Unlike a back-seat driver, the Fuel Efficiency Advisor sits front and center in your vehicle, feeding you data about your driving habits, urging you to improve your car´s performance and acting as a "green" conscience.
The new device from Fuel Efficiency Centers in Dallas plugs into the on-board diagnostics port under the dash and gives drivers accurate, real-time data about speed, fuel efficiency and money savings.
"What we´re really looking at is measuring driver behavior," said Karl Singer, founder and president of Fuel Efficiency Centers.
Measuring that behavior and then encouraging people to change it is a cost-effective, sustainable way to reduce fuel usage and emissions, he said.
"There are devices you can install in fuel lines that promise to improve mileage, and the media and the government agencies talk about changing driver behavior -- drive the speed limit, maintain your vehicle, inflate your tires -- and you´ll save gas. But this is a classic circumstance of you´re not going to be able to manage what you can´t measure," Singer said.
People have a hard time modifying their driving habits if they have no information about what they´re doing, in the same way that a treadmill would be less useful if it didn´t tell your speed, distance or calories burned, he said.
"The great motivator is cash, so that someone can measure, in real time, their cost of aggressive driving, followed by the cost savings of safe driving. You can easily save 200 to 300 gallons of gasoline a year, depending on the vehicle type," Singer said. "We know one thing, and that´s for each gallon of gasoline saved, that´s 19.4 pounds of carbon dioxide saved."
Singer, whose background is in the retail automotive industry, got the idea for the device last spring after watching a national morning news program that featured a pit boss from Lowe´s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.
"Gas was near $4 a gallon, and the pit boss gave a list of things to do: a new high-flow air filter, tire pressure, new spark plugs, low-friction motor oil, and when you add all the benefits up, the miles per gallon improve. But I said, ´Who is going to do all these things?´ So I formed an enterprise, Fuel Efficiency Centers, to test products that we were convinced were legitimate and see what they can do. We did a lot of testing. We found just two that worked."
A device called ScanGauge II, made by Linear-Logic of Mesa, Ariz., was the starting point for Singer and his new company.
He asked Linear-Logic to incorporate some changes to make the automotive computer easier to use for a wider audience and not just auto enthusiasts who like to know exactly what their car is doing -- voltage measurements, water temperature and more. The company developed the private-label device for Singer´s firm, and the Fuel Efficiency Advisor has been on the market, selling online for $159.95, since mid-February.
The device works on vehicles built in 1996 and later, after the OBDII port became standard. It plugs into the port, which usually is to the left of the steering column, and can be mounted anywhere, taking about three minutes to install, Singer said. A user needs to enter the size of the vehicle´s engine and the size of its gas tank.
In conjunction with the device, the company has launched a Star Drivers program. The honor system calls on members who have Fuel Efficiency Advisors to follow smart driving rules, such as to accelerate smoothly, brake easy, coast when possible and observe traffic patterns in front of them. Agreeing to the Star Drivers pledge also warrants a $10 discount on the Fuel Efficiency Advisor.
"All the devices you add to a car change the vehicle instead of changing the driver. I can get in your car and get fuel efficiency regardless of the vehicle because I have been trained," said John Valline, executive vice president of Fuel Efficiency Centers.
Singer calls himself a "reformed arrogant driver" and admits that without the device in front of him, he has lapsed into old habits.
"I rented a car at O´Hare recently, in Chicago, and I wasn´t paying any attention to the way I was driving -- the quicker I got there, the better."
But he´s learning, and that´s a big benefit of the device, he said.
Through the Star Drivers social network, Singer would like to see aggressive drivers marginalized much like smokers have been because of the risks of second-hand smoke.
The Fuel Efficiency Advisor spurs self-competition, and using it while following the Star Driver guidelines not only helps reduce drivers´ carbon footprint but improves road safety, and with fuel savings it recovers the cost of the device in about four months, Singer said.
Valline said another benefit of the auto computer is that it can scan a vehicle´s trouble codes without a costly trip to a mechanic.
The Fuel Efficiency Advisor can tell a driver if the car requires immediate attention for that illuminated check engine light us or if it´s on simply because it´s time for a routine oil change, Valline said.
Singer said the device gives consumers a simple, measurable way to go green and get hybrid-like efficiency without the cost of buying a new car.
"We´ve got a ´now´ event," Singer said. "Hybrids aren´t enough in terms of scale. We think we might have a single-source solution in changed driver behavior. This is how you get a massive audience into the green movement."
For more information, call 877-439-3534 or visit FuelEfficiencyCenters.com.
Contact Waste & Recycling News correspondent Tracy Hayhurst at thayhurst@wideopenwest.com