EcoDriving Can Save You a Quarter of Your Fuel

Hot on the heels of the Auto Alliance announcement about their new EcoDrivingUSA.com website, AAM member Ford Motor Company announced yesterday that it has been testing the effects of EcoDriving training. According to Ford the volunteers who took part in their 4 day EcoDriver training improved their fuel economy by an average of 24%. The individual improvements among the 48 drivers, which were verified by the Sports Car Club of America, ranged from just 6% up to an impressive 50% and more. The Ford news release claims that the large range was due to individual improvement depending:

On their driving style and ability to master eco-driving behaviors. Eco-driving instructors coached drivers to employ smoother breaking and accelerating, monitor their RPMs and drive at a moderate speed.

The training was provided by the Pro Formance Group from Phoenix, and was the start of a pilot program designed to teach EcoDriving to fleet customers. According to Pro Formance president and CEO Drew DeGrassi:

Ford is proving that eco-driving techniques are teachable and work across a broad spectrum of vehicles and drivers. It’s a great initiative for Ford to lead in this country. It’s not the end-all solution for America to obtain energy independence, but it is an important part of it.

Pro Formance's instructors mostly come from a racing background. For people who haven't had the benefit of training by these experts, Ford also helpfully provide a bulleted list of EcoDriving tips. Here at econnexus we suggest you also take a close look at our Econometer project, which is a great EcoDriving training aid. It enables you to get instant feedback from the car itself on how your driving style is affecting your fuel consumption.

You don't need a racing driver sitting next to you to become an accomplished EcoDriver!