Work

Effect of Performance Packages on Fuel Consumption Optimization in Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles: A Real-World Fleet Monitoring Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In line with EU decarbonization targets for the heavy-duty transport sector, this study proposes an analytical methodology to assess the impact of diesel performance additives on fuel consumption in Euro 6 heavy-duty vehicles, the prevailing standard in the circulating European road tractor fleet. A fleet of five N3-category road tractors equipped with tanker semi-trailers was monitored over two phases. During the first 10-month baseline phase, the vehicles operated with standard EN 590 diesel (containing 6–7% FAME); in the second phase, they used a commercially available premium diesel containing performance-enhancing additives. Fuel consumption and route data were collected using a GPS-based system interfaced with the engine control unit via the OBD port and integrated with the fleet tracking platform. After applying data filtering to exclude low-quality or non-representative trips, a 1% reduction in fuel consumption was observed with the use of fuel with additives. Route-level analysis revealed higher savings (up to 5.1%) in high-load operating conditions, while most trips showed improvements between −1.6% and −3.4%. Temporal analysis confirmed the general trend across varying vehicle usage patterns. Aggregated fleet-level data proved to be the most robust approach to mitigate statistical variability. To evaluate the potential impact at scale, a European scenario was developed: a 1% reduction in fuel consumption across the 6.75 million heavy-duty vehicles in the EU could yield annual savings of 2 billion liters of diesel and avoid approximately 6 million tons of CO2 emissions. Even partial adoption could lead to meaningful environmental benefits. Alongside emissions reductions, fuel additives also offer economic value by lowering operating costs, improving engine efficiency, and reducing maintenance needs.

Source: Energies

DOI: 10.3390/en18205542

Authors: Maria Antonietta Costagliola, Luca Marchitto, Marco Piras, Alessandra Berra

Institution: National Research Council

Language: English

Topic: Vehicle emissions and performance

Subfield: Automotive Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137