Maximizing Your BMW’s Fuel Efficiency with Smart Technology

The lion’s share of the transport industry’s focus these days is minimizing the cost of fuel and environmental impact. It’s a goal shared by every industry. In an era of technology, innovations such as BMW’s Predictive Power Management system leverage the car’s navigation system to ensure fuel economy. Such systems select the optimal gear based on the road conditions.

So unlike in the past, drivers and fleet managers can now greatly benefit from innovative solutions that optimize fuel efficiency. We look at some of the technology that can help you maximize fuel efficiency.

Why Maximising Fuel Efficiency with Smart Technology Matters

Why does it matter to save petrol?

This is one of the common questions fleet managers and vehicle owners ask themselves or come across.

But the answer is in the ever-mounting fuel prices! Every business looks to reduce its costs of operation, and lately, reducing carbon emissions has become as important.

Keeping your engine well-tuned, checking your tire pressure, and driving moderately are commonly peddled tips to maximize fuel efficiency. But now, smart technology like BMW’s Predictive Power Management system makes it easier to achieve the same goal more efficiently.

Predictive Maintenance

Most drivers are often caught off-guard by a part that needs replacement.

For example, when was the last time your engine was thoroughly checked? Waiting until something happens is often counterproductive and can be risky.

Take for example the brake pads. Would you wait until you hear brake noise to visit your mechanic? What if there are numerous vehicles under a single fleet?

Keeping up with all the maintenance needs and records of every vehicle in the fleet often requires monotonous documentation and man hours. But you don’t have to!

A powerful tool like predictive maintenance comes in handy for fleet managers to proactively maintain assets and keep them operating at peak efficiency.

That means fleet managers can utilize historical data to identify and receive alerts about vehicles and equipment that require maintenance, well before issues arise. These digitized systems automate maintenance routines and provide custom schedules and real-time access to equipment diagnostics and inspection reports.

Often, drivers will overlook certain things like wheel misalignment and faulty spark plugs. While these may seem like minor issues, they increase resistance which potentially eats up on fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

Using smart technology has cost savings that go beyond fuel efficiency.

For example, when you use smart tech, it reduces the manual labor associated with paper-based processes, and this has a positive impact on cost reduction. Think of all the paper you’ll be ticking the boxes for every maintenance item.

Route Optimization

Of course, you can use different routes to get to the same place, but that doesn’t mean you make the same fuel savings.

Your route choice determines how much fuel savings you make.

BMW’s Predictive Power Management system can work best with other smart technology for route optimization. This optimizes fuel efficiency by finding the best routes to travel based on traffic, weather, distance, and delivery time.

Some of the street wisdom like tailgating a truck to reduce wind resistance and save on fuel is quite common. Such driving behaviors are not only usually unsafe, but also don’t leverage fuel-saving factors like gear optimization.

But with route optimization, transport managers can use AI, GPS, and real-time data to plan and adjust the routes based on efficiency. Are there accidents and road closures ahead? The managers can act in real time to avoid delays and losses.

Smart In-Cabin Tech

Smart Dashcams is one such way through which fleet managers can control the driver-caused fuel inefficiencies.

These cutting-edge solutions offer insight to drive metrics and identify opportunities for driver training and improvement. It even goes so far as to have a camera that can issue real-time alerts as inefficient driving habits occur.

Some of these smart in-cabin systems come with built-in scorecards and coaching facilities to encourage the long-term development of fuel-efficient driving practices.

You’ll find some links to a live dashboard where fleet and individual driver metrics are reflected, hence providing total visibility into the performance of the same. So, drivers can see clearly where they stand in relation to colleagues, and see opportunities for improvement.

Smart Dashcams also inform drivers about significant changes to their metrics and provide personalized tips and feedback. This means drivers can set measurable targets and improve their driving habits and fuel efficiency over time.

The GPS technology, in a nutshell, is used to get the live location of the vehicle, tracking its speed, and driving behaviour.

One of the key benefits GPS tracking delivers is monitoring driving patterns. The devices can, however, trace instances of harsh acceleration, trace instances of driving at excessive speed, and idling instances, which, in turn, consumes more fuel.

Another in-vehicle monitoring system, similar to the latter, is the fleet management tool that involves monitoring and vehicle-to-fleet manager communication to track such information and to establish driving efficiency.

A huge reduction in fuel consumption can be reaped if these inefficient driving behaviors are noted and corrected by any driver or fleet manager. It has been found that by using eco-driving techniques, fuel efficiency can be increased by up to 25%, which further reduces costs along with the emission of carbon dioxide.

Environmental Benefits of GPS Trackers

Fuel savings with GPS trackers, therefore, have a direct impact on lowering greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing the environmental footprint of any vehicle. The GPS trackers encourage more eco-friendly driving habits and ensure better usage of the vehicle to make transportation a cleaner and more sustainable ecosystem.

In this manner, less fuel burned per mile would then mean a smaller amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that for each gallon of gasoline consumed, the amount of CO2 produced is around 8,887 grams.

Reduced fuel consumption through the use of GPS trackers translates to a great reduction in the carbon footprint of companies and individuals, adding to the health of the environment.