A review on the applications of driving data and traffic information for vehicles' energy conservation

A large portion of energy consumption in the world is related to transportation. In recent decades, a variety of technologies have been innovated and applied in order to decrease vehicles energy consumption. In this paper, a comprehensive review on the use of driving data and traffic information for vehicles energy conservation is done. The main aim of this paper is the development of a framework for classification and comparative assessment of various methods and technologies, in which driving data or traffic information are utilized for vehicles energy conservation. The applications are classified into three main categories including (1) traffic monitoring and management systems, (2) intelligent energy management systems in vehicles and (3) intelligent management of charging issues. Research topics in each category are explained and their respective effectiveness in vehicles energy consumption reduction is discussed. The review concludes that the use of the driving data and traffic information leads to remarkable improvements in vehicles energy consumption reduction. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.