Enumerating the Effects of Eco-Driving

Researchers at the University of California are developing a study on how drivers change their behavior when they have access to instantaneous information on the efficiency of their driving.

The first-of-its-kind study, led by UC Berkeley, UC Riverside and UC Davis, attempts to quantify the effects of efficiency-conscious driving, known as "eco-driving," a way of altering driving behavior to reduce fuel use and, consequently, emissions. Strategies like "shifting to a higher gear as soon as possible, maintaining steady speeds, anticipating traffic flow, accelerating and decelerating smoothly [and] keeping the vehicle in good maintenance" can yield improvements of 5 to 15 percent in fuel economy, according to a pilot evaluation from UC Riverside.

Thanks to Garrett Bradford