Everyone loves smart car technology for the convenience, comfort, and security that they bring. However, we never considered the efforts that they make to help us save our money. The first study to assess the impact of smart car technology revealed that they also support the owners financially. Stevens Institute of Technology conducted the research, and it determined that the potential of these cars to save fuel is as much as $6.2 billion each year. Yeganeh Hayeri, assistant professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, said, “That’s not insignificant. That translates to between $60 and $266 in the pocket of car owners every year, not to mention additional savings created for each driver due to more smoothly-flowing traffic, fewer accidents and aerodynamic efficiency of all other vehicles on the road.”
This is the first study done to show the energy impact on lower levels of automation and specific technologies which were already introduced in vehicles. Hayeri and her team conducted an extensive review of the literature on the energy and safety impacts of the cars. The automated features extracted data on how these technologies will affect the fuel consumption all over the world. The researchers also used the results to analyze the benefits and costs which were associated with each tech and separated into three categories. These categories were warning systems, control systems, and information systems.
Heyari’s team found that the drivers of low-level automated vehicles which were equipped with all the technologies evaluated in the study can reduce the fuel consumption per vehicle by 27 to 119 gallons per year. These savings will reach from 6 to 23 percent of the US average fuel consumption. The study showed how smart technologies help to monitor and navigate efficiently the challenges which are associated with driving like traffic congestion, and construction. These innovations also allow drivers to make wise choices which provide financial benefits. Hayeri said, “Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic. What we did is put a number of fuel-saving costs that come with technologies that assist us with making smarter choices on the road. We hope to use this information for improving future transportation, and consequentially improve the environment, save lives and keep the air we breathe cleaner.”