Fiat: eco:Drive has saved 163,000kg of CO₂ so far

We were introduced to Fiat's eco:Drive system during the Paris Motor Show in October. If you don't remember, no worries. Here's a refresher: eco:Drive uses a USB stick that fits in certain Fiat model dashboards and records information on how you're driving. This information is then fed into your computes, which looks at areas where you could have made a greener driving choice. There is also an eco:Village online community where users help each other drive better and help Fiat improve the system. To date, according to Fiat, drivers using eco:Drive have saved 163,000kg of CO₂ in their efforts to clean up their lead feet. Getting into the seasonal spirit, Fiat translates this to be equivalent to cooking 294,228 Christmas dinners. Not quite sure how they got that number, but hey, it's the holidays so we'll be generous and not ask.
eco:Drive is currently available in the Grande Punto and the Fiat 500; it's coming to the Bravo and Qubo - and potentially to all Fiat cars and commercial vehicles - next year. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Fiat]

PRESS RELEASE:

eco:Drive PROVES IT'S A RIGHT CRACKER THIS CHRISTMAS

It's official: Fiat's eco:Drive is no turkey. Figures just released by Fiat show that thousands of motorists who have been using the fuel-saving advice device since its launch in October, have already saved more than 163,000kg of CO2.

And that seasonal success is equivalent to cooking 294,228 Christmas dinners!

Launched by Fiat at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, eco:Drive is a free-of-charge tool that helps drivers understand the impact of their driving style on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Using a USB stick plugged into the car's dashboard, eco:Drive records detailed information about the vehicle and how it is driven, which can be uploaded on to a computer. It then gives an analysis of the driver's performance, along with suggestions on how to improve efficiency further by improving driving methods.

"eco:Drive offers real benefits, helping drivers to improve their driving efficiency, saving fuel and reducing their impact on the environment," says Andrew Humberstone, managing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. "And that's going to be well worth considering as we move into a new year."

Drivers using eco:Drive can become part of eco:Ville, an environmentally-friendly on-line community. Members have used it to offer ideas and feedback over the last three months, which Fiat has responded to – already the company has released four enhanced versions of the system.

Next year eco:Drive will become available for use in the Fiat Bravo and Qubo – it already features in Fiat 500 and Grande Punto models – and there are plans to further widen the scope of the technology across the entire car range and even into commercial vehicles.

Fiat drivers can download eco:Drive free of charge at http://www.fiat.co.uk/ecodrive.