City of Sanford’s FuelClinic.com Pilot Program Completes 1st Phase
Sanford, FL – The FuelClinic Fleet System (http://fleet.fuelclinic.com) pilot program with the City of Sanford, FL has completed it’s first phase, with the collection of driver behavior data from a selection of vehicles from the City’s fleet. The data-logging devices will be returned for analysis and processing using the driver behavior analysis software under development at Compendium Software Systems, LLC.
“The collection part of the first phase is done, and the data collected by the devices will be uploaded to our servers for processing. Based on what we find using our driver behavior analysis software, we’ll make recommendations to the City on ways it can cut it’s yearly fuel usage, helping the City to reduce expenses.” said Michael Bragg of Compendium.
The pilot program is being used to allow the City to evaluate the driver behavior monitoring system, and look for ways to save the City money by cutting it’s fuel usage and reducing risk. The system works by collecting data from the vehicles on-board diagnostic computer, providing the fleet manager a real-world look into how their fleet vehicles are being driven. In this first generation system, the devices are removed from the vehicle and the data is uploaded to a central processing server using a standard USB cable and a bit of software that handles the communications.
Once the data is uploaded, the processing of weeks worth of real world driver behavior data begins. The hub of this system is software that accepts driving data from a variety of devices and sources. It parses the data into a standardized format, and begins to look for trends that indicate inefficient or risky driver behavior. It then compiles reports to allow fleet managers to quickly identify problems within their fleet.
Compendium’s recent channel-partnership with Alert Driving provides clients with access to top-tier online training modules to help mitigate problems with driver behavior or fuel efficiency using proven training tools that are targeted, easy to administer, and affordable.
“Our whole goal is to make fleets of any size safer and more efficient, providing a substantial ROI to clients by getting more out of every gallon of fuel they purchase while at the same time helping reduce accidents and related costs” said Bragg. “We are cherry-picking the best practices and technologies already used in major fleets, and re-packaging them into right-sized systems that any business can afford.”
Weaning America off of Middle Eastern oil is a four-decade long unkept presidential promise.
Seminole Voice: FuelClinic and CarChip Pro help create smarter, safer, fuel efficient drivers.
A very nice article yesterday in the local Seminole Voice paper regarding FuelClinic and the use of the CarChip Pro to monitor and improve driver behavior.
Daniel White’s truck is its own back seat driver. When he jabs the gas too harshly or brakes too abruptly, it tells him to take it easy. Now he says he’s a better, more efficient driver, all because of a little box that watches how he drives, then beeps when he’s driving too aggressively.
“It’s a nagging beep that teaches me to be a better driver; I call it my paradigm shift,” White said. “To me it’s just one of those ah-ha (moments); I get better gas mileage just by driving better?”
White is speaking about the CarChip Pro, a new Zippo lighter-size device that plugs into his truck’s on-board diagnostic port to record information about that way he drives, directly from the truck’s ECM computer.
The device can be set to a certain speed, and alerts drivers when the speed is reached, as well when they are accelerating too quickly or braking too harshly. The chip helps drivers become aware of their driving habits and trains them to become better drivers, while saving money on fuel, and decreasing carbon emissions.
Click over to read the rest.
Controlling Fuel Costs “Key” for Fleets During Economic Recovery
Saving money on fuel is important for a family on a budget living in a mobile society where fuel prices continue to rise, taking a bigger and bigger bite out of an often shrinking monthly income.
Now consider that commercial fleet vehicles are driven further (on average twice as many miles per year), they have to drive to stay in business (not really an option to stop driving), and fleet size can range from less than a dozen vehicles to thousands. The “power of scale” creates HUGE incentives for companies to take control of their fuel spend and improve their fuel efficiency.
Fuel remains one of the most costly items on a fleet’s bottom line – typically ranked number two, right behind driver wages and benefits – so carriers are deploying an ever-widening variety of methodologies to keep fuel costs under tight control…
…During a presentation here at Manhattan Associates “Momentum 2010” user group meeting, Braslavsky and Nick Cook, vp & CIO for refrigerated carrier FFE Transportation, stressed that even tiny savings in fuel costs on a per-gallon basis can reap big savings for fleets.
CalArk, for example, operates 650 tractors and 2,000 trailers nationwide – consuming roughly one million gallons of diesel per month. Braslavsky said just saving one penny per gallon translates into $10,000 in savings per month on the company’s fuel bill….
…Such fuel and route optimization methodologies are going to become even more critical in the future, Braslavsky pointed out, as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 program kicks in.
“There was a time when it was taken for granted that you could tell a driver to get there and he’d make it – those days are long gone,” he said. “Now we must be really, really creative with the time constraints put on our drivers – and better routing is the key to that.”
He also said new functionality such as actual loaded weight is being added in as well to allow for even more accurate fuel accounting. “We all know pulling 80,000 pounds consumes more fuel than pulling 45,000 pounds,” Braslavsky added. “The next level of optimization is going to take that into consideration.”
Source: Fleet Owner
“Eco-Driving” training should be a part of any fleet’s effort to save fuel costs, since saving 5% is generally considered the minimal savings a fleet can expect with a fairly minor effort. Fleets that are more determined to change company culture and commit to fuel efficient driving at all levels save 15% or more.
The most successful are those innovative fleet managers have incorporated employee-incentive programs to reward drivers who deliver measured fuel-efficiency improvement. Of course you need to be able to track and measure driver performance – what you can’t measure, you can’t manage – or reward.
FuelClinic Facebook Fans
Goal: 500 new fans on the FuelClinic Facebook page by the end of May.
We’d like to grow our eco-driving community on Facebook, a place where drivers can socialize a little more than they can on FuelClinic right now. It’s also a great way for us to stay in touch, we repost most (of the good) Fuelishness! blog entries there, and add some content not found anywhere else – and Fans can post comments to our wall, etc…
It’s easier than ever to become a fan, you can just click the “Like” button on the Facebook box on the top-right side of each blog page, or searching for “FuelClinic” from the search box on Facebook.
Eco-Driving Research Document Library Launched
A quick note to announce the addition of the “Eco-Driving Research Document Library“.
Source: FuelClinic.com
We’re making a selection of our reference collection available online, gathered together in one place, to aid in public research and education regarding eco-driving initiatives and benefits, as well as related subject materials. This collection will grow in size and functionality as time permits. When available, we will link directly to the source for each document. If you would like to suggest a publication for this collection, please send details to feedback@fuelclinic.com.
Over the past few years of our own research we have collected hundreds of documents, whitepapers, presentations, and government reports from around the globe – all related to the topic I loosely refer to as “eco-driving”. Most of these resources are available scattered around the dusty corners of the internet, but were simply stumbled upon and would require expert Googling to find again. Other documents are being made available for the first time online via this library.
The current collection that we’ve placed online is a small sample of the total collection. As time permits we will continue to add select documents and other resources (like images and video) from our total collection to this online library, as well as add features like categories, “tags”, search, pagination, and comments.
We hope that this library will grow to be a valuable resource to anyone doing research on eco-driving and related topics.
Eight Million Miles, and a Million Dollars Later
Just a quick note to acknowledge another set of milestones for the FuelClinic.com community.
As of this week, FuelClinic.com Eco-Drivers have logged over eight million miles of driving.
As a group we’ve spent over a million dollars buying fuel, have saved somewhere in the neighborhood of $55,000 by improving our efficiency, cutting about 371,000 lbs. of GHG emissions.
While these are impressive numbers, there is a lot more work to do. As always, try to apply several of our efficiency-boosting driving tips in your daily commute to better your scores. And stay tuned.
A first? Texting while driving leads to arrest…
…the driver also had a suspended license, so not exactly arrested only for texting.
Source: Union Leader (New Hampshire)
A Massachusetts man may be the first person in the state to be arrested for texting behind the wheel, which became illegal Jan. 1.
Lt. Gary Fisher said Stephen Judd, 20, of Dracut, Mass., was texting on his phone while traveling down Bridge Street on Monday morning, in plain sight of an officer. Officers later learned Judd was driving with a suspended license, he said…
…”It might be a possible deterrent and put some common sense in the driver’s head,” Drisko said. “Hopefully, it does. It is going to be in the next decade that you might see it be a nationwide federal law, because states all across are popping it in. It’s going to become a national issue.”
…”We’ve got to get the message out that this is a serious highway safety issue,” Adkins said. “It’s hard to enforce. It’s a habit. Kids see their parents doing it, it’s something a lot of teens have been raised on, watching Mom and Dad texting, but the best message is simply hang up and drive.”
The federal government has previously banned texting-while-driving for all federal employees, and in January of this year extended that ban to cover commercial truck and bus drivers.
Last year a study released by VirginiaTech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a “crash or near crash event” than “nondistracted driving.” (Source: SafeTeens.com)
A recently released study (PDF) by the VirginiaTech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a “crash or near crash event” than “nondistracted driving.” As per talking on a cell phone, the same study found no increased risk for truck drivers and 1.3 times the risk for car drivers. There was considerably more risk associated with dialing while driving. The institute’s Richard Hanowski acknowledges that the numbers are likely to be different with car drivers. As reported by CNET’s Jennifer Guevin, the study also found that “texting took a driver’s focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds–enough time…to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph.”
Many states have laws already banning texting-while-driving, and the trend seems to be spreading as awareness of the danger spreads.
What do you think about texting-while-driving laws? What about broader distracted driving laws that may impact your use of any gadget that takes your attention from the road? Add you comment here, or join the conversation over at our Facebook page.
[Video] Efficient Driving: Anticipating Traffic
Breakthrough Engine Technology Turns the “Gasoline-Ethanol Equation” Upside Down
Alternative-fuels like bio-diesel (from algae) and ethanol/methanol (cellulosic ethanol) would allow us to quickly displace a great quantity of petroleum while continuing to utilize our existing distribution infrastructure.
Ethanol-fuel vehicles have existed for decades, and have been used with great success in sugar-cane ethanol rich Brazil since the 1980’s. Known as “Flex-Fuel” this technology allows a greater combination of ethanol mixed with gasoline (up to 85% ethanol) to be used safely in a standard internal combustion engine, while adding as little as $100 to the cost per vehicle in upgraded fuel system parts. (The current estimate is that there are approx. 7.5 million Flex-Fuel vehicles on American roads today… you may be driving a Flex-Fuel vehicle and not know it.)
One of the biggest problems with Flex-Fuel and ethanol in general is the “decrease in MPG” blamed on ethanol “containing less energy” than an equal quantity of gasoline. You’ll suffer a loss in MPG (but a substantial gain in MPGG) by using ethanol-blends in Flex-Fuel engines because gasoline engines are not designed to take advantage of one of the particular strengths of alcohol-blended fuels – tolerance for higher compression ratio.
Engines designed to be fueled with higher-octane alcohol blends are designed with higher compression ratios, able to squeeze more energy out of the fuel, improving efficiency and producing a greater amount of power. Ricardo recently announced they have developed an engine that takes advantage of the physics, and have developed an ethanol-fueled engine with superior efficiencies…
Ricardo says this engine, which it dubbed the Ethanol Boost Direct Injection engine, or EBDI, is tuned to make the most out of ethanol’s properties where it has an edge on other fuels. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than diesel or gas, so it’s more likely to ignite at just the right point in the engine’s combustion cycle. Diesel and gasoline can sometimes ignite earlier or later than intended, causing knocking noises in the engine. Automakers compensate with knock detection systems, but those can cut an engine’s efficiency.
Ricardo will be testing this new engine in a heavy-duty GMC truck, expecting an 18% improvement in efficiency with the new ethanol-powered engine over the stock gasoline engine.
The engine runs best on a blend with gasoline that is 30% to 50% ethanol, but, Ricardo says, can run on anything from all gas to all ethanol. Ricardo is bringing a GMC Sierra 3500HD pickup to the Washington, D.C., auto show this week that will be outfitted with its V-6 ethanol engine. On gas, it says, the GMC truck gets about 12.7 miles per gallon. On all ethanol, it would get about 12.1 mpg, the company says. But with an optimum blend, it says the engine could get 15 mpg.
Join in the discussion by commenting here, or jumping over to our Facebook Community and add your thoughts!
Ultra-Efficient Gas Engine Passes Test — Diesel-like Performance of 64 MPG
Source: MIT Technology Review
Transonic Combustion, a startup based in Camarillo, CA, has developed a fuel-injection system it says can improve the efficiency of gasoline engines by more than 50 percent. A test vehicle equipped with the technology gets 64 miles per gallon in highway driving, which is far better than more costly gas-electric hybrids, such as the Prius, which gets 48 miles per gallon on the highway.
The key is heating and pressurizing gasoline before injecting it into the combustion chamber, says Mike Rocke, Transonic’s vice president of business development. This puts it into a supercritical state that allows for very fast and clean combustion, which in turn decreases the amount of fuel needed to propel a vehicle. The company also treats the gasoline with a catalyst that “activates” it, partially oxidizing it to enhance combustion.
I am generally leery of any new fuel efficiency technology that requires any additive that “activates” or “catalyzes” anything… but it’s very interesting that this new injection system does not require a spark-plug for ignition, instead injecting fuel directly into the combustion chamber and allowing the heat generated during compression ignite the fuel – much like a diesel engine. (Fun fact: The current crop of small diesel engines available in Europe are regularly scoring 60+ MPG in every-day driving.)
Once the fuel is injected into the piston, the heat and pressure are enough to cause the fuel to combust without a spark (similar to what happens in diesel engines), which also helps provide fast, uniform combustion. Ignition can be timed to happen just when the piston is reaching the optimal point, so it can convert as much of the energy in the gasoline into mechanical movement as possible, without wasting energy by heating up the combustion chamber walls, as happens in conventional technologies. The company has developed proprietary software that lets the system adjust the injection precisely depending on the load put on the engine.
So is this new injection technology a way to use the diesel cycle with widely available gasoline instead? Considering that refineries generally produce much more gasoline vs. diesel from each barrel of oil, this technology might allow us to take advantage of the diesel-engines superior efficiency without off-setting the gas/diesel ratios of production and distribution. Like modern (and prototype) FLEX-fuel engines, this new technology would allow drivers to “work within” our existing “gas station” distribution model, without requiring expensive new “refueling stations” or specialized refining and distribution networks that do not currently exist in any great numbers.
With gasoline prices generally unstable and on the rebound since the “crash” of 2008, modern mobile civilizations are counting on engineers to innovate creative solutions like this one.
“It’s a time of renaissance for internal combustion engines,” says William Green, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.
Join the discussion by commenting below, or jumping over to our Facebook Community and add your thoughts!
Should eco-driving be part of driver’s education?
As awareness of the benefits of eco-driving habits builds in the US and around the world, there is also a growing interest in incorporating eco-driving techniques in early drivers education courses.
Until recently, professional eco-driving training has been a specialty course provided to already-experienced drivers, often as a work-related program for professional fleet drivers in an effort to reduce company fuel expenses and reduce preventable accidents.
Several studies done in the last 10 years indicate a direct connection between efficient drivers and those drivers with fewer preventable accidents.
One internal study at a major US-based trucking company indicated that their top fuel-efficient drivers were squarely in the top percentile of drivers with the fewest preventable accidents. It was also found that their drivers who routinely drove in an inefficient manner were among those drivers with the greatest number of preventable accidents.
How are eco-drivers safer drivers?
By practicing eco-driving techniques motorists maintain a high level of awareness to traffic patterns and the flow of vehicles around and ahead of the driver, allowing the driver to plan to minimize the loss of momentum while operating their vehicle safely and efficiently.
Eco-driving motorists are encouraged to “de-couple” emotionally from the circumstances of normal traffic, focusing instead on a competition between “themselves and the gas pump” verses jockeying for position with other drivers around them.
By limiting the top-speed and maintaining generous following-distances eco-drivers give themselves extra time to react to unexpected changes, providing additional decision making time and a greater likelihood of maintaining control in evasive maneuvers.
This correlation between efficient driving and safe driving creates an opportunity to apply measurable indicators to driver safety.
In the past an individual driver’s skill and risk was measured by referring to DMV records to count number and severity of traffic citations, or by referencing insurance records to measure the number and severity of traffic accidents on record. “Defensive driver” insurance discounts are provided to drivers who have had fewer accidents and fewer citation – without any real data to determine if the driver is truly driving in a safe and skilled manner – or has just been lucky.
With the advent of inexpensive on-board driver-behavior data-logging devices (like the CarChip Pro) we can build software systems (like FuelClinic) that are designed to analyse real-world driving behavior based on actual data. With the proper training and monitoring programs in place, this driving data can be processed in near-real-time with timely reporting in an on-going effort to improve both fuel efficiency and safety records.
(Click image to add your vote to this poll)
Several states are currently working to add eco-driving to drivers education, including Michigan and Florida, with RFPs seeking qualified training materials to be added to their existing driver training programs.
What do you think? Should eco-driving techniques be added to the existing driver’s ed program in your state? Comments are welcome below, or join the discussion over at our Facebook Community.
Shea Holbrook to Make Rookie World Challenge Run in 2010
GROVELAND, Fla. (Feb. 4, 2010) – Shea Racing, LLC. is proud to announce its participation in the World Challenge season opener, March 26-28, at St Petersburg, Fla. Team owner and driver Shea Holbrook, 19, of Groveland, Fla., will strap-in and make her debut professional road race in the World Challenge Touring Car (TC) class. According to series archives, Shea is one of the youngest female drivers to take the grid in World Challenge history.
Holbrook is a competitor thru-and-thru. Formerly a state-, regional- and nationally- ranked water-skier, she is no stranger to the thrill of speed or danger. A few years ago, Holbrook traded in the water skies for the smell of race fuel and burnt rubber.”It’s an awesome experience go over a jump at 50-plus mph to hurl yourself hundreds of feet thru the air, but it just doesn”t compare to going into turn 17 at Sebring at 100-plus mph,” Holbrook said.
Holbrook is currently a college student studying Broadcasting and wants to make motorsports a career.
“This being my first professional race, I have two goals,” Holbrook added. “First, to bring the car home in one piece and second, for all those veteran drivers out there that read this, regardless of where I finish, I plan on giving you all the respect that you deserve and I’m thankful for having the opportunity.”
There are many people in the motorsports world that have greatly enriched Holbrook’s life. People like John Doonan (Mazda Motorsports), George Ayres http://www.greenerspeed.com , Skip Baber Racing, Lyn St James http://www.lynstjames.com and Marcus Haselgrove http://autohausmotorsports.com, to mention a few, “thank you all for your friendship, wisdom and continued support.”
Currently Shea Racing’s primary sponsor is MD&F (Mom, Dad & Friends) but we are diligently trying to change this. We do have very creative marketing plan for interested companies that actually requires no upfront capital, so if you’re interested in finding out the details please contact www.SheaRacing.com .
We would like to thank World Challenge and SCCA Pro Racing for the opportunity and look forward to a great season. See you on the grid!
Learn more about Shea Racing at her website or on her Facebook Group Page.
Sirius Traffic Helps Motorists Avoid Traffic Congestion
Slowly we are moving to generally-available real-time ITS solutions that will help drivers navigate around traffic congestion, find fuel at the lowest cost along the route, and provide real-time feedback to drivers about how their driving style is effecting their fuel economy and safety.
SiriusXM constellation of satellites transmits much more than music, news, and Howard Stern – with the right equipment you can receive real-time traffic information for your area beamed directly to your car.
Source: Sirius Traffic FAQ
Real-time traffic flow — Real-time traffic speed on each road segment is averaged over a five minute period and is shown on the navigation map, usually as color-coded roadways… Real-time traffic incidents — This includes updated traffic information on accidents, road construction, road closings and other traffic-related incidents… Since the Sirius Traffic service is integrated with a vehicle’s navigation systems, SIRIUS Traffic can help drivers pick the fastest route. Navigation systems can also reroute based on the updated real-time traffic.
Currently available mostly on high-end OEM platforms (there are a few aftermarket receivers that can read the signals and integrate with your on-board navigation system) to warn you when your route becomes congested, is under construction, or has other incidents – provide you a chance to re-route avoid delays.
Recently it was announced that much of the 2010 class of Mercedes Benz vehicles will come with an OEM version of the Sirius Traffic service pre-installed with a 6-month trial activated.
Source: Sirius Buzz
The news came in today that Sirius Traffic is available on all 2010 Mercedes Benz vehicles equipped with navigation and Sirius satellite radio. It is expected to be installed in 70% of the Mercedes Benz 2010 lineup and will be standard on the S-Class, CL-Class, CLS-Class and G-Class models.
Sirius Traffic comes pre-activated with a six month trial subscription for the higher then typical converting customers along with a six-month trial subscription of the “SIRIUS Everything” package.
For those of you who don’t know Sirius Traffic provides traffic speed and flow information to vehicles over Sirius’ network. It also provides information on traffic incidents, scheduled road closings and road construction. Since the Traffic feature is integrated with the vehicle’s navigation system, the service assists drivers in picking the quickest, safest routes based on real-time traffic conditions.
Lern more about Sirius Traffic here and read the Sirius Traffic FAQ here.
MINI Cooper D Sets New Zealand Fuel Economy Record Of 3.5 l/100km (67.2 MPG)
Source: The Motor Report
A MINI Cooper D (diesel) – piloted by trained ecodrivers Mark Whittaker and Paul Owen – has just set a new record for fuel efficient driving, by driving 2000 km on just over 72 liters (19 US gallons) of diesel fuel – achieving 3.5 l/100km (just over 67 MPG) average for that trip.
Mark Whittaker said the aim of the exercise was to highlight the potential for cutting New Zealand’s transport related emissions at little or no extra cost.
“In setting this record we are demonstrating that everyone can contribute to reducing emissions by choosing a fuel efficient car and employing simple ecodriving techniques,” Mr Whittaker said.
While Whittaker and Owen had originally targeted an average of 3.0 l/100km, the final 3.5 l/100km figure bested the country’s other top fuel miser – the third generation Toyota Prius – with which the Cooper D shares an official fuel economy of 3.9 l/100km.
The MINI Cooper D sports a fuel efficient and spunky small clean diesel engine and state-of-the-art start/stop technology similar to the new Ford Focus ECOnic we profiled a few days ago.
The Cooper D’s figures are thanks to a host of technological innovations borrowed from parent company BMW (including a start-stop system and a thrifty diesel engine from PSA).
BMW Group New Zealand Managing Director, Mark Gilbert said the fuel economy record proves how far diesel technology has come.
“The MINI has proven that new, small clean diesel engines have an important part to play in improving the fuel economy of the New Zealand vehicle fleet,” said Mr Gilbert.
“And the other clear message from this exercise is that it is not only what you drive, but how you drive, that counts,” he said. (Emphasis added)
That last bit sounds familiar! We certainly agree.
The bad news is that although it was mentioned last February that MINI was considering making the Cooper D available in the US, it has yet to become a reality according to our local MINI dealer. A message to MINI USA about the future availability of the “D” here in the US is awaiting reply – I’ll update you should we hear back. (If you’ve seen a “firm” scheduled availability date, please let me know.)
The future availability of the Ford Focus ECOnic diesel is also yet to be announced. In the past I mentioned my experience driving the SEAT with a small clean diesel a few years ago in Estonia… for now, you’ll still need to cross the pond to have this much fun driving at over 65 miles per gallon.
Lotus Tests the Two-Stroke “Omnivore” Engine
Source: CNET Green Tech
Last year, Lotus announced the development of its Omnivore engine, the name denoting flex fuel capability. Today Lotus released test results for the engine, along with the kind of detail on how it operates only an engineer could love. These test results cover the first phase of testing the Omnivore engine with gasoline. Presumably, testing with fuels derived from alcohol and other sources are in the next phases.
In Lotus’ lab, the Omnivore engine brought in 10 percent better fuel economy than current direct injection engines, which are the most efficient on the market.
Two-stroke engines have twice as many “power strokes” at any given RPM when compared to the common four-stroke engines, making them more powerful and naturally efficient. (The engine is not “wasting” as much energy moving the piston up and down in power-robbing intake and scavenging strokes.) Two-strokes are smaller and lighter when compared to four-stroke engine of similar horsepower, and have fewer moving parts that simplifies the inner workings, making them cheaper to build and maintain.
In the past, the problem has always been pollution – it was considered near-impossible to build a two-stroke engine that could meet modern emission standards. Apparently Lotus is solving this problem:
Omnivore also uses a two-stroke, rather than a four stroke cycle, but still manages to turn in emission levels equivalent to modern production engines.
This Lotus prototype engine uses an ignition system called “homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), meaning that instead of igniting its fuel charge with a spark plug, the compression of the cylinder causes the charge to ignite, similar to a diesel engine.”
More good news – the prototype is a flex-fuel engine, which would allow the owner/operator to choose what kind of fuel preferred to power it with – fossil-fuel gasoline (and diesel?) or bio-mass alcohol (ethanol/methanol) or a combination of the two.
Flex-fuel engines already exist, the problem with the current crop is that they are engineered as gasoline engines, and re-programmed to also run on alcohol blends – meaning that mechanically they are still designed for the lower compression ratios required to run on modern gasoline blends. Alcohol fuels have “less energy” per gallon than gasoline, but can run at a much higher compression ratios, allowing a properly-built alcohol engine to “gain” additional efficiency and reduce the “MPG” gap with gasoline.
The Lotus engine can apparently modify it’s compression ratio thanks to what they call the “puck” – or the “variable compression mechanism…at the top of the cylinder which dynamically changes the displacement depending on running conditions.”
Once again innovative engineering is proving that there still are many ways to improve fuel efficiency with the internal combustion engines, and there are no technical reasons we can’t be driving cars that get 60+ MPG regularly. The “fuel efficiency flat-line” from the mid-1980’s until just recently was due to something else – not because it was “technically impossible” to build more efficient engines.
A Personal Thanksgiving Announcement
I have a very special Thanksgiving announcement this year – the birth of our son Patrick, a healthy 19″ long 7lb. boy who has been keeping us very busy for the last few days.
So things here at the website and blog will likely be slower than normal for a few days as we adjust to our new “work schedule” :)
Help Me Caption This Image – Win a $50 Gas Card (CLOSED)
THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED… WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY
I’m constantly looking for ways to quickly and succinctly describe the goals and objectives of FuelClinic to people who are not yet familiar with our concepts.
I’ve had an idea for a few months kicking around in the back of my mind for a graphic that shows a schematic-like “common” car illustration with a “smart” or “green” driver behind the wheel. I’ve managed to kludge together a quick mock-up, that roughly illustrates my idea:
Now I need help with the caption… I struggled with a few like the one you see above, as well as others like ”Key To Efficient Driving Exists Between the Seat and Steering Wheel” … you get the idea, but I think we can do better.
So, I’m asking you to submit your suggestions for a great caption to this illustration - one that is creative, catchy and most clearly describes the positive effect of improved driving habits in helping create safer, smarter, more efficient drivers.
Add your suggestions in the comments section of this post. Use your real email address so we can track back to you if your caption is selected. I along with a small group of judges will choose a winner from the suggestions we get. I will send a $50 gas card to the person who submits the winning caption for this illustration and your caption will be used in the final version of this image on our website and in some marketing material.
UPDATE: We will be picking a winner from all entries on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 — winner to be announced on Monday, December 7, 2009
National Teen Driver Safety Week (Day 2) – Public awareness campaigns needed to highlight the dangers of distracted driving
This week is National Teen Driver safety week, and our youngest and most novice drivers are at greater risk of injury and death from unsafe and distracted driving. There are many stats related to teen driver accident rates. One of the most shocking is that sixteen-year-olds are involved in more than five times as many fatal crashes per mile driven as adults.
What is “Distracted Driving”?
While the ABI doesn’t have a strict definition for “distracted driving” they imply that it includes driving drowsy, talking on the phone or texting while driving, speeding or being aggressive, and basically not paying attention to the road. This is a pretty broad array of behaviors but the popularity of cell phones over the two decades and the increase in road rage certainly helped the rate of “distracted driving” fatalities shoot up.
As text messaging and cellphone addiction increases, and the availability and variety of in-car gadgets continues to grow, the potential for distracting drivers long enough to reduce reaction time and rob drivers of that critical second or two that could mean the difference between accident avoidance or tragedy.
Improving Public Awareness
Public awareness of distracted driving is gaining momentum thanks to the efforts of driver safety groups, municipal governments, the Ad Council, and the recent debate on Capitol Hill that resulted in President Obama placing a ban on all text messaging while operating a government vehicle or while operating a vehicle while on government business.
Private insurance companies as well as trade organizations are also getting involved in improving teen driver safety. The Century Council has created this excellent distracted driving poster (which you can download from their site.)
The Century Council has also created an excellent online e-card and game called “The Concentration Game” that demonstrates to driver the impact of distractions on a seemingly simple navigation task like driving home from the store. As you try to solve the maze, your concentration is broken by unexpected distractions. This is a good one to share with your family and friends.
Public awareness campaigns like these really do work. Take for instance the Safe Communities of Wright County who created a series of effective billboards that…
…according to a 2006 Star Tribune article, crashes have dropped nearly 25% since the campaign began and phone surveys found that 73% said they were more aware of the risks of distracted driving. Other states have adapted the billboards and the campaign has even been included in a recent marketing textbook.
Tomorrow we’ll talk more about distracted driving, and go over an interesting public opinion study that sheds some light on one of the biggest perceived driver distraction threats that we have not yet mentioned!
Public Awareness Resources for today:
- Safe Communities of Wright County — Safe Communities of Wright County (SCWC) is working to change the odds of crashes and the resulting injuries and fatalities. Since its inception in 1997, it has sponsored innovative traffic safety initiatives throughout Wright County and its efforts are being felt for each citizen and driver who passes through. Severe injury and fatality rates have dropped 34 percent since 1997. That statistic has remained constant despite Wright County being identified as one of the fastest growing counties in the Unites States.
- Century Council Teen Drivers Initiative — As part of our involvement with teen driver safety, The Century Council has produced an interactive initiative called The Concentration Game which mimics distractions a driver may face. We encourage you to play the initiative and embed it on your website. Additionally, if you are a motor vehicle administrator or professional driving instructor and would like to download a poster to display in your place of business as a reminder to not drive distracted.
- Join the Driver Distraction Group at LinkedIn — a professional group of legistlative, legal, enforcement, engineering, sales and human factors people who discuss issues related to driver distraction study and mitigation.
If you know of any other related public awareness campaigns, please post a link and short description to their website in the comments section.
National Teen Driver Safety Week (Day 1) – The need for improved driver education for novice drivers
In 2007 the US Congress established National Teen Driver Safety Week to take place during the third week of October. This year we will work to bring you information and resources that you can use to help reduce the risk to yourself and the younger novice drivers in your family or your social groups.
Today, we’ll review the summary or facts presented by the CDC concerning the risks to young drivers, and a call for improved driver education standards in the US. As is usually the case, our children benefit greatly from the educated and responsible involvement and active participation from their parents.
From the CDC:
Motor vehicle-related injuries are the biggest health threat to teenagers in the United States, accounting for two of five deaths among teens ages 16 to 19 years. The crash risk is highest for drivers 16 years of age due to their immaturity and limited driving experience.
Most traditional driver education provides classroom training about the rules of the road and a few hours of behind-the-wheel training. Research suggests that this approach is not effective in reducing the crash risk among newly-licensed teen drivers. Driver education programs may be improved by teaching psychomotor, perceptual, and cognitive skills that are critical for safe driving, and by addressing inexperience, risky behaviors, and other age-related factors that increase the crash risk among young drivers. However, more research into these factors is needed before they can be addressed effectively.
Inexperience increases the crash risk for new drivers of all ages. However, younger novice drivers crash at higher rates than older novice drivers. These higher crash rates may be due in part to developmental factors such as peer influence, poor perception of risk, and high emotionality. Research about such developmental characteristics could increase our understanding about why young drivers have higher crash rates and could help to improve driver education programs and licensing policies.
A growing body of research indicates that close parental management of teen drivers can lead to less risky driving behavior, fewer traffic tickets, and fewer crashes. However, many parents tend to be less involved than they could be. A recent study indicates that parents can be motivated to increase restrictions on their newly-licensed teens, at least during the critical first few months of licensure. A model intervention, the Checkpoint Program, led to increased parental limits on teenage driving at licensure and three months after licensure.
Teen Driver Resources for today:
- Allstate Insurance Company — offers a website called Allstate Teen Driver that helps parents understand the need to get involved with their children’s driving, and gives advice on how parents can help their teen drivers understand the importance of driver safety.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — offers a collection of fact sheets, research, and activities that will help you understand the scope of real risks to young novice drivers, and links to other resources you can use to talk with your teen drivers about their safety.
- Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association — offers a collection of national teen driver statistics, with links to Colorado and Utah specific break downs of similar statistics.
Please feel free to post links to other teen driver safety resources you have found to be helpful in the comments section of this post.
Driver Distraction: New Presidential Text-Messaging-While-Driving Ban
President Obama’s new ban on text messaging behind the wheel of government vehicles and texting in personal vehicles if using government-issued phones or on official business is an important warning to motorists to the dangers of distracted driving.
Federal employees will not be allowed to text while driving, according to an executive order signed Wednesday night by President Obama.
Department of Transportation Secretary Ray H. LaHood on Thursday announced the measures aimed at curbing what he called a deadly epidemic of distracted driving.
The order covers federal employees when they are using government-provided cars or cellphones and when they are using their own phones and cars to conduct government business.
Separately, the federal government plans to ban text messaging by bus drivers and truckers who travel across state lines, and may also preclude them from using cellphones while driving, except in emergencies.
Tragically, distracted driving claims thousands of lives each year. Texting is becoming more and more popular with both teens and adults, and many of those teens who grew up texting are now getting behind the wheel as inexperienced – and distracted – drivers.
Last year, 5,870 people died and 515,000 were injured nationally in crashes linked to distracted driving – often due to the increasing number of drivers who juggle cell phones, BlackBerries, and other gadgets.
Drivers who talk on cell phones are four times as likely to crash, regardless of whether they’re using a hands-free device, studies show. In fact, a yakking driver is just as much a road hazard as one who is legally drunk. Texting poses even greater risks, since motorists have to take their eyes off the road.
It’s not just cell phones and text messages. The availability and variety of in-car gadgets continues to grow, and with it the potential for distracting drivers long enough to reduce reaction time and rob drivers of that critical second or two that could mean the difference between accident avoidance or tragedy.
Beyond the PR – Additional Detail about Believe Sustainability
This morning we published a press release regarding the 2nd place finish in the ITS Congestion Challenge. I wasn’t really sure that a second place finish would be news worthy, but after seeking the advice of a few colleagues, I decided it wasn’t a bad idea.
I decided to highlight one of the most interesting bits in the release with a comment from Mr. Lincoln Paiva from Brazil who found FuelClinic at the ITS Congestion Challenge, and wants to work together to take advantage of our new “clean cities” derivative product currently under development.
One such silver lining is a partnership with Believe Sustainability in Brazil, who is interested in using FuelClinic to help reduce carbon emissions from transportation in São Paulo, one of the world’s largest and heavily populated cities.
“We are researching more sustainable ways to reduce the pressure of individual transport in the chaotic traffic in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro” said Lincoln Paiva, CEO of Believe Sustainability and Organizer of Improve Air (http://projetomelhorar.com.br/) Project Sustainable Mobility. “FuelClinic would provide a system that can help change the concept people have regarding the use of the car.”
Brazil is truly energy independent, with sugar-cane ethanol being plentiful, our little promotional video needed a few updates - including translation into Portuguese, and swapping out the “transportation relies on oil 98%” with a “20% of CO2 is produced by transportation”. Mr. Paiva wanted to use the animation during a conference he was speaking at, so we decided to produce a 2nd version.
Here’s the Portuguese version:
More details and a video from the IBM Sponsored ITS Congestion Challenge
A few more details today about the ITS Congestion Challenge as well as a video from the conference. Apparently there were 116 startups from over 20 countries – not the 90 that I had been quoting in this blog and in our press release. Some additional details about how it all worked from the Spenser Trask blog:
The challenge from June through August. The VenCorps community reviewed and rated the 116 participating startups on five criteria: the speed and efficiency of their solutions; behavioral impact; safety; sustainability; and economic competitiveness. Based on community ratings, nine finalists were picked for the 30-day Showdown. During the Showdown, community members allocated VenCorps Points to their favorite challengers.
In this video Gerry Mooney, IBM General Manager Fiscal Stimulus & Economic Recovery, talks about IBM’s commitment to helping solve traffic congestion problems and their intention to support some of the innovative new ideas that made it into the final round of the Challenge.
This sounds like an outstanding opportunity.
FuelClinic.com Camaro takes 1st Place at Sun Stroke Grand Prix – Daytona International Speedway
Congratulations to Mike Kern of MJK Racing and the #55 FuelClinic.com Camaro as they take 1st place in the 2009 Sun Stroke Grand Prix last weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
Photo credit: Michael Block
Despite a broken intake rocker arm in Saturday’s afternoon race, Mike Kern and the #55 FuelClinic Camaro crew (with the generous help of several seasoned engine witch-doctors) managed to find a replacement rocker and fix the engine in time to compete in both Sunday races, taking 1st place in the last GT-1 race of the weekend.
From V8StockCar.com: Mike Kern picked up a GT-1 win on Sunday afternoon, surviving a brief shower that made the going treacherous. Mike broke a rocker arm in the morning race, but determined to make the next race, made some calls to local shops until locating a replacement piece. His www.FuelClinic.com crew quickly had the racer repaired with plenty of time to spare.
FuelClinic has been sponsoring this race team for over a year now, and with the help of Mike Kern and the team, we have been reaching out past the “eco-conscious crowd” to reach thousands of race fans, business owners, fleet managers, as well as the media with our message that “eco-driving is for everyone“. We also use the car as a test-bed for new equipment and ideas, recently “torture-testing” a new data-logger that may be integrated with certain FuelClinic accounts.
We believe that the information and services provided by FuelClinic can help everyone learn how to live their lives comfortably and still use less gasoline (saving money), help create safer and less congested roads, reduce the stress of jockeying in traffic, and reduce pollution and emissions.
Related Links:
- I Drive 55 – Why does FuelClinic.com support automotive racing?
- Fuelishness! Blog: Category – Racing
Fuelishness!: Top 10 Clunked Alt-Fuel Cars; Intelligent In-Vehicle Tech; Fickle Consumers and MPG; India pressured to cut fuel subsidies
- Top Ten “green” cars that met their fate during Cash for Clunkers — We looked through the official, but as of yet unverified, list of trade-in cars that were clunked using the Car Allowance Rebate System (Cash for Clunkers) and found that the aforementioned CNG vehicles, 1,779 flex-fuel vehicles and 24 LPG vehicles found their way to the recycler thanks to CARS. Which alternative-fuel models were most dumped? Which single hybrid took a dive?
- Europe to Launch Large-Scale Test of Intelligent In-Vehicle Technologies — Beginning in 2010, no less than 1,000 vehicles from various European vehicle brands equipped with various intelligent in-vehicle systems will drive around Europe for approximately one year. These intelligent vehicles will collect data that should deliver answers with regards to the impacts that these systems have on safety, efficiency and driver comfort.
- U.S. auto industry faces tougher fuel-efficiency standards, fickle consumers — Trouble is brewing on the horizon for the U.S. automotive industry as it prepares for tougher fuel economy standards calling for the auto industry’s fleet of new vehicles to average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016.
- G20 puts pressure on India to phase out fuel subsidies over mid-term — The International Energy Agency and the OECD have estimated that removing fossil fuel subsidies by 2020 [sic] can bring down greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 by a whopping 10%.
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