GoFar – The first generation smart car device reduces the fuel consumption

Most modern vehicles are designed for optimum fuel efficiency. As with any machine, the way it is operated can make a huge difference. The way you treat and drive you vehicle will have a big impact on the fuel efficiency you get from your tank and your impact on the environment. While the rising cost of oil has the price of gasoline skyrocketing faster than global warming is melting glaciers.   

Bad driving isn’t just unsafe. It’s expensive. Your driving habits have a direct impact on your car’s fuel consumption. Planning your travel, following speed limits, maintaining safe following distances and paying attention to traffic, weather and road conditions will keep you safer, allow your vehicle to operate more efficiently, and ultimately, save you money.   

The first generation of smart car device ‘GoFar’ is invented to track all driving parameters. Combining rocket-tracking computing and Formula One inspired, intuitive display helps you drive better. Spend less on fuel, cut your emissions and drive safer. Energy costs money so being able to measure where your energy goes means that GoFar knows where your money goes! But that’s not all – GoFar doesn’t just give you totals – it gives you actionable insights.   

GoFar can tell you not just that you had three harsh braking events during a trip, but can tell you how much those braking events actually cost you. It’s the same with other driving behaviours like harsh acceleration or speeding. And of course these same driving behaviours also cause the ray’s glow to transition to red. This is a game changer when it comes to how we understand how our driving behaviour relates to cost. And of course as we cut costs, we cut emissions. Win win.  

How it works  

For every engine speed there is a sweet spot – an optimum throttle position that maximises your power and minimises your fuel consumption. It’s where your car runs best. Driving in the sweet spot saves fuel – which saves money and cuts emissions. But the sweet spot is different for every engine and at every speed and unless you have GoFar (or are part of a Formula 1 race team) it’s very difficult to find.   

Energy tracking  

It’s a world first and is part of what allows you to dig deep into your vehicle’s dynamics and understand things like where the sweetspot is. When you accelerate you burn fuel and release its chemical energy. This energy is used to drive the car forward and becomes kinetic energy (the energy of motion) and some of this energy is lost depending on the sweetspot. It tracks this. It’s all a beautiful dance of energy and GoFar’s energy tracking is the first to be able to measure all of this with a simple device. Also, it tracks the following parameters during travelling.  

· When the car moves some of that energy is then consumed by aerodynamic drag (wind resistance) and some by friction (mostly from your tires rolling along the ground).   

· When you drive up and down hills kinetic energy and chemical energy is further exchanged for gravitational potential energy (the energy of gravity).   

· Finally, when you brake, kinetic energy is dumped as heat (unless you have regenerative braking of course such as some models and hybrids have).  

Without clear information on your driving efficiency it’s pretty easy to waste money. In fact, we waste a fifth to a quarter of the fuel we pay for because of inefficient driving styles – particularly fast acceleration, harsh braking and stop-start driving. GoFar makes costs very obvious and in the trials; GoFar has been cutting fuel use by up to 22% (thats up to $450 a year for daily commuters). No one likes paying for fuel but stay in the blue and GoFar is the gadget that can pay for itself in months. (Via Kickstarter)   Explore further in GoFar