Apparatus and method for determining an advised driving speed

An apparatus for evaluating an advised driving speed of a geared vehicle traversing a particular portion of a road network, comprising at least one processor and a memory containing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

• access first predetermined data indicative of the variation in average fuel consumption for the vehicle with speed of the vehicle, wherein the first predetermined data comprises a fuel consumption per speed histogram having a plurality of bins, each bin associated with an average fuel consumption value that is computed based on fuel consumption values received from the vehicle while traveling at a corresponding speed;
• use the first predetermined data to determine data indicative of average fuel consumption for the vehicle for a plurality of speeds within a range based on a speed limit for the portion of the road network being traversed;
• use second predetermined data indicative of a variation in a likelihood of the vehicle being in a highest gear with a speed of the vehicle to determine data indicative of a likelihood of the vehicle being in the highest gear for the plurality of speeds within the range based on the speed limit for the portion of the road network being traversed;
• evaluate the advised driving speed of the vehicle based at least in part on the determined data indicative of average fuel consumption for the vehicle for the range of speeds and the determined data indicative of a likelihood of the vehicle being in the highest gear for the range of speeds;
• and
• provide an indication of the determined advised driving speed to a driver of the vehicle, thereby informing the driver of the vehicle of an optimal speed of travel for the vehicle for the portion of the road network being traversed.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus comprising the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform a method of evaluating an advised driving speed of a geared vehicle traversing a particular portion of a road network, the method comprising:

• accessing first predetermined data indicative of the variation in average fuel consumption for the vehicle with speed of the vehicle, wherein the first predetermined data comprises a fuel consumption per speed histogram having a plurality of bins, each bin associated with an average fuel consumption value that is computed based on fuel consumption values received from the vehicle while traveling at a corresponding speed;
• using the first predetermined data to determine data indicative of average fuel consumption for the vehicle for a plurality of speeds within a range based on a speed limit for the portion of the road network being traversed;
• using second predetermined data indicative of a variation in a likelihood of the vehicle being in a highest gear with a speed of the vehicle to determine data indicative of a likelihood of the vehicle being in the highest gear for the plurality of speeds within the range based on the speed limit for the portion of the road network being traversed;
• evaluating the advised driving speed of the vehicle based at least in part on the determined data indicative of average fuel consumption for the vehicle for the range of speeds and the determined data indicative of a likelihood of the vehicle being in the highest gear for the range of speeds;
• and
• providing an indication of the determined advised driving speed to a driver of the vehicle, thereby informing the driver of the vehicle of an optimal speed of travel for the vehicle for the portion of the road network being traversed.