In the time it takes you to read this sentence, 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be emitted into the world’s atmosphere. The United States alone will have emitted over 1,000 times that amount by the end of this year. And 33% of that whopping 5.5 million tonnes is due to the combustion of fossil fuels for transportation. Our dependence on crude oil for transportation is also taking a toll. In 2007, world consumption of crude oil totaled approximately 3.6 billion gallons per day. If we maintain current rates of consumption, we will be dangerously close to exhausting the world’s supply by 2050. Despite a variety of alternative fuel options, from the ubiquitous Toyota Prius to the obscure ZENN Zero-Emission No Noise electric vehicle (EV), internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicles continue to dominate the automotive landscape.
The Team Naked Green Vision
The team was tasked with advancing the personal adoption of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). What we found during our exploration of the problem, however, was that people just aren’t ready to buy AFVs, due to concerns about the technology and infrastructure support, higher cost, limited selection or lack of need for a new vehicle. But people do want to reduce their impact on the environment – it’s just that buying an AFV right now isn’t the way they want to do it. So, the team decided to shift the focus of our product to help today’s ICE vehicle owners – tomorrow’s AFV buyers. Our vision was to change current mindsets about driving by creating a community of like-minded individuals that are collectively empowered and motivated to reduce their impact on the environment.
The Naked Green Eco-Drive (ED) Device
The Eco-Drive (ED) device combines a tangible, in-car product with online social media as a fun and motivational way for people to change their driving habits, and see the kind of impact they are having on the environment. The in-car component plugs into the On-Board Diagnostics II (OBD II) port to collect data such as mass air flow (MAF). This data is translated into miles per gallon (MPG) and carbon footprint, which are shown via an LCD screen to the driver as \feedback” about his driving, and sent wirelessly via a global system for mobile (GSM) modem to the Naked Green website. The website allows ED users to share and compare their MPG and carbon footprint trends and to learn about their vehicle’s error codes and maintenance. Most importantly, the website connects ED users and empowers them to collectively reduce their impact on the environment.
