Research reveals impact of eco-driving systems for fleet owners

Amsterdam, 16 March 2016
The ecoDriver project¹ – the EU funded research project targeting CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption reductions in road transport – has today released its first set of findings.

The research shows that its prototype eco-driving² systems have achieved up to a six per cent reduction in overall energy usage. This is a good first step towards the target reduction of 20 per cent, and could already translate into big savings for drivers. On top of this, the study found that the systems had a strong positive impact on speed as well as acceleration and deceleration times, which could potentially lead to less severe road traffic accidents.

The four-year project has been one of the key influences behind a unique development in the TomTom Telematics WEBFLEET fleet management platform. OptiDrive 360, which is the first product to be made available for drivers as a direct result of the research, encourages more environmentally friendly driving by providing a user interface and experience that helps trigger change in driver behaviour. As a result, some OptiDrive 360 customers have reported fuel savings in excess of 20 per cent³.

Not only does OptiDrive 360 help drivers adopt a responsible driving style, it also provides valuable insights to fleet managers to help them make better decisions. Ultimately providing the tools to help lower fuel, maintenance and insurance premiums, and thus contributing towards reducing the total costs of vehicle ownership. With the recent addition of OptiDrive 360 for trucks and buses, the system is now available for all types of vehicles.

When TomTom Telematics invested in the ecoDriver project we saw a huge opportunity in doing extensive research into eco-driving alongside partners from such a wide range of areas – including research institutes, universities and car manufacturers, said Taco van der Leij, VP Marketing at TomTom Telematics.

Being involved has given us a unique positioning in the telematics industry, as it has helped us get under the skin of the subject of eco-driving and to learn from the others involved. We have been able to feed this into our product development and OptiDrive 360 is the first result.

¹ ecoDriver project aimed to support drivers (car, bus and truck) in conserving energy and reducing emissions. For further information, please visit: http://www.ecodriver-project.eu

For further information on the research results, please contact the project team: http://www.ecodriver-project.eu/contact-us/ ²Eco-driving: The practice of driving in such a way as to minimise fuel consumption and the emission of carbon dioxide.

On-road eco-driving support: A system, either integrated into a vehicle or on a mobile device, which gives real-time driving advice and support for eco-driving, based on the vehicle characteristics and the road features. ³ For further information: uk.business@webfleet.com