EcoDrive: A Mobile Sensing and Control System for Fuel Efficient Driving

This paper introduces EcoDrive, a fuel consumption sensing and control system for modern vehicles, implemented in an embedded platform, to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. EcoDrive senses vehicle dynamics through the standard vehicle On-board diagnostics (OBD) port and models various vehicle forces, i.e., propulsion, drivetrain loss, wind resistance and grade resistance, as functions of instant fuel consumption. By sensing vehicular speed and controlling air/fuel injection rate in real time, EcoDrive can adjust speed carefully to improve fuel efficiency. We have collected more than 10,000 miles of driving traces from 12 different vehicles to build models of vehicle dynamics. Based on the models, a prototype of EcoDrive is implemented in an off-the-shelf embedded platform. The prototype is installed on a regular vehicle and evaluated through test drives of more than 100 miles across both urban and highway environments. In comparison with human drivers, EcoDrive achieves an average of 20% higher fuel efficiency in urban road segments and 30% higher fuel efficiency on highways.