Developing a water driving cycle tracking device based on GPS and GSM for advancing water vehicle performance

Abstract

Driving cycles are speed-time profiles used to evaluate vehicle performance, fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions. However, real-world driving-cycle data for water vehicles are still limited, restricting accurate assessment of their energy efficiency and environmental impact. This study developed a low-cost water driving cycle (WDC) tracking device using an Arduino UNO integrated with global positioning system (GPS), global system for mobile communications (GSM), secure digital (SD) card storage, and an liquid crystal display (LCD) display. The device records speed, time, longitude, and latitude during water-vehicle operation. Prototype validation was performed by comparing the recorded speed with a standard GPS speedometer, while field testing was conducted along the Payang Water Taxi (PWT) route in Kuala Terengganu. The collected data were processed to construct a WDC and analysed using the advanced vehicle simulator (ADVISOR). Validation results showed percentage errors of 0.30% and 0.16%, indicating device accuracy within 5%. The ADVISOR analysis estimated fuel consumption of 24.1 L/100 km and emissions of 4.154 g/km HC, 2.851 g/km CO, and 0.08 g/km NOx. The proposed device provides a practical data-acquisition tool for water-vehicle performance evaluation.