STUDY, DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF A PROGRAM FOR NUMERICAL EVALUATION OF VEHICLES’ FUEL CONSUMPTION DUE TO DRAG FORCE; CASE OF LIGHT VEHICLES

Nowadays, vehicles are being abandoned by their users due to their high fuel consumption which had not been studied by the user from the start. Thus, the need to study the fuel consumption of vehicles due to one of the factors which greatly affects it; drag force, so as to produce information which vehicle users can have before purchasing their vehicles. With regards to this, this work is focused on the development of a computer program able to evaluate the fuel consumption of light vehicles. To achieve this, the basic equations of consumption are used to arrive at a mathematical relation between drag force and fuel consumption. This mathematical model is further implemented on the analytical software Matlab in order to produce the various consumption curves of the vehicles case study. A simulator which takes into consideration a vehicle's engine data in order to produce specific consumption curves and provide valid information on the fuel consumption of the vehicle is developed from this mathematical model. It can be used in automotive construction companies and also by any individual.