Summary: drivEkustik
The drivEkustik project analysed driving behaviour in electric vehicles (EVs) and the acoustic perception of these vehicles by other road users. The impacts of lower noise emissions by EVs were systematically investigated from various perspectives. Interactions between electric vehicles and vulnerable road users (VRUs) were observed by a real-life experiment.
Scope
Generally, the project was dealing with E-mobility and its effects on driving performance as well as interactions between E-cars and cyclists and/or pedestrians. Parts of the project focused on E-car drivers´ driving performance.
Method
In work package 2, driving performance was measured. 40 test persons used an E-car ECell Mercedes A-Class for one week. Driving performance (speed, acceleration) as well as the E-car´s GPS-position were measured via an in-vehicle data logger. The length of the trip as well as the distance covered was identified from data. The electric vehicles were provided by "Lebensland Kärnten" where subjects could get a car for test purposes for a week.
Results
E-cars were mostly used for short trips. Most of the drivers used the E-car on weekdays. In cooperation with the project E-FFEKT, additional measures were done concerning indoor acoustic issues in specific driving situations (e.g. start-up process). Therefore, two E-cars and two cars with internal combustion engine were consulted.
In work package 3, results from work package 2 were compared to data from other studies, dealing with driving performance in cars with internal combustion engine. It was found that E-cars were used for shorter trips and lower street levels than cars with internal-combustion engine. In the lower speed range (30 and 50 km/h), E-cars were found to have a higher v85 (85th-percentile of the distribution of realized speed) than cars with internal-combustion engine.
In the upper speed level (70-130 km/h), cars with internal-combustion engine tended more to speeding than E-cars. Concerning braking maneuvers, it was found that E-cars show a higher number than cars with internal-combustion engine when driving less than 50 km/h. When driving more than 50 km/h, a reversed effect was noticed.
Implications
In general, it cannot be concluded that E-cars show stronger braking maneuvers than cars with internal-combustion engine do. Analyzing habituation effects, E-car drivers tend to approach their driving behavior more and more to their familiar driving behavior when driving a car with internal combustion engine.