Press

Please find our latest press releases below. If you want any other information or media resources like screenshots please contact us.

Reducing maximum speed to 60 MPH reduces fuel consumption by 10%, but only adds 2 minutes to journey time

June 27th 2012, London, UK – DriveGain, the company that produces the iPhone application that helps you save fuel as you drive, has analysed the 10,000 journeys uploaded to the DriveGain web portal over the last 9 months.

"We found that limiting your maximum speed to 60 MPH reduces your fuel consumption by 10%," said Simon East, CEO of DriveGain, "but that this only adds 2 minutes to the average journey time".

"We find drivers tend to over-estimate how much quicker they will arrive when driving faster", he added. "Unless the roads are totally clear, other traffic on your route will tend to slow you down considerably. Drivers are wasting a lot of fuel for very little difference in their arrival time".

When driving at higher speeds drivers tend to accelerate until they catch up with traffic ahead, at which point they brake to slow down, and this constant acceleration and braking cycle uses much more fuel than travelling at a constant speed.

Even reducing the maximum journey speed to 70 MPH has real benefits: fuel consumption is reduced by 6% but journeys only take a minute longer on average.

A summary of the results is included below, or you can read the full results in our Fuel Consumption vs Arrival Time white paper (PDF).

The table below summarises DriveGain’s findings on the effects of restricting journeys to sets of speeds in MPH:

The DriveGain application uses the iPhone’s GPS to calculate how efficiently the vehicle is being driven. Combining information about the rates of acceleration, driving smoothness, and overall speed with the exact specifications of your car, DriveGain gives the driver feedback on how they can reduce the amount of fuel they are using.

The basic version of the app is available for free, offering a MPG reading and a Journey Score out of 100 for each trip. Additional displays like the Cost Meter and Fuel Savings Meter can be purchased as add-ons. For example the Fuel Savings Meter this driver was using cost just £1.49.

DriveGain can be downloaded from Apple’s App store here: http://itunes.com/apps/drivegain

How DriveGain analyses journey data

For each journey the DriveGain app records the actual fuel used and the journey duration. In addition it also simulates of how much fuel would have been used, and the resulting journey time, had the driver limited their maximum speed to a set of MPH and km/h values. This journey data is uploaded to the web server (for users who enable this) where it can be analysed.

DriveGain analysis using restricted speeds in km/h

For countries that use metric speeds we repeated the process above with a set of speeds in km/h:

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Editors Notes

A spreadsheet showing all the figures and assumptions for these calculations is attached. Figures for 80 MPH and 140 km/h are included in the spreadsheet but we have not put these into the press release as we felt the number of journeys at these speeds was not large enough to be representative.

About DriveGain (www.drivegain.com)

DriveGain is an iPhone application that helps you save fuel as you drive. It gives users audio and visual feedback on how they can drive more efficiently. The DriveGain website allows drivers to monitor their progress and compete with their friends and colleagues. DriveGain also produces white label versions of the application and launched the first of these (www.fueless.nl) for the Dutch government in September 2011. DriveGain is a privately held company based in London in the UK. The company was founded by Simon East and Dr. Phil Dixon in December 2008. You can follow DriveGain on twitter as @DriveGain.

DriveGain iPhone App Saves User £560 A Year On Fuel

Dutch driver cuts his fuel use by 24% using the DriveGain App

May 15th 2012, London, UK – DriveGain, an iPhone application that helps you save fuel as you drive, is saving one Dutch user £560 a year in fuel. Ed de Tollenaer started using the DriveGain app in April 2012 and since then has seen is fuel consumption fall by 24%.

"Before I started using DriveGain I was getting around 370 miles from each tank of fuel," said Ed de Tollenaer, "but after using the application I am getting 490 miles from each tank".

"To get these savings I just followed the audio feedback and the visual displays the app gave me", he added. "Changing your driving style requires breaking some old driving habits so having the app constantly giving me encouraging feedback helps a lot".

At US fuel prices Ed would save $540 a year. In Europe the savings would be around €640 a year.

DriveGain uses the iPhone’s GPS to calculate how efficiently the vehicle is being driven. Combining information about the rates of acceleration, driving smoothness, and overall speed with the exact specifications of your car, DriveGain gives the driver feedback on how they can reduce the amount of fuel they are using.

The basic version of the app is available for free, offering a MPG reading and a Journey Score out of 100 for each trip. Additional displays like the Cost Meter and Fuel Savings Meter can be purchased as add-ons. For example the Fuel Savings Meter this driver was using cost just £1.49.

"The £560 a year savings that Ed has been able to get by using the DriveGain application show that the money that can be saved by changing your driving style can be significant," said Simon East, CEO of DriveGain.

"Over the last 20 years the cost of fuel has tripled. In the current recession DriveGain is an important money saving tool for motorists who want to reduce the cost of driving."

DriveGain can be downloaded from Apple’s App store here: http://itunes.com/apps/drivegain

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Editors Notes

The Dutch driver was in fact using the white label version of DriveGain that was launched in the Netherlands in 2011 (www.fueless.nl) but this is exactly the same as the DriveGain application.

The £560 yearly savings have been calculated by applying Ed’s fuel savings to the current UK fuel price. At Netherlands fuel prices Ed will save €720 a year.

About DriveGain (www.drivegain.com)

DriveGain is an iPhone application that helps you save fuel as you drive. It gives users audio and visual feedback on how they can drive more efficiently. The DriveGain website allows drivers to monitor their progress and compete with their friends and colleagues. DriveGain also produces white label versions of the application and launched the first of these (www.fueless.nl) for the Dutch government in September 2011. DriveGain is a privately held company based in London in the UK. The company was founded by Simon East and Dr. Phil Dixon in December 2008. You can follow DriveGain on twitter as @DriveGain.

New iPhone application to help Dutch drivers save fuel

DriveGain and Ecofys launch "Fueless" application

Rotterdam, 27 September 2011 - DriveGain and Ecofys have today launched the new iPhone application "Fueless" at the ecomobiel trade fair in Rotterdam. The application helps Dutch drivers save fuel while driving and is available to download now, in English and Dutch, for free from the Dutch iPhone AppStore.

The application gives users audio and visual feedback on how they can increase their fuel savings as they drive with drivers being able to save 180 Euros per year on average. The Fueless website (www.fueless.nl) allows drivers to monitor their progress and compete with their friends and colleagues. Fueless is part of "Het Nieuwe Rijden", a programme run by the Institute for Sustainable Mobility (IvDM), aiming to reduce CO2 emissions.

"Learning the new skills to reduce your fuel consumption can be quite difficult," says Simon East, CEO of DriveGain, "but with the Fueless application we help drivers learn how to save fuel by giving them positive feedback as they drive".

"Fueless clearly contributes to our goal to reduce one Mton of CO2 in three years," says Paul Hoffschult, programme manager of Het Nieuwe Rijden, "and because the application is connected to the internet, we can easily monitor the effects and gain new insights".

The Fueless application will be demonstrated on the HNR stand at the ecomobiel trade fair at Ahoy Rotterdam on 27 and 28 September.

DriveGain research shows that, by making changes to their driving behaviour, drivers can reduce their average fuel consumption by thirteen percent. This equates to average savings of 180 Euros per year.

Ecofys is also confident about the expected fuel savings. "From our experience with the Greendriver Challenge we know a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption is achievable by just changing your driving style", says Jasper Deman, consultant at Ecofys, "and with Fueless it becomes a competition to maximize your fuel savings every day you drive".

DriveGain and Ecofys worked together to develop DriveGain's fuel saving software and produce a fully branded "Het Nieuwe Rijden" product. Fueless works with any standard petrol or diesel car with an automatic or manual transmission. Apart from the iPhone, no other hardware is needed. Both individuals and organisations can directly benefit from using Fueless.

About Het Nieuwe Rijden (www.hetnieuwerijden.nl)

'Het Nieuwe Rijden' is a programme of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, conducted by the 'Institute for Sustainable Mobility'. 'Het Nieuwe Rijden' supports initiatives which lead to a tangible reduction in CO2 emissions. Initiatives that are only indirectly related to driving, but result in a reduction of CO2 emissions, may also qualify. For example, 'Het Nieuwe Rijden' dedicates attention to training, transport telematics, smart use of alternative and / or public transportation and communication about these issues.

Het Nieuwe Rijden | takes you further.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Hoffschult
Instituut voor Duurzame Mobiliteit
T: +31 (0)30 608 77 99
E: info@ivdm.nl

About DriveGain (www.drivegain.com)

DriveGain produces an iPhone application that helps you save fuel as you drive by giving users audio and visual feedback on how they can increase their fuel savings. The DriveGain website allows drivers to monitor their progress and compete with their friends and colleagues. DriveGain also licenses their core fuel saving technology to third parties. DriveGain is a privately held company based in Amersham in the UK. The company was founded by Simon East and Dr. Phil Dixon in December 2008.

You can follow DriveGain on twitter as @DriveGain.

For more information, please contact: Simon East
DriveGain Limited
T: +44 (0)113 815 2255
E: press@drivegain.com

About Ecofys (www.ecofys.com)

Established in 1984 with the vision of achieving "sustainable energy for everyone", Ecofys has become the leading expert in renewable energy, energy and carbon efficiency, energy systems and markets as well as energy and climate policies. The unique synergy between those areas of expertise is the key to its success. Ecofys creates smart, effective, practical and sustainable solutions for and with public and corporate clients all over the world. With offices in the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, China and the US Ecofys employs over 250 experts dedicated to solving energy and climate challenges.

More about the Greendriver Challenge: www.greendriverchallenge.nl

For more information please contact:
Mariëat;lle Vosbeek
Marketing & Communication Manager Ecofys
T: +31 (0)30 662-3402
E: press@ecofys.com

DriveGain iPhone Application Adds Support For Automatic Cars

Allows many more people world-wide to save fuel as they drive

November 18th 2010, Amersham, UK - DriveGain, the company that helps you save fuel, today launches V1.1 of its DriveGain iPhone application. The main new feature of this release is that the application now works with automatic cars.

"Given the vast majority of cars in the US and Asia are automatics, many more people can now use our fuel saving iPhone application," said Simon East, CEO of DriveGain.

The application gives users visual and audio feedback on what changes they can make to their driving style to help them save more fuel.

Saving fuel not only saves users money, it also reduces the amount of CO2 they emit and allows them to travel further before needing to refuel.

DriveGain research shows that, by making changes to driving behaviour, average fuel economy can be improved by 15%. The DriveGain application trains the driver to make these changes. This level of improvement gives the following savings:

DriveGain works with any petrol (gasoline) or diesel car with an automatic or manual (stick-shift) transmission.

The application is available on the Apple AppStore now with the following pricing: UK £3.99 , US $6.99 , Europe €5.49

Based on this the application will pay for itself, for an average driver, within two weeks of use.

DriveGain Launches free CarEconomy iPhone Application

Application shows your fuel economy as you drive

September 17th 2010, Amersham, UK - DriveGain, the company that helps you save fuel, today launches its second product: a free iPhone application called CarEconomy that shows your average fuel economy as you drive.

The application can display the fuel economy reading in MPG (US or UK gallons), l/100km, l/100miles or km/l.

Unlike existing fuel economy apps, which require the user to type in mileages and how much fuel they have put into their car when they fill up, CarEconomy does not require any user input. You just select your vehicle and then drive.

"Many cars in the US, and smaller cars in Europe, do not have a fuel economy meter as standard," said Simon East, CEO of DriveGain, "Our free CarEconomy application allows users driving these cars to know what kind of fuel economy they are getting."

CarEconomy works with any petrol (gasoline) or diesel car with a manual (stick-shift) transmission. Support for cars with automatic transmissions will be added shortly.

DriveGain runs on the following devices:

• iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4
• iPod Touch (with a GPS Car Kit)
• iPad (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

The application is available on the Apple AppStore now and is free to download.

Optional Upgrades

Users can upgrade the CarEconomy application to add two extra features:

• An instantaneous fuel economy meter that shows (in MPG, l/100km, l/100miles or km/l) how much fuel you are using at any given moment.
• iPod music controls that allow you to control music playback from within the application.

Really Green Driving and DriveGain partner for the Bridgestone Eco-Rally

DriveGain iPhone application will help maximise fuel economy

July 6th 2010, Amersham, UK - Really Green Driving is partnering with DriveGain for the Bridgestone Eco-Rally taking place tomorrow. Really Green Driving founder Lizzie Whyte will be driving from Brighton to London in the Rally, using the DriveGain iPhone application to help her save the maximum amount of fuel.

Really Green Driving is a franchised eco-friendly driving school. Existing franchisees operate out of Wycombe and Aylesbury with a third due to start in Leighton Buzzard in early September.

DriveGain is an iPhone application gives drivers visual and audio feedback on what changes they can make to their driving style to help them save more fuel.

Drivers can expect average fuel savings of £170 per year when using the eco driving techniques taught by Really Green Driving instructors and the DriveGain application.

"We are excited to be partnering with Really Green Driving on the Bridgestone Eco-Rally," said Simon East, CEO of DriveGain, "The DriveGain application will supplement Lizzie's eco driving skills by give her extra feedback on how she can maximise her fuel economy."

"The DriveGain application allows me to see exactly how well I am eco driving for a fraction of the cost of the other fuel economy feedback systems we have been evaluating," said Lizzie Whyte, Managing Director of Really Green Driving.

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About Really Green Driving

Really Green Driving is an eco-friendly driving school which helps people learn to drive in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Following the DSA syllabus Really Green Driving teaches people of all ages to drive including confidence building lessons, Pass Plus, motorway and green driving lessons.

Really Green Driving was founded by Lizzie Whyte, is currently based in Stokenchurch and is expanding over the UK through franchising.

The website is www.reallygreendriving.com

DriveGain Launches Fuel Saving iPhone Application

Saves an average driver around £170 / $205 / €175 per year in fuel

June 30th 2010, Amersham, UK - DriveGain, the company that helps you save fuel, today launches its first product: an iPhone application that helps you save fuel as you drive.

The application gives them visual and audio feedback on what changes they can make to their driving style to help them save more fuel.

Saving fuel not only saves users money, it also reduces the amount of CO2 they emit and allows them to travel further before needing to refuel.

DriveGain research shows that, by making changes to driving behaviour, average fuel economy can be improved by 15%. The DriveGain application trains the driver to make these changes. This level of improvement gives the following savings:

"Fuel prices worldwide have risen rapidly over the last year and the cost of motoring is now a real issue for many people," said Simon East, CEO of DriveGain, "For a relatively small outlay the DriveGain application can help drivers save a substantial amount of money each year - and the application will typically pay for itself within two weeks of driving."

DriveGain works with any petrol (gasoline) or diesel car with a manual (stick-shift) transmission. The application has a database of over 8,400 European and 8,500 North American cars to choose from. Support for cars with automatic transmissions will be added shortly.

DriveGain runs on the following devices: iPhone 3G and 3GS, iPod Touch (with a GPS Car Kit) and iPad (Wi-Fi + 3G model).

The application is available on the Apple AppStore now with the following pricing: UK £3.99 , US $6.99 , Europe €5.49

Audio feedback

The application provides detailed audio feedback on the user's driving:

• Verbal feedback on what they are doing correctly and areas where they can improve their driving style - for example: "Your cruising speed was good", "Try reducing your acceleration"
• Verbal feedback and ping to indicate they should be in top gear - "You should now be in 5th gear"

The audio feedback has been carefully designed not to annoy the driver. Users can choose between US and UK English voices.

Visual feedback

• Current recommended gear
• Level of acceleration or braking - with the effect this has on fuel consumption
• The current speed - with the effect this has on fuel consumption
• The current driving smoothness score
• Average fuel economy reading (in MPG, l/100km etc) - this can be switched to show average cost per distance, average CO2 output, total cost, total CO2, total fuel used, and total distance
• Instantaneous Fuel Use meter (in MPG, l/100km etc) - this can be switched to show cost per distance (e.g. p/mile) or CO2 output (g / km)

Other features

• Fuel prices are kept up to date with updates downloaded once a week from the DriveGain server
• Summary screen showing all averages and totals to date
• Easy access to iPod controls to allow playing of music while the user drives
• Eco Driving tips and hints