Individual drivers as well as fleet owners have a significant impact on the environment.
The good news is that simple and effective software solutions can help drivers and businesses save enormously on the cost of fuel as well as harmful emissions. What’s more, greener driving can also help drivers to spend considerably less time on the road, which leads to overall better health for everybody.
Concepts like eco-routing and green routing are nothing new, and thanks to technology, these can now become a reality for everyday drivers as well as those who make a living out on the road.
Green Navigation
Researchers have long been interested on the impact of navigations systems on the efficient use of fuel.
Simply put, getting lost means unnecessary fuel used and a harmful impact on the environment.
In 2008, a study was performed across two German-based metropolitan areas; Munich and Dusseldorf. Three groups of drivers participated in the study: one group driving without a navigation system, one provided with a general device, and a third group provided with a real-time traffic navigation system.
Every car used in the study was kitted out with a special logging device used to track data such as driving speeds and routes. More than 2,100 trips were monitored in this way, covering at least 500 hours of driving time spent on the road.
The results were astonishing. The group that made use of a navigation system saw their better fuel efficiency – improved by as much as 12%. Such a drop would lead to a decrease of roughly .91 metric tons of harmful CO2 emissions annually per driver.
Eco-Routing
Eco-routing takes green navigation a step further.
Eco-routing refers to the use of a pre-planned and calculated route with the focus on reducing fuel consumption.
Factors typically taken into consideration include start-stop sequences, fuel-guzzling slopes, and sudden changes in speed and direction. This system makes use of information gleaned from digital mapping technology and is useful in identifying fuel-sapping situations and routes.
Calculations are made according to various sections of road forming part of a given route. By making use of eco-routing technology, drivers are able to accurately plan and define a fuel consumption index, which enables them to determine the greenest route possible between points A and B.
Greener Driving
Another major impact on the environment is our actual driving behaviour. Again, digital maps come into play.
In order to regulate fuel consumption in an optimising way, the speed of a vehicle needs to be regulated so as to adapt to the profile of the road and the car combined.
It’s no secret how much fuel gets wasted by actions like accelerating and heavy braking ahead of a curve, slowing down suddenly for speed limits, or ascending a steep slope in the wrong gear.
Digital maps make it possible to accurately anticipate various conditions on the road, which can help us to cut down extensively on gear and speed changes during a trip. This also reduces our gas bill, leaving us with more money to play at an online casino South Africa or do whatever else we enjoy.
Green driving is all about “looking ahead” and driving in a much more economical way.
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