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.

A vehicle control device for a vehicle includes a communication unit configured to communicate with a communication device located at a gas station, and a processor configured to control the vehicle to perform at least one of autonomous driving or autonomous fueling based on information received from the communication device. In addition, a control method for controlling a vehicle includes communicating with a communication device located at a gas station, and controlling a vehicle to perform an operation based on information received from the communication device.

In the method provided herein, quantities of fuel are determined during a direct injection of a motor vehicle. In this connection, within one work cycle, test injections are carried out in two cylinders of an internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle during overrun phases, speed oscillations of moved masses of the cylinders are measured and a relative difference in quantity of the fuel quantity of the test injections within one work cycle is determined from the speed oscillations. By evaluating a relative signal between the test injections within one work cycle in the two cylinders, an intrinsic dependence of the drive train of the quantity of fuel signal is compensated.

Side-view mirror deployment in autonomous vehicles can be diagnosed by determining one or more first rates of fuel consumption and deploying one or more side-view mirrors. One or more second rates of fuel consumption can then be determined and one or more deployment states of the side-view mirror can be controlled based on the first rates of fuel consumption and the second rates of fuel consumption.

A method for improving fuel efficiency testing precision in on-road vehicles. The method comprises: installing one or more dataloggers in one or more vehicles, each datalogger configured to receive fuel consumption data broadcast by an on-road vehicle's engine control unit (ECU); transmitting the fuel consumption data from the one or more dataloggers in the one or more on-road vehicles to a processor; and analyzing, using the processor, the fuel consumption data from the one or more dataloggers in the one or more on-road vehicles to determine fuel efficiency of the one or more on-road vehicles. The fuel consumption data comprises fuel rate data from the ECU which is transmitted through the one or more dataloggers, engine speed and other operating parameters from the ECU that are transmitted through the one or more dataloggers, torque sensor data which is transmitted through the one or more dataloggers, and traditional fuel log data.

A method for improving fuel efficiency testing precision in on-road vehicles. The method comprises: installing one or more dataloggers in one or more vehicles, each datalogger configured to receive fuel consumption data broadcast by an on-road vehicle's engine control unit (ECU); transmitting the fuel consumption data from the one or more dataloggers in the one or more on-road vehicles to a processor; and analyzing, using the processor, the fuel consumption data from the one or more dataloggers in the one or more on-road vehicles to determine fuel efficiency of the one or more on-road vehicles. The fuel consumption data comprises fuel rate data from the ECU which is transmitted through the one or more dataloggers, engine speed and other operating parameters from the ECU that are transmitted through the one or more dataloggers, torque sensor data which is transmitted through the one or more dataloggers, and traditional fuel log data.

The technology described herein provides a system and method for automatically increasing the remaining driving range of a vehicle when a low fuel or other condition is detected by altering the operating parameters of one or more vehicle systems to improve propulsion system efficiency and thereby lower fuel consumption. The vehicle range extending system is capable of altering the operating parameters of any vehicle system, including for example variable displacement settings, start-stop technology settings, and HVAC operation. The disclosed technology can also provide information to the driver, suggesting which system operating parameters should be altered to reduce the fuel consumption rate.

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.

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for determining carbon emissions of one or more vehicles. For instance, in one example embodiment, an apparatus may calculate miles traveled by the vehicles along a predefined route and may calculate a fuel usage of the vehicles for traveling along the route to obtain one or more fuel values. The apparatus may also analyze data indicating the miles traveled and the fuel values to determine fuel efficiency values corresponding to the vehicles traveling the route. The apparatus may also determine an estimate of an amount of carbon emissions for each of the vehicles based in part on applying at least one carbon emission value to respective fuel values associated with corresponding determined fuel efficiency values.

A material calculator for a truck to deliver a predetermined quantity of brine per mile driven by the truck for a known route of miles independent of and proportional to truck speed, wherein the truck carries a known number of gallons of brine and a known number of pounds of salt. The material calculator has a processor accepting entry values of route miles to be driven, number of times the route of miles is to be driven, number of gallons of brine carried by the truck, and the number of pounds of salt carried by the truck. The processor has software for calculating dispensing of the brine and salt so that each is exhausted when the route is completed. A hydraulic pump pumps hydraulic fluid to a variable flow positive displacement pump to implement the calculated number of gallons of brine per mile to be dispensed for the known route.