Driving cycle

A driving cycle is a series of data points representing the speed of a vehicle versus time.

Driving cycles are produced by different countries and organizations to assess the performance of vehicles in various ways, as for example fuel consumption and polluting emissions.

Fuel consumption and emission tests are performed on chassis dynamometers. Tailpipe emissions are collected and measured to indicate the performance of the vehicle.

Another use for driving cycles is in vehicle simulations. More specifically, they are used in propulsion system simulations to predict performance of internal combustion engines, transmissions, electric drive systems, batteries, fuel cell systems, and similar components.

Some driving cycles are derived theoretically, as it is preferred in the European Union, whereas others are direct measurements of a driving pattern deemed representative.

There are two types of driving cycles:

The American FTP-75, and the unofficial European Hyzem driving cycles are transient, whereas the Japanese 10-15 Mode and JC08 cycles are modal cycles.
Some highly stylized modal driving cycles such as official European NEDC are designed to fit a particular requirement and bear little relation to real world driving patterns. On the contrary, the forthcoming WLTP is striving to mimic real word driving behavior. The most common driving cycles are probably the WLTP, NEDC, SORDS and the FTP-75, the later corresponding to urban driving conditions solely.

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