FHWA Research and Technology Evaluation: Enhanced Prediction of Vehicle Fuel Economy and Other Vehicle Operating Costs

Federal Highway Administration2022PDFTech ReportBucci, GregoryChajka-Cadin, LoraFriedman, DanielJohn A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation ManagementHuie, MaryUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation ManagementUnited StatesOperating costsEconomicsFuel consumptionVehiclesVehicle operating costsHERSFuel economyFHWA-HRT-22-073HW9AA300Huie, MaryFinal ReportThis report presents an evaluation of the Enhanced Prediction of Vehicle Fuel Economy and Other Vehicle Operating Costs (VOCs) research project. This research aimed to update the decades-old VOC equations, which the Federal Highway Administration uses in the Highway Economic Requirements System model to make projections for the Nation's transportation system conditions and performance. The evaluation team assessed two short-term outcomes of this research: early interest and application of the updated VOC models and internal reviewers' response to, and perceptions of, the updated VOC models. The evaluation team found that outreach conducted by the research team introduced the updated models to hundreds of public and private entities, with many entities directly contacting the researchers for additional information. While internal stakeholders indicate that the updated VOC models are an improvement over current methods, concerns were expressed about specific equations, which will be addressed through further research.136