Denver drivers learn to drive cleaner
Not everyone in Denver is going to start taking public transport, unfortunately, but the city is exploring another way to get greener on the way to and from work: teaching people to drive more cleanly. NPR reported this morning on a company named Cartasite that makes a gadget that records your driving style - when you hit the gas; when you hit the brakes; when you make aggressive movements - so that you can learn to drive in a way that wastes less fuel. (Driving aggressively, besides making everyone hate you, also burns up gas.)
Cartasite is currently testing this device on a couple hundred Denver residents, who agree to install it in their cars. The device sends information on driving events (braking, speeding, etc) to a website, which the volunteers can then visit in order to monitor their own habits. Apparently, it's possible to save 10-30% of your fuel by mellowing out your driving style.
The company hopes to build on this pilot program in order to create a consumer device that people will be able to buy on a large scale.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-13-2008 @ 1:55AM
Kamal said...
I was once taking the bus to the airport and I noticed that the driver was slowing down way before if the light ahead was red. I thought to myself, 'wow, what a smart guy. he is not using gas to get to the red light and wait, and if the light turns green, he does not have to accelerate from 0 to gain speed.' So I asked him if he drives his own car like that. He laughed and said, no.
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5-14-2008 @ 11:24AM
Cheap LIke Me said...
I'm in Denver and participating in the pilot. They have had some glitches with getting information reported and posted, so I haven't blogged about it yet, but it looks like things are up and running well now! It is interesting, and I am eager to see how it shakes out.
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