ECOWILL

The Ecowill project (Ecodriving – Wide-spread Implementation for Learners and Licensed Drivers) was selected by the European Commission, EACI (Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation). The project led by the project coordinator – the Austrian Energy Agency started in May 2010 and lasts three years.

The ECOWILL proposal is designed to be directly relevant to the needs of national and EU governments regarding the reduction of both greenhouse gases (CO2 and NOx emissions, particulates) and traffic accidents.

The predecessor project “Ecodriven” has established a European network and knowledge base regarding the safe and smart style of driving.  It has brought ecodriving into the realm of the driving school curricula and the driver test. The Ecodriven has also laid the foundation for efficient, cost effective and successful short duration snack training courses. ECOWILL is the next step and will roll out ecodriving snack training courses - short duration ecodriving training programs for licensed drivers in 13 European countries (AT, UK, FI, NL, GR, PL, CZ, HU, LT, HR, IT, ES, DE). The little amount of time that has to be spent on snack trainings and the relative low participation costs are good arguments not only to engage a large number of people but also reach additional target groups like fleet operators.

The project also concerns the education of learners in ecodriving during driving lessons and will boost the application of ecodriving all over Europe. ECOWILL will aim at harmonising the education and examination of learner drivers. In some countries ecodriving is already part of the driver examination and though of regular driving lessons. The way in which ecodriving is being educated and examined however differs. In those countries in which ecodriving is not a part of learner education and driver test, ECOWILL engages administrations to develop legislation for incorporation of ecodriving in the driver test and driving school curriculum to integrate ecodriving in their driving lessons and finally also into the driver test. In addition, ECOWILL will further introduce and roll out e-learning methods. The ultimate goal is to establish common European standards on ecodriving.

The FIA European Bureau is a Work Package Leader for specific dissemination of the project activities, results and outputs carried out for the whole duration of the work programme (36 months). Dissemination and exploitation will be carried out at the European as well as national/local level and embrace the content and results of the ECOWILL project including the nature and results of the activities in the different countries.

Visit the website for ecodriving: www.ecodrive.org