Eco-Driving Modeling Environment
Project Title
Eco-Driving Modeling Environment
University
University of Idaho
Principal Investigator
U of I Civil & Environmental Engineering
PI Contact Information
U of I Civil & Environmental Engineering
Funding Sources and Amounts Provided
US Department of Transportation — $46,301
University of Idaho — $46,301 match
Total Project Cost
$92,602
Agency ID or Contract Number
DTRT12GUTC17; KLK914
Start Date
9/3/13
End Date
1/31/16
Description of Research Project
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has been working on several initiatives to reduce traffic-related vehicle emissions and fuel consumption to help the nation’s transportation activities become more sustainable and cost-effective. In recent years, eco-driving has been identified as one promising solution to palliate environmental and fuel consumption issues. Eco-driving is a collection of driving techniques designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in existing vehicles. Drivers are slowly becoming educated on the techniques of eco-driving but currently few tools exist to educate and train drivers about eco-driving practices.
This proposed research project aims to develop a driver-simulator-based tool to evaluate driver behavior and to reliably estimate or measure fuel consumption and emissions. The proposed tool consists of a driving simulator integrated with an advanced engine modeling software in a hardware-in-the-loop modeling environment. The high-fidelity driving simulator has the advantages of being able to accurately simulate multiple driving environments and provide real-time feedback to the driver. The engine modeling tool (GT-Suite) has the advantage of modeling vehicle performance and produce accurate vehicle emission and fuel consumption estimates.
Implementation of Research Outcomes
- Developed a simplified fuel efficiency model based on a generic brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) map for an inline 4-cylinder. By using the engine RPM and engine torque variables provided by the NADS MiniSim with the generic BSFC model, power and approximate engine efficiency, fuel consumption, and fuel economy cab be estimated within the MIniSim simulation environment.
- Using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) an EcoDash was created and will run along with other system components in real-time with MiniSim. The developed EcoDash overlays on top of the existing MiniSim Dashboard that includes a speedometer, a tachometer, and in the center of the speedometer cluster is an acceleration display.
- Tested and validated a SimLink interface between the GT-Suite Software and the NADS MiniSim Model. The interface will facilitate the integration of the two models to create an Eco-Driving model training tool.
- Using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) an EcoDash was finalized. The model will run along with other system components in real-time with MiniSim.
Impacts and Benefits of the Project
—
Research
- An Eco-Driving modeling environment that integrates the NADS MiniSim driver simulator model and the GT-Suite advanced engine modeling tool
- A Java-based application to estimate fuel consumption for a center engine configuration under different driving cycles based on driver simulator output
Education
- One computer science undergraduate student
- One psychology graduate student
- Two mechanical engineering undergraduate students
Web Links
UI_TranLive_Eco-Driving-Modeling-Environment-KLK914
Keywords
- eco-driving
- modeling
- environment