Drive the Eco-Way
7/28/2010
It’s easy to ignore what you can’t see. But what if you could see your vehicle’s fuel usage and carbon emissions in realtime?
Connected technologies are having a profound impact on helping consumers track just how energy efficient they are in their day-to-day lives. New options continue to hit the market, allowing consumers to take their energy efficient practices on-the-go.
For example, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Earthrise Technologies, www.earthrisetechnologies.com, offers Eco-Navigator, a connected navigation and telematics device that enables vehicle-performance monitoring, wireless Internet access, and advice on eco-friendly driving.
Eco-Navigator, www.eco-nav.com, plugs into your vehicle, extracts important data, and turns it into information that helps you drive safely and responsibly. It even provides an “eco-scorecard” to help you reach optimal efficiency while en route. Along with realtime traffic reports and turn-by-turn directions, the device provides 2.5G connectivity for Web browsing and vehicle-performance reports to help drivers make sense of those ambiguous maintenance icons.
According to Earthrise Technologies, drivers who practice eco-friendly driving can boost fuel efficiency by as much as 25%. With Eco-Navigator, the company says drivers can improve their gas mileage and reduce carbon emissions by 45% or more.