Now that petrol is over AU$1.50 per litre, holiday road trips are a bit less fun. But we've found a few gadgets to help make fuel go farther.
The PLX Kiwi — it's named after the fruit, not the people we like beating at rugby, cricket, netball, soccer, basketball, tiddly winks, etc.
Named after the green fruit, the PLX Kiwi from PLX Devices is a small device with a 2.2-inch screen that attaches to your dashboard or windshield. Once plugged into a vehicle's diagnostic port, it can display fuel efficiency — in either litres per 100km, kilometre per litre or miles per gallon — as well as trip information and even the cause of engine problems.
But really it's designed to make your driving habits more energy efficient. Accelerating hard and then jamming on the brakes to slow down consumes more petrol than smoother, steadier driving. The PLX Kiwi shows feedback on how you're doing in that regard and it'll give you a "kiwi score". It's also programmed with 20 increasingly difficult challenges to optimise your score.
Making changes to driving patterns can lower petrol consumption by up to 33 per cent on freeways or five per cent in the city. Depending on the type of car you drive, the savings can be several hundred dollars a year, according to the company. The Kiwi can also give a read out of the dollars saved on a given trip, as well as a cumulative total.
For the eco-conscious driver, these foot pedal changes can add up: a sedan driver could reduce his or her carbon dioxide output by a tonne or two annually. The PLX Kiwi will be available later this month at an RRP of US$299.
If that's too much the ScanGuage II is available via online stores now for US$169. It doesn't have the same slick LED display as the PLX Kiwi nor its scoring system.
At the G8 summit the U.K. government announced that, starting in September, all new drivers will need to pass "green-driving tests". So, perhaps, we'll all be learning green driving techniques sooner rather later.
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