United States Department of Transportation
i
Is That Route Really the Most Fuel-Efficient? [Policy Brief]
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2023-02-01
[PDF-259.71 KB]
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Abstract:Many travelers use Google Maps to select the route for their trip and the Google recommendation can therefore have a significant impact on traffic congestion. Google recently added a new route option: the most fuel-efficient route. The algorithm behind this route selection (RouteE, developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and the information presented by Google to the users at the time of writing claim to examine the current travel conditions on available routes and estimate typical fuel consumption based on those conditions. This should include acceleration/deceleration events as these change of speed events significantly impact fuel consumption and are a critical aspect of selecting the most fuel-efficient route. This consideration is most relevant when comparing the estimated fuel efficiency of a congested highway trip against a free-flowing highway trip, for example when drivers are faced with an option between congested general-purpose lanes (GPLs) or a fast-moving Express/Managed Lane (ML). Initial testing of the Google Maps’ routing recommendations indicates it may not account for these speed changes. This study examines if the new route guidance from Google Maps is accurately identifying the most fuel-efficient routes and tests the RouteE API models that generate the underlying route-specific emissions. The study then develops a new methodology for calculating fuel consumption on a route using real-world data.
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