drivers are prepared to change their driving habits they can complete the same journeys within similar travel times, but using significantly less fuel. In this paper, a prototype fuel-efficiency support tool is presented which helps drivers make the necessary behavioural adjustments. The support tool includes a normative model that back-calculates the minimal fuel consumption for manoeuvres carried out. If actual fuel consumption deviates from this optimum, the support tool presents advice to the driver on how to change his or her behaviour. To take account of the temporal nature of the driving task, advice is generated at two levels: tactical and strategic. Evaluation of the new support tool by means of a driving simulator experiment revealed that drivers were able to reduce overall fuel consumption by 16% compared with ‘normal driving’. The same drivers were only able to achieve a reducation of 9% when asked to drive fuel efficiently without support; thus, the tool gave an additional reduction of 7%. Within a simulated urban environment, the additional reduction yielded by the support tool rose to 14%. The new support tool was also evaluated with regard to secondary effects.