Research on the Effect of Road Height Profile on Fuel Consumption during Vehicle Acceleration

The presented article deals with research on the dependence between road vehicle fuel consumption and the longitudinal height profile of the road. The main research goal is to investigate the difference in fuel consumption during acceleration on different longitudinal profiles of the road (i.e., flat surface, downhill) based on the actual investigation. In the first part of the article, important factors influencing fuel consumption during vehicle acceleration are summarized and a review of literature dealing with this issue is carried out. The next part focuses on the very real-world measurement. In addition to fuel consumption, other parameters were recorded that could be detected by a professional measuring laboratory. In the final part of the article, all the recorded data are evaluated, compared with research question and an actual example is given. Based on the evaluation, it could be concluded that approx. 100 L of fuel can be saved in one week thanks to the implemented measures. Thereafter, recommended possibilities for further use of these findings in technical practice are outlined in the conclusion.