Energy Efficient Drive Technics and Fuel Economy / 1
As we have mentıoned on previous posts, increasing of petroleum prices effect fuel prices directly. Therefore commercial and private vehicle owners facing continuously increasing fuel prices. Increase on fuel prices forced automotive manufacturers to develop and produce energy efficient engines and vehicles. OEMs working on new vehicles, which can take more way with less fuel. Especially for logistics companies, low fuel consumotion is going to be more important than maintance costs. As a result of that energy efficient driving and fuel economy is going to be the point for logistics companies day by day.
On the other hand, new technologies are being invented to reduce fuel consumption and fuel costs. Vehicle owners are getting familiar to Can Bus tracking capable GPS vehicle tracking systems, which let them to track the fuel level, fuel consumption or position of the vehicle. But unfortunately vehicle owners or fleet managers have no idea about the benefits or those systems. Users are those systems are not qualified to analyse all gathered data. At this point, companies which analyse those gathered data and work on voyage-roadway-driver-weight optimisation are being successful. They are also cutting costs are saving fuel.
All those taken actions on fuel consumption aims to ensure fuel safety. Every unburnt fuel drop which is in behind of exhaust manifold equals to natural source wasting. Therefore anti fuel theft systems, which prevent fuel theft from fuel tank, stops access on fuel but those solutions can not interfere to the fuel wasting whcih is controlled by the gas pedal, under the foot of driver. So fuel safety does not only mean prevent fuel theft from fuel tank, it also means effective usage of the fuel in tank. As a result of that, when truck owners would like to apply an anti fuel theft product to their fleet, they should consider if the product is capable to ensure fuel economy. Drivers, which are disinterested from fuel theft but have no idea about fuel economy or energy efficient drive methods, oftenly cause wasting of fuel.
"There is no anti fuel siphon system, which can help you to have more than an energy efficient drive"
It will be better to have information about the internal combustion engines, before giving some tricks on energy efficient drive methods. Basicly all internal combustion engines - diesel or gasoline - based on the same thermodynamic cycle , name Carnot Cycle. Carnot Cycle defines the basics of the heat machines. Regarding to Carnot Cycle, a heat cycle can not be more efficient than 60-65%. It can be increased but it will never be 100%. Diesel Cycle and Otto Cycle, which are the specialized subtypes of Carnot Cycle, will not be efficient more than the effiency of Carnot Cycle, 60-65%. On the other hand, engine is not the only loss point of a vehicle. There are lots of loss points on a vehicle such as gearbox, tires, etc. When we analyse those losses, we see that all those losses can be improved by eco-drive or energy efficient drive methods.What is Fuel Economy?
Fuel economy means all actions to decrease fuel consumption of a vehicle. Taking more way under same conditions, without damaging vehicle/driver/environment means fuel economy at the same time.
What is Energy Efficient Drive Technics?
Eco-drive or energy efficient drive technics means all technics to do maximum work by optmising effects of voyage-roadway-driver-weight.
Energy efficient technics can be classified under two headings as Basic Energy Efficient Drive Technics and Advanced Energy Efficient Drive Technics. In our next posts, we will probe Basic Energy Efficient Drive Technics and Advanced Energy Efficient Drive Technics. For now it will be enough to analyse the graphic below to understand energy efficient technics briefly.
Generally we can analyse Energy Efficient Drive Methods in 5 regions.
1. Accelerate Gently:
Instead of minimum time maximum speed variation, you should consider to get maximum speed on maximum time. Aggressive driving means more fuel.
2. Maintain a Steady Speed:
You should define a steady state speed while driving by having lower and upper speed limits. This range should not be so wide.
3. Anticipate Traffic:
You should foresee about traffic-jam, which will cause high fuel consumption.
4. Avoid High Speed:
High speed cause high fuel consumption.
5. Coast to Decelerate:
Braking means absorbation of the power generated by engine. Minimising braking means less absorbed power. Indeed minimising brake does not mean hard break, it means foreseeing stop or decelerate.
