Tech
AA launches new eco driving app
Published Tuesday, Feb 7 2012, 16:39 GMT | By Andrew Laughlin | Add comment
The AA has today launched a new eco-driving app for iPhone and Android that is claimed to help motorists save between 10% and 20% on their fuel bills.
According to a recent AA/Populus poll, 76% of motorists are cutting back on their car journeys due to the pinch of rising fuel costs, as well as their expenditure on things such as eating out.
The Eco Driving App uses GPS data to calculate how economically the user is driving their vehicle against factors such as gear ratios, throttle use, mass air flow of the engine and terrain.
The app compares the user vehicle against a virtual car that is an exact duplicate of the make and model. It is activated at the start of the journey, and then monitors how economically they are doing against the virtual driver. Even if the phone is used, the monitoring will continue.
At the end of the journey, an Eco Rating is awarded depending on how economically the user has driven. The score can be saved and compared to subsequent journeys, as well as shared on Facebook.
More technical users can configure the app to more closely monitor vehicle performance, including specific values such as kerb weight, engine max power, type of transmission, number of gears and the vehicle's drag coefficient.
Using principles of 'gamification', the Eco Driving App features a range of awards linked to skills and landmarks passed. For example, the Continuum Award is won for completing a journey of at least 10 miles without stopping, while the Hero Award is attained by using the app on 1,000 journeys.
The lazy motorist is even recognised with the 'Shanks's Pony' award, for journeys using a car when they could have walked.
AA president Edmund King said: "With diesel prices just 1p below the record we are encouraging drivers to have fun and save money. With this new app users will be able to learn new techniques to help improve their eco driving skills."
The new AA Eco Driving App is available for free from iTunes and the Android store.
> Sport Relief 2012 app launches on iPhone, Android
> The best new apps: Mobile roundup
According to a recent AA/Populus poll, 76% of motorists are cutting back on their car journeys due to the pinch of rising fuel costs, as well as their expenditure on things such as eating out.
The Eco Driving App uses GPS data to calculate how economically the user is driving their vehicle against factors such as gear ratios, throttle use, mass air flow of the engine and terrain.
The app compares the user vehicle against a virtual car that is an exact duplicate of the make and model. It is activated at the start of the journey, and then monitors how economically they are doing against the virtual driver. Even if the phone is used, the monitoring will continue.
At the end of the journey, an Eco Rating is awarded depending on how economically the user has driven. The score can be saved and compared to subsequent journeys, as well as shared on Facebook.
More technical users can configure the app to more closely monitor vehicle performance, including specific values such as kerb weight, engine max power, type of transmission, number of gears and the vehicle's drag coefficient.
Using principles of 'gamification', the Eco Driving App features a range of awards linked to skills and landmarks passed. For example, the Continuum Award is won for completing a journey of at least 10 miles without stopping, while the Hero Award is attained by using the app on 1,000 journeys.
The lazy motorist is even recognised with the 'Shanks's Pony' award, for journeys using a car when they could have walked.
AA president Edmund King said: "With diesel prices just 1p below the record we are encouraging drivers to have fun and save money. With this new app users will be able to learn new techniques to help improve their eco driving skills."
The new AA Eco Driving App is available for free from iTunes and the Android store.
> Sport Relief 2012 app launches on iPhone, Android
> The best new apps: Mobile roundup
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