Car-to-car communication for energy efficiency

• Main Author: Tarn, Willis Rui Seng.
• Other Authors: Martin Erik Gustav Helander
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering::Assistive technology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/50201
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Road transportation such as cars, motorcycles and even heavy vehicles are often plagued by adverse road conditions, expected or unexpected. The financial losses by traffic accidents alone in Europe is estimated to be around 200 million euros per year.(Micek and Kapitulik 2009) This financial figure varies from country to country but there is no doubt that significant financial implications for fuel and time are present in any adverse road conditions. In addition, with today’s diminishing non-renewable energy sources, there is a dire need to be efficient in energy expense. Given the right information, road incidents can be prevented, leading to a higher and better efficiency in the use of routes, fuel, time, etc. With car-to-car communication, drivers can be energy efficient, safe and well informed with the aid of various capabilities of car-to-car communication systems. However, car-to-car communication systems are still under development. In this research report, car-to-car communication concepts were researched and materialized into implementation guidelines through the application of applied cognitive task analysis (ACTA). The purpose of performing ACTA is to elicit difficult cognitive processes in the task of driving, identify reasons for its difficulty, understand sources of errors and the cues and strategies to prevent such errors and reduce cognitive load. The results will be compiled and summarized into a cognitive-demands table, which will be translated into physical design guidelines for effective implementation of car-to-car communication systems, aimed to reduce cognitive workload and increase driving comfort for both drivers and non-drivers.