POLICE CARS AND ENERGY CONSERVATION

THE FACTORS AFFECTING FUEL CONSUMPTION BY AUTOMOBILES ARE REVIEWED AND MEASURES ARE SUGGESTED WHICH MAY LEAD TO REDUCTION OF FUEL CONSUMPTION BY POLICE CARS. THE INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE DEMONSTRATES THAT CAR SIZE, VEHICLE CONFIGURATION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE CAN SUBSTANTIALLY AFFECT FUEL ECONOMY. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE INCLUDED TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN DETERMINING WHICH FUEL ECONOMY MEASURES ARE MOST APPLICABLE TO THEIR PARTICULAR JURISDICTIONS. THE ELEMENTS OF A FUEL CONSERVATION PROGRAM ARE IDENTIFIED AND DESCRIBED, INCLUDING EXAMPLES OF DRIVER TRAINING MATERIALS. A RECENT STUDY SHOWS THAT INTERMEDIATE AND COMPACT CARS WHICH OFFER IMPROVED FUEL ECONOMY, HAVE FAR GREATER APPLICATION THAN IS SUGGESTED BY CURRENT USAGE. A POLICE CONFIGURATION COMPACT CAR IS CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED. A SUMMARY OF FACTORS (OTHER THAN SIZE AND WEIGHT) WHICH AFFECT FUEL ECONOMY, ARE TABULATED. COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE DEVICES, AS WELL AS ADJUSTMENTS TO ENGINE COMPONENTS THAT INCREASE FUEL MILEAGE, INCLUDE INSTALLATION OF A DEVICE DISPLAYING INTAKE MANIFOLD VACUUM. THE PERFORMANCE OF IN-SERVICE EVALUATIONS UNDER ACTUAL OPERATING CONDITIONS; ASSURANCE THAT ALL APPLICABLE EMISSION CONTROL REQUIREMENTS ARE COMPILED WITHIN A DRIVING CYCLE TEST; AND ELIMINATION OF POSSIBLE DRIVER BIAS DURING TESTING, ARE SOME GUIDELINES THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED IN EVALUATION OF ANY ITEM. THE MAXIMUM FEASIBLE REDUCTION IN POLICE CAR FUEL ECONOMY IS 40 PERCENT ON A NATIONALLY AGGREGATED BASIS. A 20 PERCENT IMPROVEMENT MAY BE EXPECTED IN URBAN AREAS IF ALL OFFICERS ACTIVELY SUPPORTED IMPROVED DRIVING TECHNIQUES.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • ENERGY RPT NO. 4
• Corporate Authors:

  Department of Justice

  Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
  Washington, DC  United States  20530
• Publication Date: 1974-3-1

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 22 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Compact automobiles; Conservation; Distance; Driver training; Energy; Evaluation; Fuel consumption; Maintenance practices; Police; Police vehicles; Recommendations; Skidding; Skidmarks; Vehicles; Weight
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mileage; Operation and maintenance
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224640
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 19 1974 12:00AM