Patch your Auto, Save gas!

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Patching your PC to speed up software and hardware isn’t new to any tech-savvy person, but what if you could install a patch on your automobile to make certain parts of it work more efficiently? Well, John Kessels from the University of Eindhoven (the Netherlands) has developed a software update that could do just that, and it could be used on virtually any automobile on the road today. What do you need? A simple linking cable. Interested?

This software update is probably no different than conventional ECU chip modding, but the purely wide range of applications for this “patch” is definitely appealing. After all, Kessels’ test evaluation vehicle was a Ford Mondeo, which he got a 2.6% decrease in fuel consumption on. After a fillup in a 10 gallon Mondeo, you would have saved (at current prices of $2.50 here): Around $0.65 cents a tank. While that doesn’t seem like much, keep in mind, it is a Mondeo. Other vehicles integrating this patch could see much higher increases in efficiency, especially these new-fangled vehicles that use 2 cylinders in the city, or hybrids.

Most of the engineering of this patch occurs by restricting the acceleration of the vehicle in specific areas. Kessels says: “There is only one position of the accelerator that guarantees optimal performance” (Univ. of Eindhoven). This means that while top speed won’t be affected, your ability to get there could be affected. However, the article itself didn’t state where in the transmission this optimal zone lies. Simultaneously, it would add the ability to sense when the car battery is fully charged from driving. I mean, you guys know that your car charges your battery when it drives, right? Well, it could keep from transferring power to the battery when it doesn’t need to, which would free up the engine a bit more. Other little changes like turning off parts of the climate control system and electrical circuits (seat heaters and whatnot) could also boost your car. After checking out Ford’s UK site, the standard-issue Mondeo comes with the seat heater option, so it’s likely most of the changes Kessels and the University anticipate could be in the modification have been formally tested.

While there has been no word on the availibility of the patch, the price of the cable would pay for itself after about 4-6 fillups, and your Starbucks after about 6-8. Not to mention that you get to brag to your friends that you indirectly hacked (h4×3d, for those leet people) your automotive vehicle! Chalk one up for the good guys.

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