Overview

Higher mass consumption of fossil fuels leads to more CO2 emissions, and this is considered to be the main factor contributing to global warming. This laboratory conducts research on establishing appropriate chassis-dynamometer fuel economy test methods and on fuel consumption assessment methods for heavy-duty vehicles using simulations in order to promote the use of vehicles with good fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions. Research is also being carried out on methods for estimating the effect of various energy conservation measures, methods to estimate the total amount of greenhouse gases and environmental assessments to evaluate vehicles that have little impact on the environment under a wide range of conditions.

Current Major Research Topics

1. Research on appropriate chassis-dynamometer fuel economy test methods reflecting vehicles/engines performance under practical use conditions
2. Research on vehicleless simulation methods to evaluate vehicle dynamic performance
3. Research on automotive environmental assessment systems and evaluation methods for environment technology used in motor vehicles

Past Major Research Topics, etc.

1. Research on new methods for estimating the effectiveness of automotive energy saving strategies based on the elemental analysis of the factors affecting fuel consumption
2. Research on methods for evaluating fuel economy of trucks, buses and vehicles using alternative fuel
3. Testing of technical requirements of chassis-dynamometer control systems for 4 wheels-driven cars applicable to emission tests and fuel economy tests

Major Testing Facilities and Devices

• Chassis-dynamometer for heavy duty vehicles
• Chassis-dynamometer for medium-sized vehicles
• Chassis-dynamometer for 4WD vehicles
• Fuel economy simulation programs
• Conversion algorithms for heavy duty engine tests (for new long-term emission tests)