Evaluating the effectiveness of “Smart Pedal” systems for vehicle fleets

California has major initiatives for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, and 80% reduction below 1990
levels by 2050. In recent years, there have been a number of “Smart Pedal”
systems that emerged, both as automotive OEM equipment and as third-party
hardware. These “Smart Pedal” systems can be installed in vehicles with
the potential to reduce fuel consumption and GHG emissions by smoothing a
driver’s acceleration and deceleration patterns, with little effect on
travel time or safety. This research investigates the effectiveness of a
select “Smart Pedal” system in reducing fuel consumption and GHG
emissions. The SmartPedalTM technology was evaluated using six Caltrans
vehicles, each monitored for two data collection periods: 1) without the
SmartPedalTM device, to collect the baseline data sets,  and 2)
with the SmartPedalTM device, to collect a comparison data set with the
“Smart Pedal” technology. The collected data is presented here.