ITS can help reduce CO2

Apart from the convenience and safety features that connected cars can bring, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) believes that Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), which could communicate with connected cars, could make a significant contribution to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

ACEA launched a new study by ERTICO – ITS Europe, which considers how much ITS systems could reduce car CO2 emissions.

The study found that there was a number of ways in which ITS systems could help. The two areas that appear to offer the most potential are traffic signal co-ordination and parking guidance. Reductions of around 5% are reckoned possible for “Green Wave” intelligent traffic signals, designed to give drivers a green light if they approach at a steady speed around 50km/h.

Many of us have had the experience of driving to our destinations, then spending around half an hour trying to find somewhere to park, with the associated fuel consumption and emissions. The report suggests that another 5% CO2 saving could be made with parking guidance, which could guide a driver direct to available parking spaces.

Focusing on systems in vehicles that could help to reduce CO2 emissions, what ACEA calls “Eco-navigation” systems show a lot of potential. These systems have dynamic navigation tools, using real-time data to help drivers reduce fuel consumption. ACEA suggests that CO2 emission reductions of around 10% are possible, but acknowledges that the potential is highly variable, depending on the road and journeys being made, as well as road topography, traffic conditions and the driver’s knowledge of the route, among other things.

Eco driving – large CO2 reductions

Topping the list of potential CO2 saving measures is eco-driving, which ACEA says could produce savings of from 20% to over 30%. Such figures are certainly possible, depending on how careful a driver is in the first place, but the problem is that not all drivers are aware of or are taught eco-driving techniques. ACEA recognises this and suggests that on-board eco-driving systems that can monitor driving behaviour and provide rapid feedback both during the trip and afterwards would help to provide a solution.

Intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) systems and adaptive cruise control can also help to reduce CO2 emissions by between 3% and 5%. ISA can be either passive, like speed limit recognition systems that alert the driver to the prevailing speed limit, or active systems, which would match vehicle speed to the speed limit.

Speaking at the press conference at the Frankfurt Show, ACEA president Carlos Ghosn commented: “The first objective is to make sure that the goal is given enough time for everybody to converge. We really welcome this because in order to be successful, everybody needs visibility, but this is going to require a lot of changes.”

Ghosn – integrated approach needed

“Secondly, that it is an integrated approach. CO2 emissions have to take into consideration all the emissions of CO2, by definition and could not be focused only on what we can really measure or what we can control. It has to be wider if we really want to make a difference on the planet. When I talk about ‘integrated’, we’re talking not only about integrated in terms of transportation, but also all the other sectors emitting CO2. It doesn’t make any sense to be extremely tough on one sector and completely lax on another sector, so that at the end of the day, the results would be mediocre.

“It also should be integrated within the transportation sector,” continued Ghosn. “Playing only on new cars is a very small part of the equation, but obviously we understand that new cars will contribute and are contributing, but in terms of emissions from transportation, it’s a very small part. The whole vehicle parc contributes. It’s not only that in the EU we are talking about a car parc that is on average 10 years old, but also you can imagine that in other countries it’s much more than that – it’s 15, it’s 20. You can imagine having cars that are this old on the road with cars that are Euro6 or equivalent. We would like and we want to advocate, without being suspected of being biased, an integrated approach.”

Current policy weak

“Today the situation is that we are extremely tough on a relatively small part of the contributors and in a certain way, much more lax on other emitters. That’s the way it works. The result is that CO2 emissions are increasing and the heating of the planet continues to increase. If we really want results we need to start not from the emissions, but from the output and from the output go back, no matter how difficult it is and try to put control on the emissions. This is an integrated approach and we are all favourable to the integrated approach.

“Frankly, it’s such a frustration to see that we are putting so much technology and so much effort into obtaining very strong results and seeing that there are a lot of emissions that are not contributing. At the end of the day, if you make an effort, you want at least to have the satisfaction of seeing something changing at the level of the planet.

“We have made a lot of effort and we will continue to make efforts. There is strong competition between all the car makers. They are all bringing different technologies. That’s not the issue. The issue we want is to serve a purpose. We want to make sure that the purpose can be seen and the purpose is reducing CO2 emissions worldwide and this cannot be linked to one activity while avoiding another, it has to be integrated.”

Data protection

ITS interaction with on-board systems raises issues of data protection too. ACEA’s response has been to adopt a statement setting out five principles of data protection that the European motor industry will adhere to. All ACEA member companies support the statement.

The five principles are:

• We are transparent

• We give customers choice

• We always take data protection into account

• We maintain data security

• We process personal data in a proportionate manner.

ACEA says that these principles supplement existing laws and regulations governing personal data protection and privacy in the European Union at national and EU level.

At the same time, the organisation acknowledges that unaffiliated third parties also provide applications and services through the communications platforms on member vehicles and says it will encourage these service providers to apply the same principles.