Controller Design Enabling Automated and Fuel-Efficient Driving Strategies for Heavy Duty Vehicles in Urban Environments

Abstract: The automative industry drives the development towards more autonomous vehicles, this because of both safety and energy conservation reasons. This thesis focuses on solutions to lower the fuel consumption for heavy duty vehicles, which is more and more requested. Both due to increasing fuel costs and to greater environmental awareness. Through extensive simulations with a vehicle model, developed at and provided by Scania CV AB, different driving strategies are evaluated and analysed. This determined how to achieve a low fuel consumption when driving heavy vehicle in an urban environment. The simulations shows that the fuel consumption can be lowered by coasting the vehicle when deceleration and thus minimize the use of the brakes. One should also when possible, select a higher gear to lower the fuel consumption due to engine friction. These strategies are used to develop a controller which lowers the fuel consumption without increasing the trip time for the vehicle. The controller is able to alter the velocity of the vehicle within a reference window which results in both a lower fuel consumption and a shorter trip time for the driving cycle used.