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Technical Paper

Fuel Used to Accelerate Vehicles from Rest to Cruising Speeds

1981-06-01
810781
This research was performed to experimentally determine how the amount of fuel used to accelerate an initially stationary vehicle to a constant cruising speed depends on acceleration level. Initially stationary vehicles were accelerated at different rates to a constant cruising speed on a test track, and the amounts of fuel used to travel a fixed distance from the starting point were measured. By subtracting the amount of fuel that would have been required to travel this same distance at the cruising speed from the measured amounts, estimates of the additional fuel used to accelerate from standstill to the cruising speed were obtained. These estimates were then examined as a function of acceleration level, which was characterized by the time taken to reach the cruising speed. Tests were conducted for cruising speeds of 48 km/h, 64 km/h and 80 km/h. Factors investigated included different vehicles (8 in all), engines (L-4, V-6, V-8), and fuels (gasoline and diesel).
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