With quite a bit of criticism for significant discrepancies between real data and EPA data, Ford Motor Company restated the fuel consumption of its C-Max hybrid earlier this year. Ford also issued a challenge to apps developers to develop new ways drivers can use smartphones to better evaluate and use fuel economy data. One of the recently announced app winners was CardonWare’s ecoTRX Pro, a personalized app for Android smartphones. The app gives users spoken feedback on mileage, alerts them to hard braking and rapid acceleration and provides a running trip tally of fuel used.
Tying into the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic (OBD-II) connector through a separate Bluetooth adapter, ecoTRX Pro displays a list of trips completed since the last tank fill, which are color coded to compare MPG performance on different commute routes or commute times. The app also supports sharing data on the EPA My MPG site. Users can see how their MPG ranks compared to others with the same vehicle and share that info via email or on social networks.
For more information about CardonWare’s ecoTRX Pro, click here.