1. Definition and challenges of eco-driving

1.1 An initial definition of eco-driving

Questions about how to control vehicle energy consumption are not new. However, they have gradually shifted from concerns solely about the cost of fuel or the preservation of oil resources to the now urgent imperatives of preserving the planet. They have also taken on board the central issue of driver behaviour, rightly seen as a major regulator of the Man/Vehicle/Environment traffic system.

Essentially linked to political events, the "hunt for gas-guzzlers" (figure 1 ), introduced in the 1970s in response to rising prices and tensions over fossil fuels, is gradually...