Automobile fuel economy and traffic congestion.

An analytical model for automobile fuel consumption based on vehicle parameters and traffic characteristics is developed in this thesis. This model is based on two approximations: (1) an engine map approximation, and (2) a tractive energy approximation. This model is the first comprehensive attempt to predict fuel economy without having to go through a second-by-second measurements, simulation or a regression procedure. A computer spreadsheet program based on this model has been created. It can be used to calculate the fuel economy of any motor vehicle in any driving pattern, based on public-available vehicle parameters, with absolute error typically less than $\pm$5%. Several applications of this model are presented: (1) calculating the fuel economy of motor vehicles in 7 different driving cycles, (2) determining the relationship between fuel economy and vehicle average velocity, (3) determining the vehicle optimal fuel efficiency speed, (4) discussing the effect of traffic smoothness on fuel economy, (5) discussing how driving behaviors affect fuel economy, (6) discussing the effect of highway speed limit on fuel economy, (7) discussing the maximum possible fuel economy for ordinary cars, and finally, (8) discussing the impact of vehicle parameters on fuel economy.Ph.D.Applied SciencesAutomotive engineeringEnvironmental scienceHealth and Environmental SciencesPhysicsPure SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128862/2/9226832.pd