According to CEO of Automatic Thejo Kote, “your car is the most expensive computer you own,” so why settle for a pretty uninformative, dumb trip computer? Well, predictably, there’s an app for that.
Automatic plans to launch an app and hardware combo this May to smarten up your car, giving you a comprehensive review of every car journey you take.
The combination includes hardware that attaches to your car’s OBD-II Data Link Connector and tracks every move while driving, accessing fuel, mileage and engine information, before alerting your phone via Bluetooth.
The app is where the interesting stuff comes on though, it uses information from the hardware to figure out exact mileage and fuel pricing, all while tracking your location using GPS and Google Maps. Incredibly, when you stop for gas, the system will detect which station you’re at, find fuel prices for that location, and calculates the price of your pit stop.
There’s tons more than that though, as the app will also stop your bad driving habits by making noise when you brake too hard, as well as building a fuel efficiency score, helping you save money by avoiding accelerating too quickly, hard braking and speeding.
The app will even let you turn your check engine light off without a mechanic, meaning you can lure your passengers into a false sense of security. Pretty neat, huh?
The combination of app and hardware will set you back $69.95, so it’s pretty pricey, but it should help you save money in the long run, so it’s a small price to pay.
