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Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions?
Introducing lower speed limits on motorways is expected to cut both fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. The exact benefit depends on a number of factors, however, including both technological effects such as the fall in energy consumed when decreasing speed, and non-technological factors such as vehicle fleet composition, driving patterns, frequency of speeding, congestion and traffic diversion due to the speed limit. Based on a simulation, cutting motorway speed limits from 120 to 110 km/h could deliver fuel savings for current technology passenger cars of 1218 %, assuming smooth driving and 100 % compliance with speed limits. However, relaxing these assumptions to a more realistic setting implies a saving of just 23 %. Significant fuel savings can be achieved by encouraging drivers to maintain a consistent speed and restrict their speed (eco-driving), including through effective enforcement of speed limits. Cutting speed can also significantly reduce emissions of other pollutants, particularly reducing NO x and particulate matter (PM) output from diesel vehicles. The safety gains from slower driving are also indisputable.
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Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
consumption and emissions. Scientific evidence and knowledge sharing could help make lower speed limits more politically acceptable by clarifying the environmental consequences, as well as the impacts on safety and mobility. Current speed limits differ across EU Member States, and the competence to define them generally lies with national governments. Some countries also apply variable speed limits related to traffic and weather conditions. For these reasons it is not possible to simulate the precise effects of a speed limitation across all EU Member States. In addition, the actual fuel consumption benefits of lower speed limits depend on factors such as the type of cars using the motorways, driving patterns, the frequency of speeding, road load patterns and congestion. Estimating the benefits is not straightforward but this note aims to convey the main messages on the relationship between speed and fuel consumption.
www.eea.europa.eu/themes/transport/speed-limits
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05/12/13
Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
The
simulation results shown in Table 1 demonstrate that fuel consumption generally decreases with speed, although the exact benefits are context specific. Figures 2, 3 and 4 likewise illustrate the link between average speed, fuel consumption and pollutant emissions for Euro 4 diesel and gasoline cars with engines of 1.42.0 litre capacity. Figures 3 and 4 show that reducing speed in the above range has a beneficial effect for all pollutants except for CO (in the case of diesel vehicles) and NOx (in the case of gasoline vehicles). The benefits of reducing average speed from 100 km/h to 90 km/h range from 25 % (gasoline CO) to 5% (diesel PM). Crucially, decreasing speed reduces the two pollutants currently most important in Europe: diesel NO x and PM.
Figure 2: Impact of travelling speed on fuel consumption (Euro 4 diesel and gasoline passenger cars, 1.42.0 litre engine capacity)
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Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
Note: emissions expressed relative to their values at 100 km/h, for which the value '1' is assigned. Source: EMISIA - ETC/ACM
The rise in diesel CO and gasoline NO x emissions at decreasing average speeds is largely due to the operation of after-treatment devices. The diesel oxidation catalyst operates more efficiently at high speed due to the higher temperature, therefore oxidising carbon monoxide more effectively. Diesel vehicles are minor contributors of CO, however, and CO is not a problem for air quality in Europe. As such, this impact of decreasing average speeds would not cause problems. For gasoline engines, increasing speed up to approximately 115 km/h leads to lower NO x emissions, although emissions increase again above that speed. Gasoline vehicles emit much less NO x than diesel vehicles. According to COPERT, a gasoline Euro 4 car emits 19 mg/km NO x compared to 560 mg/km of a corresponding diesel car at 100 km/h. Therefore, the overall effect on NO x of reducing the speed on motorways would be positive because diesel NO x is dominant and clearly drops with decreasing speed. Figure 3: Impact of travelling speed on various pollutants (Euro 4 diesel passenger cars, 1.42.0 litre engine capacity)
Note: emissions expressed relative to their values at 100 km/h, for which the value '1' is assigned. Source: EMISIA - ETC/ACM
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05/12/13
Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
NO x denotes nitrogen oxides; PM denotes particulate matter; THC denotes total hydrocarbons; CO denotes carbon monoxide. Figure 4: Impact of travelling speed on various pollutants (Euro 4 gasoline passenger cars, 1.42.0 litre engine capacity)
Note: emissions expressed relative to their values at 100 km/h, for which the value '1' is assigned. Source: EMISIA - ETC/ACM In summary, whereas heavy goods vehicles speed limits in motorways are in line with the optimum speed in terms of energy and CO 2 reductions per vehicle-km (8090 km/h), decreasing car passenger speed limits in motorways could lead to substantial benefits. The modelling results also suggest that speed limitations of 8090 km/h on motorways when entering cities and on city ring roads could significantly reduce both fuel consumption and pollutants emitted, in addition to delivering safety benefits. On the other hand, energy and emissions benefits from more stringent speed limits on local roads (e.g. from 50 to 30 km/h) are less clear. The key argument for lower speeds on local roads is therefore the desirability of a safer and more tranquil local environment, rather than environmental considerations.
[2]
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Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
km/h) would mean an extra travel time of just eight to nine minutes in a 200 km long trip, assuming perfect flow conditions. That is arguably a limited price to pay in exchange for the fuel savings and environmental benefits. At the same time, it seems clear that drivers theoretical support for lower limits is insufficient steps to improve compliance, including tighter enforcement, will be essential to achieve concrete results.
Annex
Specifications of cars used in the simulations
1 30 1 20 1 30 1 00 1 30 1 30
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Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latv ia Lithuania Lux embourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slov akia Slov enia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom
1 1 0-1 30 110 1 00-1 20 1 1 0-1 30 -1 30 1 30 1 30 1 20 1 30-1 50 110 1 1 0-1 30 1 30 1 00-1 20 90-1 00 1 30 1 20 1 30 1 30 1 30 110 1 00-1 20 1 20 1 1 0-1 20 112
80 90-1 1 0 80-1 00 80-1 1 0 1 00 90-1 1 0 90-1 1 0 80-90 80-1 00 90-1 1 0 90 7 0-90 90 60-80 80-1 00 80 90-1 1 0 90-1 00 90-1 00 90 90-1 00 90-1 00 7 0-90 80 90 96-1 1 2
50 50 40-50 50 30-50 50 50 30-50 50 50 50 50 50 50 30-50-7 0 30-50-7 0 50-60 50 50 50 30-50 50 30-50 30-50 50 32-48
Notes:
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Do lower speed limits on motorways reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? European Environment Agency (EEA)
UK, IE, CY and MT drive on the left hand side of the road, the other Member States drive on the right hand side (SE since 3.9.1967). Signs in UK are in miles per hour. The higher figure shown in the 'outside built-up areas' column generally refers to the speed limit on dual carriageways that are not motorways. Speed limits: Germany: Motorways: No general speed limit, recommended speed limit is 130 km/h (more than half the network has a speed limit of 120 km/h or less). France: Dual carriageways 110 km/h. If road is wet: motorways 110 km/h, dual carriageways 90 km/h, other roads outside built-up areas 80 km/h. Spain: New motorway speed limit from March 7th 2011 Italy: 150 km/h on certain 2x3 lane motorways. Finland: in winter 100 km/h on motorways, 80 km/h on other roads. Poland: Built-up areas: 50 km/h from 05h00 to 23h00, 60 km/h from 23h00 to 05h00. Turkey: Speed limit recently changed to 110 km/h on dual carriageways and 120 km/h on motorways
([1]) EMISIA is part of the European Topic Centre on Air Pollution and Climate change Mitigation (ETC/ACM). ([2]) OECD-ECMT, 2006, Speed management, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and European Conference of Ministers of Transport.
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