Environmental effects of driving behaviour and congestion related to passenger cars

Using Vitoʹs on-board measuring system the influence of track, driving behaviour and traffic conditions on fuel consumption and emissions were studied for a small test fleet of passenger cars. City traffic resulted in the highest fuel consumption and emissions. Fuel consumption was about two times higher than for ring roads, which generally gave the lowest values. This was even more pronounced for emissions. Depending on road type and technology, fuel consumption increased with up to 40% for aggressive driving compared to normal driving. Again, this was more pronounced for emissions, with increases up to a factor 8. Driving behaviour had a greater influence on petrol-fuelled than on diesel-fuelled cars.Traffic condition also has a major effect on fuel consumption and emissions. For city driving intense traffic increased fuel consumption by 20–45%. The increase in fuel consumption and emissions during rush hours were the highest on ring roads, with increases between 10 and 200%. In absolute terms, a surplus of up to 5 l fuel per 100 km was measured. More environment-friendly route option requires the use of ring roads and motorways during rush hours instead of short cuts.