Scientists at the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Cranfield School of Management have come up with a new technology which could save companies money and help cut carbon emissions.
The technology in question is called VREAM and is a vehicle routing model that calculates the amount of CO2 emitted from road journeys, as well as the time taken and distance covered.
It can be used to select the least wasteful route by choosing the roads most likely to allow a vehicle to travel at its most efficient speed for fuel retention.
Figures suggest that using the most efficient roads can cut fuel consumption and CO2 emission by over five per cent and Centre for Logistics professor Richard Wilding explained that those involved in supply chain transport planning are likely to find the technology very useful.
"By using this technique, drivers will be able to identify the most fuel efficient route, an extremely useful option given the increasing cost of fuel," he said.
Commenting on his development, Dr Andrew Palmer explained the thinking behind the routing model.
"The aim has not been to produce new mathematical theories, but to produce a pioneering basis for routing which will provide new information and knowledge about how CO2 emissions vary for different minimisation and congestion criteria," he said.
The research was sponsored by a leading supermarket and has already been road tested to good effect, according to MHW magazine.
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