System and method for measuring and reducing vehicle fuel waste

摘要

One way to improve fuel efficiency of a vehicle is to detect the vehicle operational shortcomings related to fuel consumption by determining whether fuel used during operation of the vehicle is normal fuel use or wasted fuel use. Considerations of idling, speeding and inappropriate gear shifts are some ways to measure the amount of fuel wasted due to operator shortcomings. Communicating this information to the operator in real-time so adjustments can be made will improve vehicle fuel efficiency. These techniques are applicable to tracking employment of other driving best practices as well.

主权项

1. A method of detecting vehicle operational shortcomings related to fuel consumption, comprising:
sensing information about operation of a vehicle from at least one sensor positioned on the vehicle; recording, on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the sensed information; determining, from the information, normal fuel use during operation of the vehicle and wasted fuel use during operation of the vehicle; categorizing fuel used by the vehicle into one of a plurality of normal fuel use categories for the determined normal fuel use, and into one of a plurality of wasted fuel use categories for the determined wasted fuel use, wherein a first amount of the determined wasted fuel is categorized in a first of the plurality of wasted fuel use categories and a second amount of the determined wasted fuel is categorized in a second of the plurality of wasted fuel use categories; recording, on the non-transitory computer readable medium, the categorized fuel use; determining performance information related to the vehicle from the recorded categorized fuel used; and presenting the performance information.