EcoGem - Cooperative advanced driver assistance system for green cars

Abstract

This paper advocates that the success and user acceptability of Fully Electric Vehicles (FEVs) will predominantly depend on their electrical energy consumption rate and the corresponding degree of autonomy that they can offer. FEVs must provide their drivers with the highest possible autonomy as well as with a high degree of reliability and robustness in terms of energy performance. The FEV driver must know at all times, with a high degree of assurance, if a destination is reachable with the remaining battery energy, how much energy will be left after his journey, how to efficiently reduce the energy required to reach his destination, as well as when and where it is better to recharge his vehicle. This paper argues that appropriate innovative ICT solutions must be pursued and adopted, in order to assist the driver in dealing with such energy-related issues, and to strengthen FEVs' autonomy and reliability. Such an ICT solution tailored for FEVs -entitled EcoGem- is described in this paper. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.