Smartphone App Tracks How Drivers Use Their Cars. Startup company's program helps drivers determine what kind of vehicle works for them.

18 Oct 2010

With all of the advanced hybrid, plug-in hybrid, extended-range electric and electric vehicles, there should be something to help buyers decide which vehicle is right for them. Now there is.

Virtual Vehicle Co., VEVCo. for short, a startup company that grew out of a project at the University of California Berkely, has developed a smartphone app that can monitor their driving habits to see if one of the many forms of electric vehicles coming to market might work for them.

The app, called Virtual Test Drive, tracks the way you drive including distances driven, how quickly you accelerate, as well as terrain. Information is sent securely to VEVc.'s servers, where it automatically creates a driver profile. That profile can help drivers learn to drive more efficiently and decide whether they should buy a pure electric vehicle, extended-range electric or a high-efficiency gasoline vehicle.

VEVCo. says the data it collects will have other uses, as well. Analysts will aggregate the data to show city planners where to build vehicle charging stations.

But the information will also be used for location-based advertising and other marketing. It could also help motorists change their driving habits, reduce fuel usage, improve tollway operations and reduce emissions.

Of course, privacy is a major concern. VEVCo. says it would not use specific information about users. Instead aggregated information will help analysts create maps showing usage patterns.

Virtual Vehicle Co., evolved out of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab at UC-Berkely. It was started by Laura Schewel, a National Science Foundation fellow at the school. Schewel also worked on plug-in vehicle technology at the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

She partnered with Gopal Vaswani, a former UC Berkely graduate student and senior designer at Rediff.com in Mumbai, India, and Daniel M. Kammen, professor of energy at UC Berkely and director of the lab where VEVCo. started. VEVCo. hopes to add more employees soon.

Currently, the app is in beta testing for iPhone. To take part, e-mail beta@vevdrive.com. A commercial version of the app is expected in November.