VEHICLE OPERATING COSTS CALCULATOR

Considerable changes in vehicle technology over the past several decades resulted in an emerging need for improved fuel and non-fuel vehicle operating costs (VOCs) estimations for use in benefit-cost analyses. One of the key tasks for improving VOC estimations is to develop representative vehicle dynamic models and then simulate their operation over different road conditions using driving cycles (i.e., speed-time profiles) that represent real-world conditions. As part of the U.S. DOT, FHWA DTFH61-14-C-00044 Enhanced Prediction of Vehicle Fuel Economy and Other Vehicle Operating Costs, 4,400 Naturalistic Driving Study trips collected at 6 sites and around 12,500,000-second truck data were used for driving cycle’s development. A total of 652 unique driving cycles were generated for different scenarios of full access control (FAC) and partial or no access control (PNAC) facilities.

Thirty vehicle dynamics computer simulation models from subcompact cars to fully loaded class 8 tractor–trailer trucks were built and verified. Gasoline, diesel, 85% ethanol (E85), and liquid natural gas (LNG) fueled vehicles were included in the fleet, as well as hybrid-electric (HE). Each vehicle model was simulated over the developed driving cycles and respective highway grades (upslope and downslope) and curvatures to predict fuel economy for different scenarios of FAC and PNAC facilities. Fuel economy prediction models capable of estimating fuel consumption for each vehicle over a range of average speed, road grades, and curvatures were developed.

The effects of pavement roughness on vehicle fuel consumption were evaluated and new models were developed and verified. Four non-fuel VOCs (tire wear, oil consumption, mileage-related vehicle depreciation, and repair and maintenance) models were also developed for different vehicle types, traffic conditions, and highway design scenarios as defined by roadway properties such as speed limit, curvature, grade, and pavement roughness.

The FHWA DTFH61-14-C-00044 was conducted by the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) team that comprised the Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC) and Dynatest Consulting Inc. as subcontractors to UNR.

Please read the disclaimer and accept the terms of use.

The application consists of eleven pages. One page for each of the five VOC models. The user must calculate Fuel Consumption in order to proceed to the Oil Consumption and Tire Wear pages. The Mileage-Related Vehicle Depreciation and the Repair and Maintenance pages can be accessed after completing the Oil Consumption and the Tire Wear pages, respectively. The Summary page displays an overall summary of the results. The Batch Processing page is for the user to estimate VOCs for an array of scenarios of roadway characteristics. The References page cites related research reports. The Contact Us page is for the user to send queries and information regarding the web application to the developers. The Update History page displays information associated with updates made to the web application with the most recent one being at the top.

1. Size - 15.6" Full HD Display
2. Operating System - Windows 10
3. Browser - Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox
4. The web application will work fine in other operating systems like ubuntu despite small differences in the GUI
5. The application will not work properly for smaller screen sizes like tablets and smartphones

THIS WEB PAGE WAS FUNDED AND MADE AVAILABLE BY THE PAVEMENT ENGINEERING & SCIENCE (PES) PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO (UNR). TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE WEB PAGE AND SERVICES ARE BEING PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND RESPECTING THE SAME, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY OF DESIGN, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, PATENTABILITY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE WEB PAGE AND SERVICES REMAINS WITH THE USER. IN NO EVENT SHALL UNR, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEB PAGE AND SERVICES, EVEN IF UNR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE FOREGOING EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY TO ALL CLAIMS AND ACTIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, NEGLIGENCE), OR ANY OTHER GROUNDS.