Fuel consumption in an Automobile transport unit

Abstract

Transport is performed by various modes; air, water, road etc. The focus of the project was study on road transport. Transport industry in Kenya is dominated by the automobile which includes cars, buses, haul trucks etc. The major cost incurred by this mode of transport may be classified as fuel, maintenance and pollution. With increasing cost of fuel and strict environmental regulations, the management program of an automobile or a fleet of automobiles new to be comprehensively designed to ensure lower running costs. Exploring ways and means of enhancing automobiles fuel effectiveness was a primary objective.

Major activities that were engaged on in this initiative include; collection of historical data and gathering relevant data from daily running of a selected transport unit. Areas considered that characterized key study variables included; type of automobile, mileage covered, nature of road, weight of carriage, ambient temperature and traffic congestion. The data was analyzed for the purpose of establishing fuel consumption trends in relation to these variables in the local motor transport. It was designed to identify gaps in achieving optimized fuel consumption and recommending ways of improving on the same.

The project was limited to assessing challenges in the urban transport environment. The transport unit studied had a fleet of about ten automobiles with different utility. Three automobiles of different sizes and utility were sampled for the study. This report has an introduction on modes of transport, a brief description of the perceived problems and outlines the problem statement. The literature review covers the modes of transport and aspects considered key in affecting road transport fuel economy. Research methodology outlines the order and kind of activities carried out during project study.

Chapter four outlines data collected which is presented in various forms including tables of raw historical and experimental data. Key variables were worked out into quantifiable form and presented as worked tables. Relationships of these variables were determined and presented graphically. Chapter five discuss on the lessons learnt form the project findings, this include; application of the transport fuel management matrix, effect of maintenance, an illustration of fuel saving opportunities upon good fuel management and points on necessary recommendations which would facilitate a more efficient and effective transport industry; It was established that an efficient management could save upto 20% on fuel.