"Tools for a LIFETIME" training

Does $mart Driving Really Work?

•  Milwaukee Hybrid Group training: 10 to 20% actual improvement 

•  City of Milwaukee training: 14% actual improvement in fuel savings 

•  Veolia Water of Milwaukee: 13% actual improvement in fuel savings 

•  EcoDriven in Europe: 5 to 15% average improvement 

•  Auto$mart of Canada: 10 to 20% average improvement 

•  Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District: 20.6% actual improvement 

•  Drive $mart Wisconsin: on-going training 20 to 30%  average improvement 

You’ll learn about the Top Tools of Driving $marter

• Vehicle Set-up 

• Driving Preparation 

•  Trip Planning 

• Start-up 

• Acceleration/Idling 

• Steady State Driving 

• Deceleration 

•  Speed 

• Pro-active Scanning 

• Safety Zone/Parking  

• Monitoring Progress

The goal of this course in $marter Driving through the use of these “Tools For A Lifetime” will give you the skills to:

•  increase fuel savings of 20% or more 

•  lower your vehicle maintenance costs by 10% or more

•   lower carbon dioxide pollution into the air 20%(carbon footprint) 

•  lower potential for accidents by becoming a more aware driver  

"Tools for a Lifetime" can be simple or complex. It could be some free training at a D$W Meet or at a free corporate "Fuel for Thought" brown bag lunch session or an after-church gathering of members. 

Or it could be an entire corporate training program involving all levels of management and that would incorporate short and long term goals.

Either method, simple or complex, will involve some classroom instruction and then have some behind the wheel training as well.

But it will all start with the desire to change.

Most drivers have learned to drive when fuel was cheaper and the knowledge of environmental damage was limited. But we all know these metrics have all changed and yet most still drive the way they were taught.

"Tools for a Lifetime" changes all that. New driving habits are taught to meet the needs of today and tomorrow, all using the HU factor and the most powerful computer ever built...the human brain.

The simple and truthful answer is NO.

For all those who have gone on a diet, tried to quit smoking, promised to exercise more have learned is  that desire and hope is easy but actually doing it is hard. 

Most have been driving the same way for many years and those skills have been "hard wired" into our human computer. Learning a new set of skills will not be like "rebooting",  it's more like rewiring the entire computer system and upgrading it.

Driving $marter can be done, but it'll take desire, knowledge, patience and practice. D$W and all its members will be here to help and support you so you don't feel alone out there. 

D$W believes that the best "tool" to fuel efficiency rests with the HU factor, the driver.  However, drivers needs the best tools to assist them and the ScanGauge is a most essential tool to achieve maximum efficiency and performance. 

The SG will help you monitor your vehicles most vital systems, including battery pack data in PHEV/EV's, and provide instantaneous and real time data to achieve high efficiency. Features more than 15 built in digital gauges, 5 sets of trip data and an easy to use scan tool to read and cancel trouble codes as needed. The SG monitors vehicle data through the OBD2 port and installs in minutes and is transferable from one vehicle to another. 

• Horsepower
• Fuel Consumption Rate to 1/100th per gallon/liter
• Vehicle speed (MPH)
• Fuel Economy
• Cost Per Mile/Cost Per Trip
• Manifold Pressure (not available on some vehicles)
• Battery Voltage
• Engine Load
• Coolant Temperature
• Throttle Position
• Intake Air Temperature
• Ignition Timing
• Engine Speed (RPM)
• O2 Sensor Data
• Fuel Trim
• Hybrid Battery Charge 

Two models of SG's, the Two and the E, are available to any D$W member at a discount price with a lifetime warranty from Linear Logic.

https://www.scangauge.com/

Cold weather has an effect on all vehicles, whether conventional, hybrid, plug-in or electric. Efficiency losses can be from 10-15% or higher based on an individual vehicle and weather conditions.

To mitigate some of the initial effects of cold weather in conventional or hybrid vehicles, an electric block heater is an essential cold weather tool.

Pre-heating of an engine is primarily used to make it easier to start. Added benefits are:

• The cabin heater produces heat sooner for comfort and to de-fog the windshield.
• Reduction of condensation of fuel on cold cylinder walls during start thus
  • saving fuel and reducing exhaust emissions and
  • reducing oil dilution by gasoline scraped into the oil pan by the piston rings.
• The engine reaches operating temperature sooner, so the engine does not run rich as long. This further reduces fuel consumption and emissions.
• Less load on the starter and battery thereby prolonging their service lives.
• Less engine wear as oil circulation is improved.
• Reduces the need for a Remote starter, thereby further saving fuel and emissions.

Combining an EBH with the use of other Drive $mart Winter Driving techniques can help reduce the cold weather effect on fuel efficiency.

 D$W has EBH's for all Toyota Prius HEV's at discount rates and may have them installed locally for a nominal donation to our mechanics.