Boy, sure would like an app to do this - fuel economy app

[Bob Dammit]

Lol, I thought I was doing great with my score of 0.

I like the way it looks in landscape. In my truck, my phone rides in my cup holder though. A semi can be hell on electronics, especially hanging on the windshield in a mount.

 

[Nealius]

running at any speed maxs out the speed, at highway speed letting off to coast maxs out my braking.

 

[iPirate]

running at any speed maxs out the speed, at highway speed letting off to coast maxs out my braking.

It shouldn't give 100% for any speed, if you went over 65mph you should see a lower score.

This makes sense I think... you are braking in the most eco friendly way.

I'm working on a new version that I've been using this weekend and I think it is doing a great job. I think I will try to add a few more features before releasing it but it is getting very close to going on the market IMO.

 

[BobthePhotoGuy]

running at any speed maxs out the speed, at highway speed letting off to coast maxs out my braking.

It shouldn't give 100% for any speed, if you went over 65mph you should see a lower score.

This makes sense I think... you are braking in the most eco friendly way.

I'm working on a new version that I've been using this weekend and I think it is doing a great job. I think I will try to add a few more features before releasing it but it is getting very close to going on the market IMO.

I also get 10 for speed at any speed.

waiting for the update....

I did some beta for a friend on a palm app. We determined that accel should be based on a max of 1G (don't know how to determine with droid).

I also feel the scales are backwards. Low number should represent the most efficiency. Think of higher numbers being more wasteful (representing fuel useage), I think this will make it easier/more intuitive on the user (lower usually means better).

You might want to dissect a few of the acceleration apps (used to determine 1/4 mile times) to help with calibration and formulas.

I'd love to help, but I barely remember programming in basic...

But I will be happy to beta for you.

Bob

 

[iPirate]

I am still working on some additions to the app. Here is a small update...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5961718/BeGreen/BeGreenbeta.2.4.apk

The scoring will stay very close to this for the final version. I will make minor tweaks as needed and work mostly on adding more features.

 

[importune]

And I'm helping design it, so its going to be pretty. B-)

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[cyber3dx]

i am really hoping you will have some sort of historical representation of my ongoing economy so that I can see a trend and change my driving style as I drive.

 

[iPirate]

I am working on that and something even better

And yes! importune is going to make it pretty.

 

[BobthePhotoGuy]

I am working on that and something even better

And yes! importune is going to make it pretty.

It's looking good! Much better response time.

The display still feels backwards to me. Maybe you can make an option to switch the display. One setting can show efficiency and the other fuel usage.

Bob

 

[importune]

Hey guys, if you're interested I just made the app a nice new logo and we've decided on its new, and official, name! EcoMeter!

Here's the logo, and expect the new UI soon!

 

[cyber3dx]

Cool logo!

 

[cyber3dx]

I really like the way color changes indicate current state.

Any of you guys think the term "braking" should be changed to "deceleration"?

The sensitivity is sooo much better with the current iteration.

What are you thinking of charging for this app?

 

[iPirate]

I really like the way color changes indicate current state.

Any of you guys think the term "braking" should be changed to "deceleration"?

The sensitivity is sooo much better with the current iteration.

What are you thinking of charging for this app?

Free version with ads and not all the features, the missing features wont break the app, but they would make it more useful.

Then paid with no ads and all features, not sure on the price.

 

[PolyOlefin]

OP:

First of all, I don't think the "ECO" rating should be taken too seriously. It's probably some formula with an arbitrary unit Garmin invented to help you compare one trip/average to another.

Second, all Jeremy Clarkson did was state the obvious in an elaborate and misleading way. Any automotive engineer will know... hell, any behavioral psychologist will know, average people drive their cars in relatively the same manner regardless of its total horsepower. If anything, those with more horsepower will be tempted to USE more horsepower, exponentially reducing their mileage. In everyday use, a Prius would undoubtedly be the winner here.

That's not to say it's the more environmentally-friendly of the two. But that issue could take up a whole thread of its own...

Moving on. In my best estimation, I don't think accelerometer-based apps are reliable; more toy than tool. A phone's accelerometer is for basic movements and gestures... I have doubts about their ability to discern inertial changes at speed. Different brands might use different sensor manufacturers, too.

Also...

All engines increase in RPM as the speed is increased so this makes your car less efficient. This is also where different car profiles would come in useful. Some cars can get away with good gas mileage at 75mph but others wont.

I understand what you're trying to say, but this is incorrect. Or rather, you over-simplified. Engine speed is not proportional to vehicle speed, and vehicle speed is not proportional to gas mileage. I am not traveling 10mph at 1000rpm and 65mph at 6500rpm; likewise, I might net a higher mileage at highway speed than at town speed. Also, vehicles greatly vary in mileage depending on their coefficient of drag. For some cars, CoD is even more influential to mileage than engine size or speed, or even the cylinder count!

I use a true ODBII trip computer (ScanGaugeII) full-time, and it's quite accurate; I always verify the mileage with a manual check. It wasn't accurate with the default settings but I've tweaked it over the years to be accurate within ~0.1 GPH.

There are many small ECU quirks that are individual to makes and models. For instance, my Honda has a fuel injector voltage cut-off instruction when decelerating with a closed throttle until it reaches 850rpm. In easyspeak, my engine doesn't use any gas at all when decelerating. My ScanGaugeII's accuracy suffered for a long time until they released a software update that made this a modifiable setting. What sort of variables to you plan on using for your app?

I don't know much about programming... I'm wondering if you might get any use out of the ScanGaugeII algorithms. It uses what looks like an Ethernet port for the OBDII cable. If you think a system dump would be useful (and know how to extract it), I'd be happy to help. There is also a wealth of information on sites like CleanMPG.com (databases of vehicle CoDs, etc).

Good luck! We need more car-related apps for Android!

 

[cyber3dx]

PolyOlefin, obviously any app like this (or the Garmin) that is not tied directly into the engine management system computer is not going to be spot on. My Jeep had a very good and accurate mpg computer readout.

However, it does all you can ask of it. It tells you if you are driving in a manner which is conducive to good fuel mileage habits. And if it has a visual historical statistical representation of your driving style, then it does indicate whether or not you are getting the most economy with your driving style changes.

I can already tell that this app has the potential of visually cuing me into and reminding driving in a more economical way. As it becomes even more user friendly it should help even more.