INFLUENCE OF AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND COLD START ON AUTOMOBILE FUEL CONSUMPTION

Ambient temperature has a significant influence on automobile fuel consumption, both with warmed-up car and during cold start. As a great percentage of all trips made by car covers less than 8-10 km, the cold start fuel consumption is of vital importance for the car owner. However, car manufacturers have during recent years concentrated on lowering the fuel consumption during standardized driving cycles, like CVS, HDC and ECE. These cycles do not take into account cold start or driving at low temperatures, and therefore there is still a lot to be done in this field. The report describes how ambient temperature affects fuel consumption with warmed-up car and during cold start. A formula is presented, that can be used for estimates of the fuel consumption as a function of ambient temperature and trip length after cold start. Finally some possibilities of reducing the cold start fuel consumption are presented.

• Corporate Authors:

  Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)

  Linköping,   Sweden  SE-581 95
• Authors:
  • ODSELL, O
• Publication Date: 1981

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 17 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cold starts (Driving); Estimating; Fuel consumption; Low temperature; Reduction (Chemistry); Temperature
• Old TRIS Terms: Cold start; Reduction
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00361383
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: VTI Rapport 207A, HS-032 529
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 28 1982 12:00AM