Our team aims to achieve the key objectives of the Apps for Vehicles Challenge of fuel efficiency, safety and open data through designing and developing a mobile application that will provide assistance to drivers providing safety guidance and also implement features towards improving fuel efficiency leveraging telematics data and analytics and simulations to predict the most fuel efficient routes to take. The app will display the savings obtained through the usage of the app in terms of absolute dollar saved. The details of the specific features of safety and fuel efficiency are provided below.
Fuel Efficiency: We understand that there are multiple approaches towards improving fuel efficiency. Some key parameters being driving at optimal and safe speeds, alternate route selection when traffic is detected, optimal route scheduling considering commonly frequented routes, maintaining tire pressure, optimal air conditioning usage and the amount of time spent idling the engine at stop lights.
Leveraging the traffic data available on the net the application can detect that following the current route may take longer and cost more in fuel and propose an alternate route that may be longer but cheaper from a fuel efficiency standpoint. In addition the application will attempt to propose optimal routes based on repetitive schedule information made available in calendar details – and predict the fuel cost for a route to enable the best route selection. For longer routes the app will also mark the gas stations with the best gas prices.
Our application aims to assist the drivers by providing periodic (user configurable) notifications to turn off the air conditioning (through voice alerts) and of course switch them back on later. The application will keep track of the time the air conditioning was kept on Vs the time it was switched off and provide the data points for user review later.
The application will keep track of the duration of time stopped at a particular spot with the engine running and provide suggestions to the driver to switch off the engine if it detects a pattern of such stoppage that requires more than a minute of idling of the engine.
Safety: The application will also remind drivers to check the tire pressure at periodic intervals to ensure safety and also ensure optimal fuel efficiency. If the vehicle data contains details provided by tire pressure sensors - then those data readings can be used as well.
The vehicle data pertaining to vehicle speed, engine speed, accelerator pedal position and fuel efficiency will be used to detect unsafe driving (too much accelerator pressure, higher than normal vehicle and engine speeds and provide voice based notifications to the driver to slow down. Better fuel efficiency will be also obtained from driving within safe speeds and by gentle application of accelerator inputs. Where data is available regarding inclination changes in the road the application will provide assistance to the driver to be prepared for an incline or decline in the road and adjust the speed accordingly.
Open Data For All: The app we plan to build will provide access to the key information provided by the vehicle on the mobile phone in a manner that is easy to access and will not distract the driver and be available for later access even after the drive is completed.
Social Media Integration: The application will also include the ability to keep track of the best performance of the driver from fuel efficiency and safety perspectives and allow posting of such performance to social media such as Twitter/Facebook etc to encourage their friends to also participate.
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