Driver training schemes and eco-driving techniques can reduce fuel consumption by 10%, but their effectiveness depends on the willingness of drivers to change their behavior, and changes may be short lived. Onboard driver assistance systems have been proposed, which encourage driving style improvement. Such systems, when fitted in commercial vehicles, can assume some authority since uneconomical driving styles can be reported to a fleet manager. A driver assistance system has been developed and tried in the field with commercial vehicle drivers. The system aims to reduce fuel consumption by encouraging two behaviors: reduced rates of acceleration, and early upshifting through the gears. Visual feedback is reinforced with audible warnings when the driver makes uneconomical power demands of the engine. Field trials of the system were undertaken in the U.K. using 15 light commercial vehicles, driven by their professional drivers from a range of commercial applications. The trials consisted of two-week baseline data collection, which drivers were not aware of, followed by two weeks of data collection with the system being active. During the trials a total of 39 300 km of trip data were collected, which demonstrated fuel savings of up to 12% and average fuel savings of 7.6%.Index Terms-Driver behavior, driver information systems, eco-driving, fuel economy, gear shift indicator (GSI), vehicle driving.

A number of technologies have been introduced into new automobiles with the aim of reducing CO 2 emissions. One method of improving fuel consumption is to improve driver behaviour, since eco-driving techniques can help save 10-15% of fuel. A retro-fittable driver behaviour improvement device has been developed and tested in real world conditions. The device provides real-time audio and visual feedback to the driver to improve his/her driving style. It was tested on 15 vans belonging to various companies in the UK and over 39,000km of data was collected. It was observed that use of the device saved an average 7.6% of fuel. Further analysis showed that the savings were obtained as a result of improvement in driving behaviour through reduction in harsh accelerations and early gear shifting into higher gears. There was also a reduction in the pedal busyness of drivers with the system fitted. A model was created using the data obtained to predict the fuel savings that can be achieved if the device is fitted onto a new vehicle.

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A large proportion of automotive engineering research is focused on the reduction of vehicle fuel consumption thereby reducing CO 2 emissions. One effective method is to use an electric motor in conjunction with the engine (hybrid electric vehicle). This paper details the development and performance characteristics of a low cost hybrid vehicle electric motor, originally developed for the retrofit hybrid vehicle market, although it is intended to be suitable for many applications. The motor is a low cost, scalable, high performance motor, primarily for automotive applications. The motor has been designed to make it stackable for higher power or torque requirements. The use of lightweight materials and innovative cooling designs are novel to this motor. Results obtained from extensive testing of the motor are detailed in the paper including the efficiency map, power and torque curves, continuous powers etc. The peak torque obtained was 70Nm while the peak power output was 14.9KW, whilst the maximum efficiency of the motor was found to be in excess of 90%. It was also seen that increasing the magnetic air gap between the stator and the rotor from 1mm to 6mm, decreased the peak torque values of the motor from 70Nm to 45Nm, but helped achieve a higher speed of 7500rpm.

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