Considerable fuel is consumed by idling the engine while a vehicle is stopped during driving. It is thought that an effective approach to reducing fuel consumption would be to dispense with unnecessary engine idling while vehicles are stopped. This paper examines the following three points concerning systems designed to eliminate unnecessary engine idling. The direction that should be taken in developing such "idling stop systems" (ISSs) is clarified from the standpoint of how to determine when to turn off and restart the engine and how to execute the actions involved. Using measured data on actual traffic flows, the effect of ISSs on improving fuel economy is evaluated quantitatively along with assessing their potential impact on the driver's workload. It is shown that ISSs based on Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies can provide substantial benefits. The concept of an ISS is proposed that envisions the use of ITS technologies to reduce CO2 emissions significantly while achieving an easy-to-use system which does not increase the driver's workload. (A*)
Abstract