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The biggest influencer of fuel economy is the driver. Low rolling resistance tyres save 3%; auto stop-start can save 5% or more.
The driver, however, can save 20% – and it is this massive potential, greater even than the sum total of every Bluemotion-style pack of eco changes to date, that BMW is seeking to tap into.
The new BMW 1 Series marks the debut of ECO PRO, an interactive function of iDrive that teaches greener driving and rewards for doing so (it’s also coming to the new 3 Series too). We’ve had such systems before – Fiat’s eco:Drive, Ford and Honda’s ‘petals’ and so forth – but BMW’s is the best yet.
More than just an electronic ‘badge’ that are usually an intriguing gimmick for a few weeks but then forgotten, ECO PRO offers tangible benefits that offer the potential for game-changing developments in the future.
It is opt-in: drivers must select ECO PRO from the BMW drive select switch (‘anti-Sport’ as one engineer dubbed it). Doing so does three things:
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Selects bespoke settings within engine ECU
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Optimises electric load
- Displays ECO PRO screen
The electric load saver function is meritorious in itself. No mainstream maker has fitted a function that dials back the electrical consumption of accessories such as electric seats and heated rear window: a bit like the National Grid cutting power delivery to your house.
The interactive element is the snazzy bit. All the time you are consuming less fuel than the car’s combined average, the famed BMW economy gauge (now electronically represented) dives into the blue zone. Blue means you’re saving fuel – and the deeper you can get it in there, the more fuel you’re saving.
There’s more. To make it tangible, an additional readout, also in blue, shows how many miles more you’re getting from the tank. This is the ingenious part: the more you take it steady, the more miles you eek out.
It is reset each time you refuel, so is stored even if you turn the engine off. Thus, a permanent incentive to save fuel and claw the miles back. A savings account that’s in your hands – so if you want a ‘free’ 50-mile’ trip on the weekended, ease off to claw back the miles.
There’s yet more. Don’t get the idea of eco driving? ECO PRO to the rescue – it flashes up tips and hints on the screen as you go, based on an analysis of driving style. It knows that heavy braking is not efficient, nor is going fast, nor is accelerating hard, nor is holding onto gears.
All of this stuff may be obvious to us, but it’s not to all: a few lines of text saying as much, as the driver commits the eco error, will soon give them the idea.
And as it’s all part of the challenge, if they’re engaged by saving fuel, they’ll be keen to take the messages on board.
Is this gamification of saving fuel, with an active feedback loop to provide tuition, the future of saving fuel? The driver is the single biggest key to big, big gains in fuel efficiency: are we to see more onboard games in the future, feeding a real-time PlayStation Network to turn drivers into eco-inspired gamers?
+ BMW 1 Series power meters
+ VW Golf R dials’ cool blue point
+ Diesel drives Peugeot sub-130g/km CO2 win
richardaucock on Google+
I think the reminders are a good idea; however, I’m a little doubtful about how well it will work in normal, daily driving. A 20% bump sounds like wishful thinking. I live in LA where the speed is limited by the heinous traffic, not my right foot. I’ve never found a way to bump my fuel economy in stop and go diving with a badly-timed stop light every 1/4 mile (or less). Getting out of a stalled lane of traffic always necessitates a jab of the right foot.
When I drive on the highway, and it isn’t jammed, you kind of have to go at least the flow of traffic or get blown off the road. There is always the need for darting in and out of traffic and we all know that traffic suddenly grinds to a halt for no reason. I use cruise control when I can, but even in light traffic, I never go more than 10 minutes without having to tap the brakes to deal with other drivers who wouldn’t know a constant speed if they had a digital speedometer embedded in their brain.
The only time I’ve gotten good fuel economy in LA is when I had a rental Prius for a couple weeks. The electric assist at low speeds worked the “magic” there. I supposed I could drive like one of those hyper-miler douche bags, but I don’t like being behind them and I wouldn’t want to be that person. Hell, that’s why I like driving BMWs and Mercedes.
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It’s certainly going to be interesting to assess, Todd. I wonder if the ‘ideal’ economy reminders will still tick you off, even if the ‘real world’ consumption is better as a result? I agree, for example, a quick blast of the throttle is much better than getting stuck in a solid throng of traffic: we know this, but will ECO PRO?
Proof will be in the pudding of a good average figure, of course… I’m more than eager to put it to the test here in the UK, where our varied roads and traffic create a real challenge for overall economy. When | get a press fleet car to test, I’ll update you…