Citation: Pawlak, G.M.;
Wołczy´nski, Z. The Indicator of GDI
Engine Operating Mode and Its
Influence on Eco-Driving. Appl. Sci.
2022, 12, 2325. https://doi.org/
10.3390/app12052325
Academic Editors: Enrico Vezzetti
and Georgios Karavalakis
Received: 21 December 2021
Accepted: 19 February 2022
Published: 23 February 2022
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Article
The Indicator of GDI Engine Operating Mode and Its Influence
on Eco-Driving
Grzegorz Marek Pawlak
1,
* and Zbigniew Wołczy ´nski
2
1
Military Institute of Armored and Automotive Technology, Okuniewska 1 Street, 05-070 Sulejówek, Poland
2
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Kazimierz Pulaski University of Technology and Humanities in Radom,
Chrobrego 45 Street, 26-600 Radom, Poland; z.wolczynski@uthrad.pl
* Correspondence: gmpawlak07@gmail.com
Featured Application: The work results can be applied in the training of eco-driving and the
development of driver assistance systems.
Abstract:
Elements of car construction, especially the information available on a dashboard, can
stimulate the way of driving. The experiment described in the paper aimed to examine how the
information provided by the indicator, which informs about the operational mode of a gasoline direct
injection (GDI) engine, can contribute to eco-driving and the possible learning of acceleration pedal
operation by a driver. The analysis of the fuel injection process affected by driver behaviour was an
essential part of the experiment. The experiment was divided into two parts. The first one (nine tests)
consisted of driving without access to the indicator information. In the second part, the information
on the mode of the engine run was available for the driver. The results confirmed that the information
about the type of fuel mixture used for the supply of the GDI engine facilitates an economical driving
style (about 10% fuel savings) and motivates the driver to engage in eco-driving.
Keywords: eco-driving; GDI engine; driver behaviour; environmental impact
1. Introduction
An in-depth understanding of the human factor aspects of car driving operations is
necessary, as they are responsible for safety [
1
,
2
] and affect the environment. Unfortunately,
it is not easy to assess the influence of particular aspects of every single factor because of
the complexity of human general and especially the technical knowledge, environmental
awareness, motivation and behaviour. It is challenging to analyse how a driver’s personal-
ity, temperament, mental and physical condition influence driving. In addition, the habits
that drivers have when operating vehicles, such as preferred speed and rate of acceleration,
are very important [
3
]. They all impose a significant impact on vehicle functioning and its
effective use. Fuel consumption is critical and strongly affects air pollution and contributes
to the greenhouse effect. It is possible to try to analyse the impact of the experience and
skills of the driver in the driving of the vehicle and, if necessary, change them through
training [
2
,
4
]. We usually do not consider people’s self-perceptions about their driving style
or the associated beliefs. Around 50% of the participants in the research described in [
5
]
said they were trying to eco-drive or were eco-drivers. From this point of view, people need
some tools to realise their needs. The car’s construction is too complicated to understand all
mechanisms and their functions in environmental protection. Still, fuel consumption and
its direct impact on the environment are explained easily. As is the case with an internal
combustion engine, the rational and ecological use of energy strongly depends on the
driver’s behaviour [
6
]. Elements of car construction, especially the information available
on a dashboard, can stimulate it. The studies that focused on driver support in eco-driving
presented in [
7
] describe the assistance system that advises the most fuel-efficient accelera-
tor pedal angle in real time. The authors concluded that the haptic force feedback via the
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 2325. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052325 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci
