Accurate, real-time fuel economy information floats onto the horizon.
UK-based telematics provider, Masternaut, is working on a database of OEM fuel economy figures which will provide real-time access to the full set of floating car data on vehicle CANbus networks. The technology will include fuel use, odometer and diagnostic data and will have 'read-only' access to avoid hacking.
Steve Towe shows off the Masternaut 'dashboard' Image: Masternaut |
The data used will differ from the results of current Vehicle Certification Agency tests which Steve Towe - Masternaut’s UK Managing Director - says are unlike real-life results and only provide basic comparisons.
Vehicle loading, terrain and different types of journeys will be taken into account with the database collecting "real-time data direct from the engine management system". The system will "aggregate it by vehicle type and usage to give a much better view of vehicle performance across these categories."
Meanwhile Peugeot-Citreon is also planning to publish real-world fuel economy figures for its diesel vehicles, vetted by an independent body, following VW's admission that it had installed "defeat" software to cheat US emissions tests.
Acccording to the French carmaker, it has fitted particulate filters to reduce soot emissions 11 years before the EU has mandated them. The company has also equipped its new Euro 6-compliant diesel engines with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) emissions control technology. It will implement "zero" electrical energy balance, which reduces the ability of a car to fool type approval tests.
A new testing regime in Europe is set to start in 2017.