Published on 02 October 2012 Hits: 55

FORD has fitted its new Focusnow sold at the brands dealerships in the Philippineswith what it calls a handy software application thats aimed at helping coach customers in the art of eco-driving. The system rewards drivers with kudos displayed on a screen, and which include championship cup icons and playful titles such as Advanced ECO driver or the ECO champion top prize.

Called EcoMode, the system generates a personalized driver operation scorecard by monitoring engine rpm, vehicle speed, accelerator position, clutch position, selected gear and engine temperature. The variables are related to the drivers gear-shifting habits, anticipation and speed.

Drivers can review their generated score against the softwares optimized patterns through a five-leaf icon, with two leaves set as the default and five leaves being the maximum score. The scoring system gives hints on how to gain more leaves through advices like Smooth driving saves fuel or Early shifting saves fuel.

The foot of the driver has one of the biggest impacts on real-world fuel economy of a vehicle and was the starting point for the development of EcoMode, said Thomas Schick, an engineer with the Ford of Germany Core Vehicle Integration team who helped design the software. Trying to reach the maximum score while in EcoMode leads to a driving style that is optimized for fuel economy.

Go here to see the original:

Ford fits in Focus app that lauds fuel-efficient driving