EcoDrive, built on Microsoft Auto technology, teaches drivers to reduce emissions

Automakers have made tremendous progress in reducing auto emissions. Today’s cars create far less pollution and emit far less carbon dioxide compared with those built a decade ago.

Much of that progress is due to in-car computers that adjust fuel flow or air intake. But those computers talk only to other hardware components in the car. What if the car could talk to drivers and enlist their aid to reduce emissions?

That’s the idea behind EcoDrive, developed by Fiat Automobiles SpA. Fiat plans to deploy EcoDrive in select automobile in 2008.

Developed with Microsoft technology, EcoDrive is the world’s first device that interacts directly with drivers and can help them change their driving habits in ways that can reduce auto emissions.

With EcoDrive, Fiat and Microsoft have developed a method to monitor motorist behavior on the road and offer analysis and advice after a trip is completed. It makes drivers an active part of a car’s emissions-control system and does so in a way that’s both enjoyable and easy to use.

EcoDrive: From Car to PC in a USB

EcoDrive is built on Blue&Me, a Bluetooth-based system developed jointly by Fiat and Microsoft that gives drivers hands-free control over digital music players, mobile telephones, and other devices. In Fiat cars equipped with Blue&Me, the EcoDrive system assesses the driver’s driving style during a normal driving day. The way a driver accelerates, brakes, and shifts is automatically measured and analyzed against the car’s fuel economy and exhaust emissions.

At home, the driver removes a standard USB flash drive from a USB port on the dashboard or the glove compartment, plugs it into a desktop or laptop computer, and downloads information about his or her most recent driving excursion.

A software application developed by Fiat then tells the motorist how many pounds of emissions the car produced during the most recent drive and how the driver can reduce those emissions by driving in a more environmentally friendly way. Those tips might include:

Reduce throttle earlier to reduce sudden stops and starts.

Shift more quickly into a higher gear.

Accelerate gently after the car has stopped at a traffic light.

Help Drivers do a Little Bit More

Fiat executives say EcoDrive resulted from the realization that auto manufacturers were ignoring one of the components of greater impact on auto emissions: driving style.

"We spend hundreds of millions of euros redesigning engines and improving the aerodynamics and power trains, all for minimal improvements in emissions—maybe two percent or three percent," says Luis Cilimingras, Fiat advertising manager.

"But if you think about it," says Cilimingras, "there is a margin of improvement in the way people drive of maybe 20 percent because people don’t always drive in a perfect way. So it looked to us like we could take a holistic approach to the emissions by helping the customer to do a little bit more."

Blue&Me Puts Connectivity in the Car

The heart of the EcoDrive, Blue&Me, was launched two years ago in partnership between Fiat and the Microsoft Automotive Business Unit. Blue&Me uses Microsoft Auto, a software platform developed on Windows CE, to give motorists the ability to connect personal mobile devices and use voice commands to play music or place wireless telephone calls.

Microsoft Auto developed Blue&Me to be truly interactive: a platform that not only responds to user input but also provides users with intelligent feedback. The integration of a USB port into the dashboard of an automobile enables automotive manufacturers to provide their customers with custom driving experiences, both on and off the road.

When a USB port is integrated into an auto dashboard, Blue&Me creates opportunities for innovative devices such as Fiat’s EcoDrive. "This is a real first," says Cilimingras. "For the first time, we can extract data from an ordinary car right out of the factory and send it to a notebook computer or personal computer."

Microsoft Auto gives Blue&Me the flexibility to work with a wide range of devices. And it is an open platform that can catch up to market innovations, which allows drivers to refresh or upgrade systems with the most current technology, even years after the purchase of the vehicle.

As new equipment, EcoDrive will make its first appearance in late 2008 on the Fiat Grande Punto. Earlier Fiat-made automobiles with Blue&Me, such as the Fiat 500, Grande Punto, Bravo or Croma will be able to take advantage of EcoDrive through free upgrades. "That’s a fantastic benefit, to be able to retrofit cars with EcoDrive," says Cilimingras.

Technology with a Social Purpose

EcoDrive reflects Fiat’s belief that automakers have opportunities beyond the production line to help consumers adopt responsible driving habits. "It’s technology with a social purpose," says Cilimingras. "Reducing the impact of driving is something that’s quite valuable."

The full impact of EcoDrive won’t be known until motorists begin to use the technology. But Cilimingras said the potential is up to 20 percent.

A typical Fiat—already among the most environmentally friendly cars in Europe—emits about 150 grams (just over 5 ounces) of CO2 per kilometer, or about 2 metric tons in a typical driving year. This makes an annual reduction of nearly 400 kilograms of CO2 possible. Motorists also can reduce fuel consumption and save money.

EcoDrive illustrates the potential of software technology to reduce auto emissions worldwide. In the U.S., for instance, automobiles account for about one-quarter of annual emissions of carbon dioxide, the gas primarily responsible for global warming. Growing auto markets such as those in China and India will contribute greatly to that output. The reduction of emissions by 20 or even 10 percent through better driving habits would make a huge contribution to automakers’ efforts to produce more environmentally friendly cars.

"Microsoft and its partners share a vision for transforming the driving experience by connecting motorists seamlessly and conveniently to the people and information they care about while they are on the road," said Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft Auto. "By building on the Microsoft Auto platform, Fiat's ability to innovate and create market-defining in-car technology allows the company to build even further on its reputation for driver-centric innovation and design." EcoDrive builds on that tradition.

Fiat’s EcoDrive opens an exciting new era in auto technology—one in which cars and drivers work together to reduce emissions. EcoDrive demonstrates the power of software to address global problems in a new yet practical way.