Device could boost fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency could be boosted using a chip that monitors the driver's behaviour, according to a Galway telematics company.


Celtrack, a firm specialising in using telecommunication devices to send data from vehicles to base stations, has developed technology it claims can cut fuel consumption by 10-15%.

It’s Controller-Area Network bus (CAN-bus) sends transport companies real-time information of driver behaviour such as sudden acceleration or harsh braking.

Drivers can then be educated in ‘eco-driving’ and, the combination of careful driving and route planning allows for cheaper journeys.

CAN-bus, a computer protocol and bus standard that allows microcontrollers and devices to communicate, focuses on idling, servicing and mileage.

Sales director Helen McBreen told Silicon Republic: “Our system can inform transport managers if vehicles are idling, which could be due to poor driver behaviour.

“It calculates if a vehicle is going at under 2km per hour for a given time, but takes into account traffic and the type of operation involved – for example, a waste management vehicle going through a housing estate – using algorithms which concentrate on changes in longitude and latitude.”

Better fuel efficiency also means fewer carbon emissions.

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