Image: Marcin Wichary
A recent study done by the GPS maker NAVTEQ with research firm NuStats demonstrates that drivers equipped with full-featured GPS units use 12% less gas. This does not mean they got 12% better fuel economy, but that they got to their destination along shorter, more fuel-efficient routes than they did before they used the navigation system.
The tests were conducted in Germany, and found that the participating drivers both increased fuel economy and reduced the average trip distance. Though a fuel economy increase might seem counter-intuitive, the GPS units included traffic information, which allowed the drivers to alter course in response to gas mileage-killing traffic jams and slow downs.
Overall, this study is simply confirming what most of us already knew: knowing where you’re going and how to get there improves fuel economy. However, the GPS with traffic data certainly adds a high-tech layer to things that you cannot get through experience alone.
Source: ABG
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