The University of Michigan (UM) project "Energy Impact of Connected and Automated Vehicles Project" funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). The project ran from FY 2016 to FY 2018. Aftermarket data loggers were installed in approximately 500 privately-owned vehicles in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area based on vehicle owners volunteering to participate in the study. The data describe the energy consumption of the vehicles, speed, powertrain operation, vehicle location, and other parameters at 1-second intervals while the vehicles were operating. The purpose of the data collection was to discern whether coordination between vehicles and traffic signal phase and timing controllers, instituted by UM as part of the project, would make an appreciable difference in vehicle fuel efficiency.
From 1994 to 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funded the Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) to test the performance and efficiency of advanced vehicles and fueling infrastructure in the lab, on the track, and in real-world operation. AVTA's light-duty vehicle testing, led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), produced unbiased testing results as benchmark data that researchers could use to inform models, analysis, and guide future research and development. AVTA independently procured and tested production light-duty vehicles with various advanced powertrain technologies, including vehicles with advanced internal combustion engines, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles. Laboratory testing was conducted at Argonne National Laboratory. Track and on-road testing was conducted in Phoenix, Arizona by ECOtality North America and Intertek Testing Services, North America. Vehicles were also placed in high-mileage fleets in the Phoenix metropolitan area to quantify real-world fuel efficiency and overall cost of vehicle ownership. Reports summarizing test results can be found on INL's "Advanced Vehicles Testing Activity" web site.
In 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funded Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to research the charging infrastructure needs of electric vehicles (EVs) in free-floating car-sharing fleets. This project was part of the DOE SMART Mobility Laboratory Consortium’s Advanced Fueling Infrastructure Pillar. INL collaborated with ReachNow, a car-sharing service provider owned by BMW Group that conducted U.S. operations in Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and New York, New York between 2016 and 2019. ReachNow provided data to INL that described the real-world use of EVs in its car-sharing vehicles. This allowed INL to model EV driving and charging, identify optimum locations for charging stations to serve the ReachNow EV fleet, and develop insights into the most cost-effective charging solutions for electric car-sharing fleets.