A critical review and assessment of Eco-Driving policy & technology: Benefits & limitations

Eco-Driving has received significant attention in literature and among policy makers for its claimed benefits in reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. Many investigations of Eco-Driving policy have reported potential reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions ranging from 5% to 40% across various jurisdictions and initiatives. This paper comprises a review and assessment of Eco-Driving policy and its claimed benefits. The possible negative impacts of Eco-Driving, often neglected in previous research, are also highlighted. These include policy limitations which may result in increases in accident risk, and CO2 emissions at traffic network level. In addition, the limitations of certain Eco-Driving technology are also highlighted. The results of this review and assessment reveal that Eco-Driving Policy has the potential to reduce CO2 emission and fuel consumption in certain circumstances, but in congested city centre traffic many conflicting views exist in the literature, resulting in some doubt over the effectiveness of the policy in such circumstances. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.