Ecodriving and Carbon Footprinting: Understanding How Public Education Can Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Use

Ecodriving is a collection of changes to driving behavior and vehicle maintenance designed to impact fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in existing vehicles. Because of its promise to improve fuel economy within the existing fleet, ecodriving has gained increased attention in North America. One strategy to improve ecodriving is through public education with information on how to ecodrive. This report provides a review and study of ecodriving from several angles. The report offers a literature review of previous work and programs in ecodriving across the world. In addition, researchers completed interviews with experts in the field of public relations and public message campaigns to ascertain best practices for public campaigns. Further, the study also completed a set of focus groups evaluating consumer response to a series of websites that displayed ecodriving information. Finally, researchers conducted a set of surveys, including a controlled stated-response study conducted with approximately 100 University of California, Berkeley faculty, staff, and students, assessing the effectiveness of static ecodriving web-based information as well as an intercept clipboard survey in the San Francisco Bay Area. The stated-response study consisted of a comparison of the experimental and control groups. It found that exposure to ecodriving information influenced people’s driving behavior and some maintenance practices. The experimental group’s distributional shift was statistically significant, particularly for key practices including: lower highway cruising speed, driving behavior adjustment, and proper tire inflation. Within the experimental group (N = 51), fewer respondents significantly changed their maintenance practices (16%) than the majority that altered some driving practices (71%). This suggests intentionally altering driving behavior is easier than planning better maintenance practices. While it was evident that not everyone modifies their behavior as a result of reviewing the ecodriving website, even small shifts in behavior due to inexpensive information dissemination could be deemed cost effective in reducing fuel consumption and emissions

Internal report cluster 1: Urban freight innovations and solutions for sustainable deliveries (1/4)

Technical report about sustainable urban freight solutions, part 1 of

Safe driving in a green world : a review of driver performance benchmarks and technologies to support ‘smart’ driving

Road transport is a significant source of both safety and environmental concerns. With climate change and fuel prices increasingly prominent on social and political agendas, many drivers are turning their thoughts to fuel efficient or ‘green’ (i.e., environmentally friendly) driving practices. Many vehicle manufacturers are satisfying this demand by offering green driving feedback or advice tools. However, there is a legitimate concern regarding the effects of such devices on road safety – both from the point of view of change in driving styles, as well as potential distraction caused by the in-vehicle feedback. In this paper, we appraise the benchmarks for safe and green driving, concluding that whilst they largely overlap, there are some specific circumstances in which the goals are in conflict. We go on to review current and emerging in-vehicle information systems which purport to affect safe and/or green driving, and discuss some fundamental ergonomics principles for the design of such devices. The results of the review are being used in the Foot-LITE project, aimed at developing a system to encourage ‘smart’ – that is safe and green – driving

Towards a real-time microscopic emissions model

This article presents a new approach to microscopic road traffic exhaust emission modelling. The model described uses data from the SCOOT demand-responsive traffic control system implemented in over 170 cities across the world. Estimates of vehicle speed and classification are made using data from inductive detector loops located on every SCOOT link. This data feeds into a microscopic traffic model to enable enhanced modelling of the driving modes of vehicles (acceleration, deceleration, idling and cruising). Estimates of carbon monoxide emissions are made by applying emission factors from an extensive literature review. A critical appraisal of the development and validation of the model is given before the model is applied to a study of the impact of high emitting vehicles. The article concludes with a discussion of the requirements for the future development and benefits of the application of such a model

Internal report cluster 1: Urban freight innovations and solutions for sustainable deliveries (2/4)

Technical report about sustainable urban freight solutions, part 2 of

The evolution of car power, weight and top speed during the last twenty years in Belgium: a consideration for future policies

Traffic is one of the main causes of the most serious environmental problems worldwide. Accidents, photochemical air pollution, climate change, air quality and noise levels are some of these factors. The challenge of today is how to reduce these negatives effects in the coming years. As “sustainable development” and “sustainable consumption” are getting more important or even becoming preconditions for a better environment, the tendencies within road traffic can be labeled as “unsustainable,” i.e. the number of vehicles is still rising and consumption of oil and contribution to CO2 emissions remain high. Kroon (1998) suggests that only a forced decline in the average fuel consumption per km of at least 50% between 1998 and 2010 will have an effect on reducing CO2 and other emissions. In the opinion of Kroon (1998) this was denoted as a feasible target if technical vehicle improvements were geared more towards fuel efficiency instead of upgrading power, performance and weight and if, at the same time, driver behavior could be guided towards fuel efficiency and away from speeding and strong acceleration. Within the last decade, it is still noted that the trend for more powerful engines and higher performance still exists and that the policy of car manufactures to counter the problem is scantily made. These powerful vehicles will also influence road safety and feelings of security and safety of other road users. Accidents and fatalities will increase when speed levels increase, but also the weight and size of vehicles can effect the security of drivers and other road users. For several years, the Institute of Sustainable Mobility conducts studies on the evolution of weight, engine power and speeds of the sold vehicles in Belgium. The first results of 2007 indicate that there is still an increase in power, weight and speed. In this paper the results and the problem of bigger cars will be described on different level