Eco-Drive Experiment on Rolling Terrain for Fuel Consumption Optimization : [techbrief]

Ma, Jiaqi; Leslie, Ed; Zhou, Fang; Hu, Jia · 2017 · ROSA P / United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Operations Research and Development

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Summary

This study investigates the application of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication and automation to optimize fuel consumption through eco-driving on rolling terrain. The research addresses the need to quantify the real-world benefits of automated eco-drive systems, which utilize roadway profile data to generate optimal speed trajectories. The primary objective was to develop a computationally efficient algorithm capable of real-time execution and to test its performance against conventional cruise control in a field environment. The researchers developed an eco-drive controller based on the Relaxed Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle (RPMP). This system consists of an upper-level controller for trajectory planning and a secondary proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for real-time speed adjustment. Field experiments were conducted using a connected automated vehicle platform, specifically a 2013 Cadillac SRX equipped with longitudinal control, DSRC communication, and precision localization devices. The study compared the eco-drive algorithm against a baseline scenario using commercial cruise control set to roadway speed limits. Tests were performed on seven rolling roadway segments in Virginia and Maryland, totaling approximately 47 miles. Elevation data were collected using PinPoint devices and Precise Point Positioning GPS services. The results demonstrated that the eco-drive controller significantly reduced fuel consumption compared to the baseline. Fuel savings varied from 2% to over 20%, depending on the terrain characteristics. Segments with steep grades (4–8%) and continuous uphill/downhill profiles, such as Georgetown Pike Northbound, yielded the highest savings (21.2%), while milder terrains like the George Washington Parkway Northbound showed minimal savings (2.0%). The eco-drive strategy maintained travel times similar to the baseline, typically within a 5% range, ensuring comparable mobility. Data indicated that eco-drive runs exhibited lower maximum instantaneous fuel flow, reduced acceleration efforts, and decreased braking percentages, facilitating more efficient energy transformation. The study concludes that eco-driving offers substantial fuel savings on mountainous or steeply graded roads but may not be cost-effective for flat or mildly rolling segments. The findings support the development of tools to identify "eco-driving hotspots" for targeted infrastructure investment. Future research directions include expanding field data to diverse terrains, incorporating vehicle-to-vehicle communication to account for surrounding traffic, integrating transmission control, and employing machine learning to refine vehicle dynamics models. This work provides a foundation for State departments of transportation and original equipment manufacturers to implement automated eco-drive technologies for emission and fuel reduction.

Key finding

The eco-drive system reduced fuel consumption by 2 to 21 percent across seven test segments, with the greatest savings occurring on steep, mountainous terrain.

Methodology

field_study

Sample size: 7

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• eco driving