Update: Two Million Miles!
Earlier this month FuelClinic.com members climbed past 2-million-miles of tracking and managing fuel efficiency using the tools on the website. Together we’ve stopped to refuel over 10,000 times - buying just under 90,000 gallons of fuel. Continued-usage statistics for the site are very strong, as a good number of our users return every few days to continue recording mileage. Thank you!
No More Chasing Investment (for now)
You may have noticed that development has stalled on new features like the Twitter interface and the training modules. Over the past two months we’ve been actively seeking start-up funding so that we may go full-time in continuing the development of the site. This has taken a tremendous amount of time and effort.
While we’ve received a good deal of very positive feedback, our timing was very poor. The economic downturn since September, coupled with the dramatic drop in fuel prices since November, has made it very difficult to get past the “Gee you have a good idea, come back to talk to us in six months” stage. Overall, it was a very worth-while effort, as continued business-plan development has really helped us find and focus on our core model.
We’re keeping a few investment doors open, but are no longer counting on investment until Summer 2009 at the soonest, and are not actively chasing investment. This means we’ll continue to boot-strap FuelClinic.com development for the foreseeable future, and development of new features (as opposed to seeking funding sources) will again be the focus of our limited resources.
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KillerStartups Reviews: FuelClinic.com
FuelClinic.com was recently reviewed at KillerStartups.com, a website that collects information about young web startups and publishes short reviews. People can show their support by “voting” for their favorite site - just click the “+” sign under the vote tally near the top left side of the page. Sites with more votes get more prominently displayed.
MJK Racing Qualifies and Races in National Championship
While I was away, Mike Kern of Mike Kern Racing (a SCCA GT-1 racing team that we sponsor), qualified for the SCCA National Championships in Topeka Kansas.
He raced as a rookie nationals driver, starting 17th and moving up to 15th by the end of the race.
Mike said in a recent email: “Well the race was a real adventure. We started 17Th out of an 18 car field and finished 15Th., so at least we went the right direction. What a tough race week, if something can go wrong it will, but I glad we went and it created memories for a lifetime.”
I wish my wife and I could have been there in person for the race, but we had a wedding to attend (ours!).
We congratulate Mike and his crew for his success in overcoming all obstacles getting to and qualifying for the championship, and look forward to next year’s racing season!
About.com: Hybrid Cars & Alt Fuels gets to know FuelClinic
Welcome About.com Readers!
This week I had the pleasure to answer a few questions from About.com’s Christine & Scott Gable regarding FuelClinic for their website and blog Hybrid Cars & Alt Fuels.
Today I was so happy to see that they not only wrote about FuelClinic in their blog, but basically published the entire interview on a seperate page - giving FuelClinic a much greater chance to reach out to more new users than I had previously hoped. Fantastic!
I originally contacted Christine & Scott to request permission to include some of their great eco-driving tips on our page Driving Tips for Better Fuel Economy. They graciously agreed to allow me to use their tips, and at the same time asked if I’d be available to answer a few questions about the website. I said “of course!”
Christine & Scott are, like me, advocates for the hybrid revolution that is sweeping this country. Their website offers a great deal of depth and perspective into the subject, and I recommend several of their pages as “must reads”:
- Thrifty-Drive: Eco-driving with Scott: Driving Techniques to Save Fuel for Some Serious MPGs
- Top 20 Simplest & Easiest Ways to Drive Efficiently
- It’s Winter—What’s Happened to my Car’s Fuel Economy?
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MJK Racing Prepares for National SCCA GT-1 Class Finals in Topeka
Altamonte Springs, FL — Mike Kern and crew of the MJK Racing team is celebrating their entry of the #55 Delta Connection Academy / FuelClinic.com Camaro in the 2008 SCCA National Championship Runoffs in Heartland Park, Topeka to be held October 6th thru the 12th.
Each year, drivers race in 70 events across the country to qualify for one last, winner-take-all event in October–the National Championship Runoffs. Some of the most famous American racers have won at the Runoffs, including Bobby Rahal, Boris Said, Paul Newman, Scott Sharp and Skip Barber. There is a strong possibility that the next great American racing driver may be racing at the Runoffs this year.
Now that they have secured a spot at the track, the team is busy preparing the car for the race. Working late into the night, Mike and his volunteer crew are burning the midnight oil to build the car in order to have it inspected this weekend in Daytona.
“There’s a lot to get done in a short period of time” says Mike, as sweat drips from his forehead on a cool Florida evening. “We’ve just got in the new parts for the rear-end, I’ve got that almost put together now. I’m also adding an oil cooler to it, fabricating the mounts and fittings.”
In addition to fresh safety equipment, adding new sponsorship logos like FuelClinic.com, Mike has spent every bit of his free time going over every piece of this car. And he knows what he’s looking at - as Mike has literally built this car himself.
In The Press…
Our Press Release from yesterday has wound up in some very interesting places, including some of the major energy related blogs like GreenCarCongress.com. Here’s a sample:
- GreenCarCongress.com
- Eco-Portal.com
- MarketWatch
- CNBC
- Yahoo Finance - Canada
- FOX19 - Cincinnati
- The Auto Channel
We sent this press release out with the help of PRNewswire using eReleases, a Maryland based PR company that helps small businesses like ours get their press releases distributed on a national level.
If you enjoy FuelClinic and would like to help grow our free website, please recommend it to your friends, post a note about it to your favorite social websites, or follow any of the links above and leave a comment if available.
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From Zero to a Million Miles - Drivers Use Website to Help Save Fuel
ORLANDO, FL, Aug. 28, 2008 – With all eyes on gas prices and fuel mileage ratings, cost conscious consumers are taking control of their own “miles per gallon” by tracking their real-world fuel consumption while learning more efficient driving habits.
Since its public debut in May 2008, FuelClinic.com has assisted drivers from all over the world to understand their fuel consumption and help find real methods to reduce it. Today the FuelClinic team celebrates a significant milestone as members of the website have logged over one million miles of fuel economy records.
“People join the website for a variety of reasons” says Michael Bragg, creator of FuelClinic. “Most want to track their actual fuel usage and spending, some want to reduce their ‘carbon footprint’, and then there is a growing group of small business owners who are using the site to help manage their fleet fuel costs.”
With their fuel pump receipts and odometer readings, members are able to enter their information into the website. FuelClinic then creates a variety of metrics, charts and graphs that illustrate spending habits and fuel costs at a glance. Members can easily compare the different vehicles in their account.
“I think the idea for this site is really wonderful. It is one of those things that seems so obvious to do it is surprising no one had before. I guess things had to reach a point where people were just really paying attention to mileage” said Jonathan from Chicago, who has been using FuelClinic to track his mileage for just over a month.
This million mile mark is just the beginning according to Mr. Bragg, who created the website based on software he had written to track his own fuel consumption. “I’m constantly working on new ways to expose trends in the data, finding ways to make the user interface smoother, and growing the selection of reports available” said Mr. Bragg.
FuelClinic.com is available to everyone on the Internet at www.fuelclinic.com. Visitors can “test-drive” the website before deciding to sign-up. Creating an account is free, and allows anyone to track up to three vehicles. For a limited time, small businesses can create a free account, and request additional vehicles as needed by emailing feedback@fuelclinic.com.
If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please contact Rachel Gaffney at rachel.gaffney@fuelclinic.com or via phone 407-637-5782.
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FuelClinic.com to Co-Sponsor No. 55 Delta Connection Academy Camaro for the 2008 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Heartland Park Topeka
Altamonte Springs, FL (June 24, 2008) – MJK Racing announced today that FuelClinic.com, the industry leader in web-based fuel efficiency tracking and analysis, will co-sponsor the No. 55 Delta Connection Academy Camaro with driver Michael Kern when it races at Heartland Park Topeka during the SCCA National Championship Runoffs on October 12.
Mike Kern and the #55 Camaro
“It is just fantastic to have FuelClinic.com join us on the car for the biggest race of the season,” said Kern who has remained in the top 5 in points all year. “I joined FuelClinic.com and have been very pleased with the amazing analysis and resources it provides. I’m glad they see the value of our sport, and I think racing fans will see the money saving potential of using FuelClinic.com to help understand and improve their own fuel efficiency.”
FuelClinic.com helps individuals and fleets reduce fuel consumption by utilizing sophisticated and proprietary tracking and trending software to help find patterns in fuel consumption, that once modified, can result in moderate to substantial fuel savings. FuelClinic.com also provides access to volumes of news and information on the fuel industry and technology development directly affecting fuel consumption.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with MJK Racing as we enter into the motorsports arena to help identify our brand and service.” said FuelClinic.com CEO Michael Bragg. “Racing sports have always led the way for the consumer automotive market as innovators in safety, performance, and engine technologies. Sports car drivers like Mike Kern act as positive role models for racing fans, and can help spread our message of positive and effective ways to reduce fuel consumption to as many people as possible.”
Obtain additional information on FuleClinic.com at www.fuelclinic.com and MJK Racing at www.mjkracing.com.
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