If You’re Worried About Fuel Efficiency, Help May Be on the Way

New Technology Aims to Save You Money on Gas by Making You a Better Driver

by Jennifer Case on January 18, 2012

Greater emphasis on saving money on gas has led to new research into just how to do it. If you worry about how you can get the most miles out of your gas tank with having to a hybrid or full-electric car, the future may see cars with as much as a 30 percent increase in fuel efficiency. Oddly enough, this is not some magic powertrain or other new car part, better rather a better driver.

Sorry, but it is likely that one of the biggest reasons for spending so much time at gas stations is your bad driving habits. Of course, it’s not all your fault. There are a lot of reasons why fuel efficiency drops when we drive. One example may be the fact that current GPS technology rarely takes fuel efficiency into account when plotting your route.

Researchers at the University of California Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology are looking to change all that. Rather than develop newer, lighter car parts and other similar innovations, researchers are studying ways of helping drivers better themselves. One easy way may be by adding software to GPS systems to help drivers choose the greenest route possible, but, according to researcher Kanok Boriboonsomsin, the infotainment systems of many cars can also be used to teach drivers.

When you get in the car, you have the vehicle recommend the route you could take based on traffic conditions on the route, and on the way if there’s anything wrong with your driving it may provide some feedback to you to adjust your driving behavior,” said Boriboonsomsin.

While CERT is not the first to try this idea, they are the first to prove its usefulness. By adding real-time tips to a car display, they found a 6 percent increase in fuel efficiency. Drivers were more likely to coast into stop lights, stop flooring it when accelerating, and upshift as soon as possible when alerted to the benefits while driving.

“While driving” is an important part of the equation. You may read articles or be a part of classes and other structures which attempt to teach you about fuel-efficient driving. However, according to Cliff Nass, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, “When you’re not driving, you’re not thinking about driving. When you get this feedback and analysis, you’re not in the car. That’s one of the problems with these systems: When you can’t act on the problem right away, it’s not as effective.”

Until this technology is readily available, here are a few easy tips for increasing your own fuel efficiency: keep your windows up to improve the aerodynamics of your car and reduce drag, and take anything heavy out of your trunk to lighten your car.

Since 1997, CashAdvance.com has been the most established and trusted name in the cash advance industry, connecting over a million consumers with payday loans from its vast network of reliable lenders.