The history of the ‘car’ shows each decade being marked with technological advances and just as in any business (and automakers on a larger scale) automakers are vulnerable to the economical and social issues not only in the country in which they are located but on a global scale as well. Nowadays automakers seek to offer vehicles that serve both the customer’s good and the social good; a tall order indeed. However, in order to offer customers some of the same fuel saving advantages of hybrids in gas engine vehicles, more research was in order. Enter Ford Motor Company and the all-new Eco-Route Nav feature.
Vehicle navigation systems have been being refined since the 1970s. MyFord Touch is proof positive of this statement and now offers an extension to their already safety enhanced educative hybrid system. Here is how the Eco-Route Nav feature works:
The MyFord onboard computer offers the customer feedback granting information about what types of driving and which routes will offer the best fuel economy. Feedback educates the driver about ways to save money, time, and possibly the aggravation of taking the wrong route.
The MyFord screen shows the driver a read out of present miles per gallon and also a history of fuel economy in graph form. In other words the vehicle teaches how to drive and in what direction to get the best fuel economy.
New gadgets in vehicles not only make consumers more fuel and financially savvy; they are also a fun way to learn. Ford understands the psyche behind the American love affair with the automobile and engineers new technology while taking into consideration different aspects of the consumer’s personality. The onboard computer is also a tough task master when it comes to the environment. If the driver is good and drives responsibly the screen offers healthy green leaves and flowers; however, drivers that are deemed bad by the computer will watch the green leaves whither and die.
Eco-route Nav, a great way to learn more about how vehicle and driver interact to create fuel economy or fuel waste and will be offered to consumers owning vehicles with gasoline powered engines in 2011.
