Direct or indirect sensor enabled eco-driving feedback: Which preference do corporate car drivers have?

Abstract

The increasing demand for energy is rapidly exhausting our planet's natural resources (e.g. fossil fuels). Corporations with increasingly large car fleets significantly contribute to the volume of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere. Further investigation is needed to help reduce this escalation in global warming utilizing eco-friendly yet cost effective measures. Internet of Things solutions, using sensor enabled feedback technologies with GPS and accelerometer, offer a medium which provides drivers with eco-driving feedback services. A field-test with 50 corporate car drivers demonstrated an overall improvement in fuel efficiency, supporting literature findings claiming that direct feedback has a greater impact on energy savings than indirect feedback approaches. In this study monetary incentives were irrelevant, as corporate car drivers fuel costs are reimbursed by the company. This provides an attractive opportunity for corporations looking to reduce their CO2 footprint and petrol costs by offering their employees eco-driving applications at minimum costs.