Smarter driving saves fuel over the long-haul
08 Nov 2011 Duncan Ferguson, Elite Minds
The U.S. government, has announced its very first fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles, seeking to require that big tractor-trailers get 20 percent better mileage by 2018.
New technologies are being introduced that can analyse the carbon emissions that vehicles are producing and even data that analyse the driver’s behaviour. This data and training drivers accordingly can translate to real savings. As Michael Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, put it, "Between the worst driver and the best driver," the difference in fuel economy can be up to 25 percent.
According to Roeth tractor-trailers in the USA currently average just 2.5 kilometers per litre, but some fleets can achieve 3.61 kilometers per litre with the most efficient trucks reaching 4.46 kilometers per litre. Roeth told Josie Garthwaite from National Geographic News that “at current diesel prices (September 2011) each one percent improvement in fuel economy saves approximately USD $900 per truck annually”.
From a cognitive skills perspective this is important, because improved awareness and anticipation skills promote smoother driving. Reducing the incidences of harsh braking, incorrect gear selection and over revving.
At Elite Minds we welcome the new carbon emission measurement technologies, because even if only a one percent fuel efficiency is achieved via our cognitive training interventions, that already represents a strong ROI, even before the positive impact on the driver and general public’s safety is taken into account.
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