A mobile phone application in order to reduce the number of fuel consumption in trucks
Having the engine of a truck running, while the vehicle is on a long stop (i.e. at a parking, or waiting on a long queue that moves slowly, can lead to excessive fuel waste). Idling is perceived to be one of the most important driving cycles where truck drivers can influence their fuel consumption and there is a very important monetary cost behind the statistics. Operating a vehicle in idling means that its engine runs slowly while disconnected from a load or out of gear. With one hour of idling consuming about 3.8 liters of diesel, if every truck in a 50-vehicle fleet idles one hour a day, the yearly fuel cost for the entire fleet will be 70 000 euros. Idling, across the trucking industry, uses more than 22 billion liters of fuel a year. Moreover, modern diesel engines do not take well to idling, it runs the engine while partially combusting fuel. This leads to residue buildup on engine components, inefficient fuel consumption, and costly mechanical degradation. It is a source of accumulating damage that affects multiple parts of the vehicle and is costly to repair. In fact, idling causes twice as much wear on the vehicle’s internal parts as does regular driving, leading to revenue loss and owner’s frustration.