How I reduce fuel consumption: An experimental study on mental models of eco-driving

Abstract

Eco-driving has the potential to reduce fuel consumption and therefore emissions considerably. Previous research suggests that drivers have a certain level of eco-driving knowledge and skills, which they refrain from practising in their everyday lives. At the same time misconceptions and ambiguous messages from eco-driving support systems can confuse and demotivate. This research aimed to identify the mental models of eco-driving that regular drivers have. A driving simulator experiment with a varied road layout comprising urban and motorway sections was designed. Thefuel-B loud protocols and interviews were compared and analysed. The emphasis of this study was on eco-driving relevant indicators such as accelerating, braking, coasting and car-following. The results show that the participants do have mental models of eco-driving, which they did not use in the Baseline drive, when D M communication with the driver about the momentary efficient speed as well as resulting time losses and fuel savings. In addition, in-vehicle guidance can increase driving safety compared to practicing eco-driving without them.Keywords: Mental models, Driving simulator, Eco driving, Fuel economy; Driver behaviour 3 Highlights  Mental models of eco-driving were investigated in a driving simulator experiment  The approach combined behavioural data, think aloud protocols and interviews  Behaviour and focus changed when participants were asked to drive fuel-efficiently  Support systems need to communicate efficient behaviours and maintain safety

Driving Behaviour and Sustainable Mobility—Policies and Approaches Revisited

“…Drivers have an inherently eco-driving model, which they do not use unless there is a system to support it [78][79][80][81][82][83]. In this regard, Johansson et al [84] confirmed that motivation and training largely influence driving style.…”

Modelling Eco-Driving Support System for Microscopic Traffic Simulation

“…and the deceleration compliance for the median driver deduce the breakpoint in this piece-wise linear function. us, the function deceleration speed is synchronized so that the ⋅ deceleration * speed = 6 given that * speed represents the optimum median speed compliance estimated according to Equation (4). speed represents all points where the median speed compliance is obtained.…”

“…route selection and vehicle loading) and operational decisions like gradual acceleration and decelerations [2], recent research have focused more on real-time operational measures that a driver can adopt to reduce fuel consumption and emissions given the instantaneous tra c conditions. ese can include guidance on optimum gear con guration and acceleration, the anticipation of downstream network and tra c conditions and guidance on avoiding unnecessary acceleration and deceleration [3,4]. All these aspects are heavily reliant on properly designed driver support systems.…”

Old habits die hard? The fragility of eco-driving mental models and why green driving behaviour is difficult to sustain

“…This was achieved with slower speeds and higher gears. Pampel et al (2015) explored eco-driving mental models further, and found that that drivers were able to effectively eco--Comparable effects were observed by Birrell et al (2010) and van der Voort et al (2001). An activation of eco-driving mental models could cause larger headways in order to prevent harsh braking (Boer et al, 2005), and lower speeds (Birrell et al, 2010).…”

“…A growing body of research suggests that the difficulty of changing drivers behaviour towards more fuel-efficient driving practices is not simply overcome with organised training sessions (Delicado, 2012, Johansson et al, 1999, Schall et al, 2016 and financial (Harvey et al, 2013, Schall et al, 2016 or environmental motivations (Flynn et al, 2009, Stradling et al, 2008. Continuous feedback and feed-forward systems have the potential to encourage drivers to effectively eco-drive (Barkenbus, 2010, Birrell et al, 2014, Hibberd et al, 2015, but these may be complex and potentially expensive to build. In contrast, simple prompts have been shown to effect reductions in fuel consumption (7 8% reduction), albeit to a lesser degree compared to support systems (10 -16% reduction, van der Voort et al, 2001, Waters andLaker, 1980).…”