EcoMode of Ford Focus to help increase fuel economy

The software application that comes with the Ford Focus can help drivers improve their green driving skills by offering hints through a scoring system. The EcoMode evaluates the driving behaviour by looking into gear shifting, speed, and anticipation.
During internal testings, Ford discovered that good eco-driving skills can boost fuel economy by as much as 24%. Projecting the impact of this, Ford estimates that if Americans will try to have good eco-driving skills and improve their own fuel economy by 15%, there will be a total savings of 22 billion gallons of fuel each year.
Here are some of the basic preachings of driving in EcoMode:
Make use of the highest possible drivable gear
Accelerate and decelarate smoothly
Anticipate the flow of traffic
maintain your speeds constantly
Do not idle excessively
Do not take short trips with your engine cold
The software looks at the parameters for gear shifting and sees if the above behavior patterns are followed. It also checks if the driver adjusts the speed so he or she will not be going heavy on the acceleration or braking. Cruising on open roads to be more efficient is also monitored.
Ford Focus drivers can also review the results and compare it with the optimized driving patters as recommended by the software. During driving, the system gives feedback to the driver on the cluster screen and encourages him or her to earn more leaves for every discipline.
The Focus also has an option Eco-Route which is a map-based navigation system.

Article brought to you by fordcartalk.com