Self-driving cars could be more fuel-efficient than human drivers
- Joann Muller, author of Axios What's Next
Photo: Volvo Cars
The expected benefits of self-driving cars are widely touted: They will be safer than human drivers and improve access to transportation for people with disabilities, the elderly and the poor.
One other potential benefit: They will be better for the environment (and not just because most AVs will be electric).
Driving the news: A new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on behalf of Volvo showed a 5% to 7% drop in fuel consumption for cars driving with adaptive cruise control compared with human drivers.
- NREL studied Volvos driven by employees and their families near the company's headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- They compared the fuel economy of cars using adaptive cruise control to those without the system, which automatically adjusts to the speed of the car ahead.
- It's the first study that uses real-world driving data to show how much more efficient cars with driver-assistance features can be, according to Green Car Reports.
Quick take: With less stop-and-go driving, cars drive at a steadier pace and thus burn less fuel.
What to watch: Future developments such as platooning and vehicle-to-vehicle communications could smooth traffic flow even further, making cars potentially even more efficient.