Consumption-optimized driving means driving “green”, for the most part, at least - that is the goal of new route recommendations that Bosch subsidiary Blaupunkt will offer in the route selection of vehicle navigation systems as a new, additional option in the future. In addition to the selection of a quick or a short route, it is also already possible to choose a so-called eco route. This route takes environmental as well as economical aspects into account. In the future, it will also be possible to define vehicle-specific profiles that are also based on individual driving behavior to enable consumption-optimized “green” routes.
Navigation systems allow drivers to select different routes according to the route options. Taking into account just one option often make a big difference in which route is calculated. The short route, for example, usually uses country and district roads, taking the driver through towns and villages on roads with lower speed limits. In contrast, the quick route favors roads without a lot of intersections like highways, national roadways and city bypasses and might be considerably longer in terms of the kilometers traveled. Systems from Blaupunkt are more advanced than that. They weigh the distance against the time, i.e. different road attributes such as towns to pass through or intersections to cross, and calculate the most environmentally friendly and economical routes.
The next development planned by the Blaupunkt engineers includes a process to improve the profiles defined by different vehicle-specific characteristics and driving behavior. In addition to the fuel consumption for the actual distance, this option also takes the consumption for the expected acceleration phases into account. This includes such parameters as the vehicle type - size, weight, consumption and the type of drive - as well as the driver.s driving behavior. Is it a racy driving style with lots of acceleration and starts and stops or a more cool, calculated approach, observing all the speed limits and with a keen eye on the other traffic? As a result, calculating the consumption-optimized route incorporates vehicle profiles and driver-specific influences, along with data on the type of road traveled and the known road attributes. Depending on the route profiles, vehicle type and driving behavior, the route recommendation is highly individual, saves fuel and reduces CO2 emissions on the best route to the selected destination.
