Forget 'Tom-Tom'! The navigation systems coming down the pipe will do more than get you to the correct destination; they will also soon help you conserve fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A satnav system, at the Lund Institute of Technology, has been developed to give motorists the most efficient route.

"The team assigned fuel consumption factors for three types of car on 22 streets in a satnav's digital map database. These were based on the street's class - which took account of information such as its width and speed limit - and typical traffic flows in both peak and off-peak hours."

Results of the test showed fuel savings of about 8%. Reaserchers admit, however, that such technology still has a long way to go. "Commercialising such a system will be no easy task", says Liévin Quoidbach at Navteq, a supplier of digital satnav maps based in Zaventem, Belgium. "Making the measurements to give every street in the world a fuel consumption factor will be too expensive," he says.

Still, the article points out that enough volunteers with 'probe' cars driving around the world could easily build a database that would help reduce fuel consumption in some of the more populated place on Earth. If anything, it's a very positive step towards making our world more efficient–and getting you home in time for dinner.

Source: NewScientist