Development and Preliminary Field Testing of an In-Vehicle Eco-Speed Control System in the Vicinity of Signalized Intersections

:This paper develops and addresses the implementation issues associated with the field application of an Eco-Speed Control (ESC) system that computes and recommends a fuel-efficient trajectory to drivers using signal timing and phasing data received from downstream-signalized intersections. From an algorithmic standpoint, the proposed process addresses the possible scenarios that a driver may encounter while approaching a signalized intersection. Alternatively, from an implementation standpoint the paper overcomes the challenges associated with communication latency, data errors, real-time computation, and smoothness of the drive in developing the system. The Virginia Smart Road connected vehicle controlled facility at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) was used to conduct a preliminary proof-of-concept testing of the proposed ESC system. The testing included driving on downhill and uphill approaches for four red indication offset values. In total 192 trips were conducted using four different participants. The analyzed data indicate that the proposed system is very promising, producing an average reduction in fuel consumption levels and travel times in the range of 17.4 and 8.4 percent, respectively.