Eco-Drive Experiment on Rolling Terrain for Fuel Consumption Optimization

Chapter 2. Research Objective

The objective of this study is to propose an efficient algorithm and test it on a vehicle platform such that the potential benefit of eco-drive can be quantified in a real-world environment. The experiment was conducted on various vertical alignments using a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL) research vehicle (2013 Cadillac SRX with a regular gasoline engine) and by controlling the speed only as estimated by the given algorithm. It is hoped that the algorithm and the experiment will support State DOTs and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in developing and marketing this technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. The contributions made by this research include:

1. Developing and enhancing the eco-drive algorithm (Hu et al., 2016) using the RPMP that is computationally efficient and applicable in real time.
2. Executing field experiments with an innovative vehicle control platform that includes recent vehicular and communication technologies.
3. Quantifying eco-drive benefits in a real-world environment and providing decisionmakers with data and tools for better management strategies.