Fuel economy of a vehicle as a function of airspeed: The concept of parallel corridors

Abstract

In this investigation, it is shown that when a highway vehicle is driven at a constant speed on a level road, what actually determines its fuel economy is the airspeed of the vehicle rather than its ground speed or its speedometer reading. A theoretical model is then developed for the first time that describes the fuel economy of a highway vehicle as a function of its airspeed. The functional form of this model turns out to be in good correlation with the experimental data that have been collected by the authors over the last 2 years. Finally, the concept of parallel corridors is introduced and a design for highway construction is suggested that can significantly improve fuel economy of vehicles where traffic is heavy, by establishing a controlled driving environment. The results of this investigation apply to any vehicle using any source of energy. © #CPR Heide and Mohazzabi.