Comprehensive analysis of the carbon impacts of vehicle intelligent speed control

A comprehensive assessment of the carbon (CO₂) emission impacts of fitting Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems to vehicles, accounting for different driving conditions, road types and the distribution of the vehicle fleet.

Comprehensive analysis of the carbon impacts of vehicle intelligent speed control

D.C. Carslaw, P.S. Goodman, F.C.H. Lai, O.M.J. Carsten

Atmospheric Environment, 2010

Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) are used to develop individual modal emissions models based on a large database of vehicle activity data collected during a six-month field trial of Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) systems fitted to 20 vehicles. The models are used to provide a high-resolution (1 Hz) estimation of CO₂ emissions. Voluntary ISA and mandatory ISA are predicted to reduce CO₂ emissions by 3.4% and 5.8% respectively on 70 mph roads. Mandatory ISA significantly reduces mean vehicle speeds on 70 mph roads (by 8.7%), with positive accelerations decreasing near the speed limit, further contributing to CO₂ reductions. The change in emissions on non-70 mph speed limit roads is variable and small. The analysis reveals that the carbon savings from mandatory ISA are modest compared to its potential safety benefits.

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