Mobile app decides if an EV is right for you
July 25, 2011 | Length: 00:02:41
Should your next car be all electric? Or how about a plug-in hybrid instead? Virtual Vehicle Company Chief Scientist Laura Schewel has developed a mobile app that might make your decision easier. Here's how it works. The app monitors your driving habits for 30 days using the GPS in your smartphone, then analyzes the data patterns. It will then tell you what type of car is the smartest choice based on your needs.
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Transcript
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>>By 2020 analysts predict 10% to 13% of all cars sold will be electric. From the Nissan Leaf to the Chevy Volt, consumers will soon have many to choose from. But is buying one right for you and is now the right time?
>>Your car is your second most expensive purchase you'll make in your entire life for most Americans. And so it's a huge risk to invest in something that's new and different.
>>Lori Schewel is the founder of Virtual Vehicle Company. She's developed a mobile app that might make your decision easier.
>>I wanted a better way to explain electric cars to intelligent people who are thinking about getting one. You know if your main concern is money we can show you how the numbers play out. If your main concern is carbon or fuel and petroleum use, we can show you how those numbers play out.
>>Here's how it works, the mobile app monitors your driving habits for 30 days. Using the GPS on the phone the tool collects data and starts analyzing patterns. For example, how many miles does it take you to get to work and back? Where do you go on the weekends? Then the app takes the data and presents it to the user. It compares cost savings and range issues and breaks down vehicles by type.
>>So what we create is what we call your driving DNA, which is a profile of the energy you use when you drive.
>>While still in private beta, Lori has been testing the mobile app with colleagues to see how it performs.
>>I usually drive mostly for trips on the weekend, going to do outdoorsy things.
>>Jameel Farbs phonetic drives a Toyota Camry but is thinking about trading it in for an all electric vehicle. But after using the app for a month he's made the decision that going all electric wasn't right for him.
>>I'm sort of worried about with an electric vehicle, pretty much all the time around town the electric vehicle would work but taking off on these long weekend excursions, electric won't work.
>>Perhaps it's not a surprise that an all electric car won't work for Farbs. Charging stations are still few and far between. Instead the data showed that a plug-in Hybrid was the best option, a car like the Chevy Volt that runs on electric but also has gas power for backup. Schewel claims to have the app available this summer, right in time for the background noise roll out of electric vehicles.
>>The moment when an American buys a new vehicle is the most impactful moment to change their carbon footprint.
>>For SmartPlanet, I'm Simmy Doss. phonetic
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==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====