Drivers can Save USD 6.2 Billion Every Year by Using Smart Car Technologies

Researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology conducted a study which indicated that motorists can save as much as USD 6.2 billion every year in fuel costs by using smart car technologies.

Yeganeh Hayeri, an assistant professor at Stevens who was part of the team that conducted the study said that is a significant amount as it translates to between US 60 and USD 266 for car owners. They also create additional savings when they enjoy smoothly-flowing traffic, suffer fewer accidents and better aerodynamic efficiency.

There have been many studies on the social impact of driverless cars which offer a high level of automation. But this was the first such study that took into account the energy impact of lower levels of automation and the individual technologies that are already available in our cars, pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

In order to measure the impact of these technologies on fuel-saving cost, Hayeri and her colleagues at Stevens and Carnegie Mellon University conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the energy and safety impacts of automated features. They obtained precise data that made it possible for them to predict how these technological features would affect fuel consumption nationwide. They then went on to analyze the benefits and costs associated with each automation technology. The technologies were grouped into three groups: warning systems like those for lane departure, speed limit detection and blind spots, control systems like collision detection braking and cruise control and information systems (i.e. parking aid system and dynamic route guidance.)

The results of their study were reported in Transportation Research Record. Hayeri and her colleagues showed that drivers of low-level automated vehicles (those equipped with all technologies considered in this study) could reduce fuel consumption by as much as 27 to 119 gallons for each vehicle on anannual basis.

This means that use of such smart car technologies, especially during times when traffic congestion is a serious issue as in Ramadan could help motorists save a significant amount of time and money as it would mean less stress, less traffic congestion, more parking, and reaching destinations on time as no one would get lost.

Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic,” said Hayeri. “What we did is put a number of fuel-saving costs that come with technologies that assist us with making smarter choices on the road. We hope to use this information for improving future transportation, and consequentially improve the environment, save lives and keep the air we breathe cleaner.”