Results showed that drivers using navigation devices use up to 12 percent less fuel than those without a GPS (measured in liters of fuel consumed per 100 kilometers) and have also reduced the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions by 24 percent.
The study evaluated three group of drivers from two metropolitan areas of Germany (Dusseldorf and Munich): those with navigation system, those without navigation system and those with navigation system that included traffic. None of them used GPS before.
The drivers had their vehicles previously equipped with a logging system in order to track the route they drove and their driving speed. The results showed more than 2,100 individual trips, more than 20,000 kilometers and almost 500 hours on the road.
Analyzing the results, they yielded an alomost 2,500 kilometer decrease per driver, about 416 euros as an average saving on fuel and 1.19 million tires to be saved from disposal.
According to the study report, other benefits were revealed as well:
- Reductions in trip times and distance driven increased over time.
- The addition of traffic information further reduced trip times and distance driven.
- Greater reductions were seen during non-routine trips.
“With the robust methodology behind this study, we have confidence that these results are representative of a trend that globally has often been implied, but not previously proven in the realm of everyday use. Consumers can enjoy the advantages of navigation not only in relation to a more positive driving experience, but also in terms of the highly positive impact it can have on the environment,” says Judson Green, president and chief executive officer, NAVTEQ.
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