Hanzl et al. Technologies. 2022; 10: 128 | Highlighted on Fuelcons
This article by Hanzl et al. addresses research on vehicle fuel consumption during acceleration and how road profiles affect it. The research specifically examined how road height profiles impact fuel consumption during acceleration, focusing on a 30-meter stretch of flat and downhill (-8.5%) surfaces. The study involved 20 acceleration tests on each type of road using a Kia Ceed vehicle. The results showed that fuel consumption during downhill acceleration was 31.4% lower compared to flat surface acceleration.
According to the authors, the findings have practical implications, such as designing elevated intersections or parking areas to minimize fuel consumption during acceleration. For example, a roundabout with an elevation change similar to the experimental road profile could save approximately 100 liters of fuel per week for 100,000 passing vehicles. It also suggests that similar findings can be applied to various traffic-related projects like level crossings and other transport planning measures.
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