The search for better energy efficiency is leading the developments in automotive industry, looking for opportunities to reduce losses, optimizing the design and getting better efficiency of every component.
This paper will present a non-linear dynamic study of interaction between commercial vehicle and the environment, considering all the influence of their dynamic characteristics in the fuel consumption.
The first step is to analyze all variables that influence the dynamic behavior and then construct a mathematical model based on energy and based on forces (Newton).
The interaction between the vehicle and its environment and the response of it will be considered as influent aspects and should be included into vehicle dynamic modeling. By understanding this relationships and their influence in the fuel consumption it is possible to propose a new approach to develop automotive projects for commercial vehicle applications focus on fuel consumption and taking into account the Brazilian reality.