Fiat: eco:Drive has saved 163,000kg of CO2 so far
We were introduced to Fiat's eco:Drive system during the Paris Motor Show in October. If you don't remember, no worries. Here's a refresher: eco:Drive uses a USB stick that fits in certain Fiat model dashboards and records information on how you're driving. This information is then fed into your computes, which looks at areas where you could have made a greener driving choice. There is also an eco:Village online community where users help each other drive better and help Fiat improve the system. To date, according to Fiat, drivers using eco:Drive have saved 163,000kg of CO2 in their efforts to clean up their lead feet. Getting into the seasonal spirit, Fiat translates this to be equivalent to cooking 294,228 Christmas dinners. Not quite sure how they got that number, but hey, it's the holidays so we'll be generous and not ask.eco:Drive is currently available in the Grande Punto and the Fiat 500; it's coming to the Bravo and Qubo - and potentially to all Fiat cars and commercial vehicles - next year. Press release after the jump.
Gallery: New Fiat 500
[Source: Fiat]
PRESS RELEASE:
eco:Drive PROVES IT'S A RIGHT CRACKER THIS CHRISTMAS
It's official: Fiat's eco:Drive is no turkey. Figures just released by Fiat show that thousands of motorists who have been using the fuel-saving advice device since its launch in October, have already saved more than 163,000kg of CO2.
And that seasonal success is equivalent to cooking 294,228 Christmas dinners!
Launched by Fiat at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, eco:Drive is a free-of-charge tool that helps drivers understand the impact of their driving style on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Using a USB stick plugged into the car's dashboard, eco:Drive records detailed information about the vehicle and how it is driven, which can be uploaded on to a computer. It then gives an analysis of the driver's performance, along with suggestions on how to improve efficiency further by improving driving methods.
"eco:Drive offers real benefits, helping drivers to improve their driving efficiency, saving fuel and reducing their impact on the environment," says Andrew Humberstone, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. "And that's going to be well worth considering as we move into a new year."
Drivers using eco:Drive can become part of eco:Ville, an environmentally-friendly on-line community. Members have used it to offer ideas and feedback over the last three months, which Fiat has responded to – already the company has released four enhanced versions of the system.
Next year eco:Drive will become available for use in the Fiat Bravo and Qubo – it already features in Fiat 500 and Grande Punto models – and there are plans to further widen the scope of the technology across the entire car range and even into commercial vehicles.
Fiat drivers can download eco:Drive free of charge at http://www.fiat.co.uk/ecodrive.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
noz 4:41PM (12/29/2008)
That's pretty damned cool....at least it's positively affected performance versus the penile extensions that measure G's and what not....you know..those manly products.
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gorr 4:47PM (12/29/2008)
This is a false report by a under-porewred journalist. These fiat cars haven't save any co2 release in atmosphere nor any nox, co, dust and soot of any sort. these fiat cars have released co, co2, dust and soot by the tons. This is how work journalism, writing about sad facts and if there is no sad facts then there is no more journalist-jobs. It's the same thing with politicians, big pay to solve problems and if there is no problems then they feel bad and create the problems. That's why we are still 100% petroleum based industrialized society. Hydrogen is fouth by these folks behing the curtain and now they promise battery. As for car guys like me, gm,toyota, ford, bmw, aston-martin, fiat, tata, honda, subaru, ferrari, porsche, mercury, pontiac, saturn, oldsmobile, caddillacs, freithliner, pratt and whitney, mazda, chrysler, john deer, brigg and straton, volkwagen, all these folks have cease to promote hydrogen and are swithching back to petroleum and a battery campain marketing ads.
The only thing positive is that general customers are following me and have cease to buy unnessary car expences and even toyota is in the sink with 50% less sales then 2 years ago. This will not end anytime soon, even with false battery technology and marketing falsity. Soon will appear new players with water-powered devises, hydrogen gas productions machines, conversion kits for old ice cars and trucks, watered powered electric production units.
If hydrogen don't appear then we will dive into a society like the one in the mad max II movies where industrialisation have exploded and kill 90% of the population and the rides availables if you can steal one were very dangeurous to have and run but funny afterall for the ones that drive fast.
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bathtub gin 12:38AM (12/30/2008)
That must be some butt-kicking scale they have to be able to weigh all that CO2.
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