In a recent study on the habits of European drivers, Fiat found that German drivers tend to accelerate too hard but maintain a steady speed, that British drivers have mastered manual transmissions and that Italians have a difficult time slowing down.
Hardly groundbreaking news, but the study of 5,700 drivers spanning 150 days highlights the type of information that can be obtained from Fiat’s eco:Drive software, which provides drivers with data meant to improve their driving habits.
First offered on 2009 Fiat models in Europe, eco:Drive is free from the Fiat site and can be imported to the car via a built-in U.S.B. input, said Candido Peterlini, a vice president of product innovation at the Fiat Group. Mr. Peterlini said eco:Drive had been downloaded 140,000 times.
He said the eco:Drive system records driver behavior related to acceleration and deceleration, braking, speed and gear changes. It measures that performance against eco-driving ideals, which include early gear changes, maintaining a steady speed, smooth acceleration and efficient deceleration.
Apparently, European drivers fail to reach the ideal, which Fiat said if fully realized across the European Union would save the equivalent of five times the annual production of the world’s biggest oil rig. Top eco-drivers recorded 16 percent fuel savings in the survey, but average savings using the tips was 6 percent.
American drivers will soon have the chance to be rated on eco-driving techniques because the software-based system will be available on the United States version of the Fiat 500, which will roll out in January, said Ariel Gavilan, a Fiat spokesman for North America.
British and German drivers got a “higher index,” Mr. Peterlini said, with the French, Italians and Spanish trailing. “Indeed, there is a difference in northern and southern Europe,” he said.
The Germans won the honors for best traffic system, which Mr. Peterlini defined as including such innovations as timed green lights to allow smooth flow and wide roads to deter tie-ups. In the survey, German drivers recorded an average speed of 21 miles per hour (with six minutes average stop time per day), compared to 19 miles per hour for Spain (with 10 minutes of stop time). According to Fiat, if London drivers could improve their average of 12 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour, it would save 11 percent in carbon dioxide emissions.
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