Introducing CarChip Pro w/ Eco-Driving Profile to FuelClinic Users
One of the most interesting things about “eco-driving” is that you can actually measure your progress and see the results of your efforts. FuelClinic allows you to track your overall MPG and related metrics over time, but it takes at least two receipts in order to establish your baseline, and then many more receipts over time to see if your mileage is improving or not. This is great because it’s simple, low-tech, and maybe best of all - it’s free.
But what if you wanted to dig deeper into your driving habits, to see exactly how you are driving vs. how you think you are driving. Maybe you need a little bit of help remembering to drive efficiently, some “virtual eco-driving coaching” along the way. Maybe you wanted to be able to “check in” on your inexperienced teenage driver to see that he or she is driving safely, or check to determine if your employees are doing what they can to drive efficiently and lower your fuel costs.
What is required is an interactive data-logger. There are several gadgets on the market, or soon-to-be released to the market. We’ve spent the last several months evaluating many of these devices for integration with our certified eco-driving training course using the reporting capabilities of FuelClinic, and have found several that seem very promising.
One of our top criteria is that the device not become a distraction to the driver, that it didn’t require the driver take his/her eyes off the road to look at a display or other indicators. Instead we looked for devices that gave simple auditory cues to remind the driver when his/her driving behavior exceeded pre-defined thresholds, and one that allowed the user or fleet manager to determine for themselves what “Eco-Driving Profile” to attempt to achieve.
I believe one in particular hits a sweet spot between cost, capability, ease of use, and integration potential. It’s called the CarChip Pro (and CarChip Fleet Pro for commercial use) manufactured in the USA by Davis Instruments. We’ve been testing several of the units for over a month now and have been getting feedback from professional driving school and fleet owners. Response was very positive, so I have decided to start selling these devices on the website.
CarChip Pro is a portable device that requires no extra wires or batteries (a USB cable is all that is needed to download the data to your computer), is installed in just a few seconds into the OBDII port that is standard on most cars since 1996, and can be moved from vehicle to vehicle easily. I’m working on a new section for FuelClinic that will provide all of the details about CarChip Pro, along with guidence on how to set-up an “Eco-Driving Profile” using the software provided with the unit.
I’m really excited about the CarChip Pro - Davis Instruments has been making the CarChip line of data loggers for nearly a decade, they are small, reliable, and have already been installed in tens of thousands of vehicles. The CarChip Pro is also one of the least expensive interactive data loggers on the market - with no monthly cellular fees or required contracts, making it attractive to parents, consumers, driving school owners, and small business fleet owners (there is also a commercial Fleet version with additional capabilities including a WIFI wireless data-download option and GPS data logging).
Stay tuned for more information about the CarChip Pro and how you can order yours (with a special discount) here at FuelClinic.
Announcing “Eco-Driver On Board”
I’ve been working on the FuelClinic idea now for a few years. When talking to people about FuelClinic, I’ve found that many times I’ve put people into the “glazed eyes” trance when trying to explain what FuelClinic is, what is can do for them today, and what it will be in the near future.
In an effort to explain our idea, to motivate new drivers, and to reduce the glazed-eyed stares – we’ve created a new animation to help explain what FuelClinic “for consumers” is all about.
Learn more about eco-driving and how you can take control of your oil habit. Use FuelClinic.com to help monitor and manage your own oil consumption, find proven methods for improving your own efficiency in the car you already own, and join the thousands of people who have decided to do more with less. Save money, reduce foreign oil dependence, cut emissions – and improve the safety of yourself and the other drivers on the road.
While FuelClinic is quickly growing into something much bigger than it’s roots, we will always endeavor to provide consumers with the information, tools, and suggestions they need to monitor and improve their fuel efficiency while improving their personal safety, and the safety of those traveling the roads around them.
Five Ways to Save Gas Money Every Day
FuelCinic.com is more than just a website where you can track your fuel mileage – we’re starting a program to help educate drivers on how they can start saving money right away – using techniques that have been developed over the last several years. Some people call these techniques “thrifty driving” or “hypermiling” – but they are more commonly known as “eco-driving”.
Here are the 5 “golden” rules of eco-driving:
- Shift up as soon as possible
Shift up between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM. If your vehicle has a powerful engine, many times you can shift up as low as 1,800 RPM. Up-shifting early maximizes your engines mechanical advantage and improves fuel mileage. Experiment with this technique in an area without traffic to learn how your particular car handles during early up-shifting. (Note: With a manual transmission, up-shifting much too early can cause stalling.) - Maintain a steady speed
Use the highest gear possible and drive with low engine RPM. Avoid accellerating in cases where you’ll have to rapidly brake, such as stop-lights or stop-and-go traffic congestion. If you have an automatic transmission with an economy mode, make sure you use it. Avoid using “sport” mode. - Anticipate traffic flow
Look ahead as far as possible and anticipate the surrounding traffic patterns. Slow early if the cars ahead of you are braking or stopping. Allow tailgaters and aggressive drivers to pass you safely. - Maintain rolling momentum
When you have to slow down or to stop, decelerate smoothly by releasing the accelerator in time, leaving the car in gear. Many times a red light will turn green before you must stop completely. By maintaining some rolling momentum you will decrease the amount of fuel needed to accelerate back to the posted speed limit. - Smooth is efficient
If you follow rules 1 thru 4 you are well on your way to being a “smooth operator”. If you adopt these simple techniques, and combine them with an overall stress-free smooth driving style, you can slash your fuel consumption by 25% or more (some tests reflect 31% average). Discover what works for you. Leave a little sooner for appointments, let aggressive drivers pass, chill out with commercial-free music (iPod, satellite, CDs).
Getting involved with your fuel efficiency is the key to making real improvements to your fuel mileage. Chances are that you can achieve near-hybrid MPG performance in the vehicle you already own. Tracking you MPG in real-time using an on-board instrument will show you exactly what works and what doesn’t. Tracking your mileage over time will help you understand the long-term benefits of fuel savings.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you additional information that will help you save gas money.
Fuelishness Marathon! – Part 4: Cellulosic Ethanol Could Have “Unintended” Environmental Consequences; $25 Billion For Green Cars;
- MIT Study Says Cellulosic Ethanol Could Have “Unintended” Environmental Consequences : Producing cellulosic ethanol from non-food feedstocks has been studied extensively at a local scale, but it’s difficult to estimate the environmental impacts on larger, heterogeneous regions. In this study, researchers evaluated two potential consequences of diverting usable land to biofuel production: either existing agricultural operations are intensified, or large areas of natural forest are cleared to increase cropland.
- $25 Billion Federal Loan Fund For Green Car Manufacturing Still Untapped : The program wasn’t funded until September 2008, and DOE reports that 43 of the initial applications landed during the final three days leading up to a Dec. 31, 2008 deadline.
- 1936 Chevy Sedan gets the electric car conversion treatment [w/video] : Shade tree mechanics. A 1936 Chevy Sedan. Down home narrator vibe. Yup, this video from a local TV station in Oklahoma has got everything you might be looking for to prove that electric cars are as American as apple pie.
Fuelishness! Marathon – Part 3: What is cellulosic ethanol; Algae Farming; Most Efficient Way to Travel 350 Miles
- What is cellulosic ethanol and how does it fit with green cars? : There is a lot of controversy surrounding biofuels. Various studies have shown that crop-based biofuels contribute to global warming more than they help prevent it, that ethanol is no better than gasoline, and that South East Asian rainforests are suffering for biofuels, to name just three. The most dramatic recent claim was that ethanol was the worst type of renewable energy.
- Algae Sizzle and Algae Steak : Bionavitas “Light Rod” idea called Light Immersion Technology that looks like a giant tapered optical fiber that places light at depth into algae cultures. Ingenious as ideas go, with a near stunning amount of coverage on Wednesday the idea might get some financial and research legs. What has been left out is the details about the light. The photos seem to leave out the top of the rod or fiber or just show a shaft, whose top area sets the amount of light; no matter how deep it is distributed. The idea solves a problem in algae culturing, getting light deep so that the culture isn’t just a thin layer at the sunlit surface.
- How Many Gallons of Fuel Does it Take to Travel 350 Miles? : GOOD Magazine, in collaboration with Robert A. Di Leso, Jr., explores fuel use by various modes of transportation. In what is essentially a fancied up bar chart, we see how many gallons of fuel it takes for a passenger to travel 350 miles by cruise ship, Amtrak, Boeing 737, Sedan, hybrid, etc. A couple of non-fuel modes of transportation are included as well using caloric conversions. It’ll take about 48 Whoppers with cheese to walk 350 miles. Good to know, especially since I was planning on walking 350 miles today. Totally kidding. I’m walking 360. Like a circle.
Fuelishness! Feed: Car Shoppers Want Efficiency, Hydraulic Hybrids Cheaper than Electric, Mass. Considers Gas Guzzler Tax, 70MPG VW Rabbit for $7000?
- Fuel Efficiency is the First Priority of Car Shoppers : Many car shoppers at the Chicago Auto Show say money-saving fuel-efficiency technology is becoming the top factor affecting their purchase decisions… Though the price of gasoline has dropped in the past seven months, down from $3.86 to $1.97 per gallon on average for regular gasoline, car shoppers have learned their lesson, becoming more cautious of fluctuating prices. [ With video ]
- Green Car Halves Fuel Consumption : A hybrid hydraulic drive allows energy usually wasted during braking to be stored and used again when the car needs to accelerate. The car ran on a mixture of stored energy and petrol, with computer control technology used to switch between the two power sources. The team from Midlothian-based Artemis Intelligent Power said the equipment was less expensive than the batteries used in existing hybrid vehicles.
- Massachusetts Considers Gas-Guzzler Tax : Governor Deval Patrick said today he is looking at a Hummer tax — adding higher registration fees for gas-guzzling cars and offering discounts for those that do less harm to the environment. One industry opponent said it would be the first such fee in the nation on the state level.
- Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000 : “While converting a gas-powered car to diesel power is technically simple (replace the engine and the gas tank), it’s bureaucratically cumbersome. Our creation will need a license plate, and that license plate requires a registration, and renewing that registration will require some kind of emissions test… If the book doesn’t say the Scirocco’s pipe gas should smell like a diesel, we’re dead in the water.”
New iPhone App: Greenmeter
If you’ve got an iPhone, there’s an interesting new app that uses the built-in accelerometer to estimate and calculate your environmental variables in real-time, while driving.
greenMeter is an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that can compute your vehicle’s power and fuel usage characteristics, and help evaluate your driving style to increase efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and cost, and lower your environmental impact. Based on the gMeter vehicle performance app, greenMeter uses the device’s internal accelerometer to measure forward acceleration and compute engine power, fuel economy, fuel cost, carbon footprint, and oil (barrels) consumption.
More from CleanTechnica:
The Greenmeter, recently released by Hunter Research and Technologies, is an iPhone application with a mission: to keep track of your car’s carbon footprint and fuel efficiency . The program uses a multitude of variables to make its calculations, including weather conditions, cost of fuel, and vehicle weight.
More advanced measurements such as drag coefficient, vehicle pitch, and rolling resistance can be calculated using estimates available on the company’s website.
Build Your Own Electric Motor-bike… Awesome.
I linked to this blog a few minutes ago, but am so enamored by the idea, that I wanted to plop the video right here, so you can see it for yourself with fewer clicks.
Check this blog for more details on the story, and this Instructibles website for the how-to instructions… I’m going to check craigs-list for a suitable used bike. :)
Fuelishness! Feed
- If Our Gas Taxes Go Up, Will Gas Prices Become Unfair? – Faced with dwindling cash reserves, several states are considering raising their Gas Tax. Those with efficient vehicles will come out ahead. Low income families, the trucking industry and the alternative fuel industry will finish last…
- Better Place answers questions about home charging, Obama’s interest – Over the weekend, we heard a story that the Obama Administration “may be adopting” the Better Place model of powering electric cars. We wanted to know more about what this means, exactly, and got the following from Better Place PR…
- Miles EV CEO talks about highway speed electric sedan, company’s future – “The business strategy is bringing an affordable car that is fully safety certified to the California market first; a car that is not a two-seat car or a limited-use car. It is a car that would serve as a commuter car or as a car to run errands or do things with your family. We all know what these metrics are, right? The daily commute in LA County is about 30 miles, [the rest of ] California is about 40 in weekday driving. We’re looking to have a car that people can, during the week, use as their regular car…
- Ethanol-powered Mustang reaches 252 mph (with video) – Want to prove that ponies like ethanol? Give Oklahoma corn farmer Brent Hajek a call. He helped get a FR500C Ford Mustang running on E85 up to 252.78 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats is Utah back in September.
- Awesome Electric Bike Conversion (with video) — You need to see this…
Citizens for Energy Freedom
By making America a flex-fuel vehicle market, we will effectively make flex-fuel the international standard, as all significant foreign car makers would be impelled to convert their lines over as well. Around the world, gasoline would be forced to compete at the pump against alcohol fuels made from any number of sources, including not only current commercial crops like corn and sugar, but cellulosic ethanol made from crop residues and weeds, as well as methanol, which can be made from any kind of biomass without exception, as well as coal, natural gas, and recycled urban trash. By creating such an open-source fuel market, we can enormously expand and diversify humanity’s fuel resource base, protecting all nations from continued robbery by the oil cartel.
To save America we need to break the oil monopoly. To break the monopoly, we need to create fuel choice. As the economic disaster unfolds, and Middle East power grows by billions daily, there is no time for further delay. Therefore, we call upon the US Congress to take patriotic action and pass the Open Fuel Standard Act now.
New Year’s Resolutions
It’s that time again…
My personal New Year’s resolutions are:
- Complete development of the current phase of FuelClinic.com by February, and have the training module framework completed by April 2009.
- Continue building out my other web-publishing channels
- Eat less carbs and more protein in an effort to manage my own blood-sugar more effectively.
- Take my wife out for a “date night” every two weeks, at least.
- Complete some home-improvement projects like a new closet for the spare bedroom, and shelves for the nook in the “den/office”.
- Train and run two races this year, a 5K in the spring and a 10K in the fall.
What are your resolutions?
Fighting Forclosure: One Woman’s Goal to Avoid Forclosure
I use Google Alerts to help monitor the web to find new websites and blog postings for the search term “FuelClinic” in an effort to understand how marketing and other promotional efforts are going. It’s a useful tool that will email you once or twice a day if Google spots any new pages matching your search term. (It’s a good way to keep an eye on the competition also!)
Usually the Alerts tell me something I already knew – like this new blog post will probably show up later today or tomorrow as an Alert in my email. It’s nice to know that Google notices my hard work.
But my favorite Alerts are those that are not expected, like this one from earlier this week from “Fighting Forclosure” – a blog by Dawn who journals her monthly fight to save (or as she says “find”) an extra $900 each month in order to cover her mortgage payment after a recent divorce left her with the house.
Google Alerts found Dawn’s recent post when she wrote about using FuelClinic for the past six months, and says it’s helped her understand her fuel usage better. This makes me very happy to hear, and helps inspire me to continue to struggle to build the rest of FuelClinic so that it may be even more useful to her and others.
At a time where many people are in a similar struggle with their mortgage, Dawn’s honesty, ingenuity, and advice is very inspiring. If you are in a similar situation, I recommend you read her blog. While you are there, you can click on an advertisement or two as well.
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