Analysis of Road Load Losses in Cars on Standard Driving Cycles and Road Tests

In order to have a better understanding of fuel consumption of vehicles in real operating conditions, the Fiat Research Center is carrying out an extensive research on an instrumented Ritmo car. The first results of this research show that the estimate of road load is quite easy by using simple laws and experimental indoor measures. But the distribution of energy losses experienced during a series of road tests reproducing actual italian use patterns can only partially be reproduced by mixes of standardized road and/or chassis dynamometer standardized tests.