In March 2008, Denver launched a pilot test of Driving Change, an Internet-based vehicular greenhouse gas tracking system.
The program found that from May through November 2008, the city and county of Denver reduced vehicle idling by more than 35 percent among participating vehicles – equivalent to reducing a little less than one pound of CO2 per vehicle for every hour of operation.
Drive Change uses telemetry technology to send vehicle operating information over the Internet to a GHG management system. The system then provides drivers with details of their CO2 emissions and a breakdown of driving habits that cause excess carbon emissions, including idling and aggressive driving events. Most importantly, the system tells them how much money they have wasted from the unnecessary fuel consumption.
During the same period, there was a 10 percent overall driving improvement in participating vehicles in Denver, including reductions in engine idling, fast accelerations and fast stops.
The GHG management system was provided by Enviance and the telemetry was provided by Cartasite. EnCana Oil & Gas underwrote the program.
