Gore investment fund backs GreenRoad driving system

A green investment fund backed by Al Gore has ploughed $10m into GreenRoad, the manufacturer behind a green driving system designed to encourage motorists to drive in a safe and fuel-efficient manner.

Gore's 'Generation' green investment fund is the second high-profile backer for the company, which has already attracted investment from Richard Branson's Virgin Green Fund. It said it will now use the additional funding to accelerate the rollout of its driving behaviour systems to firms that operate commercial fleets

The technology combines GPS, an accelerometer and map data to provide feedback to a driver on how efficiently and safely they are driving using a dashboard device that lights up red if they are braking or cornering too sharply. The device also records a log of driving manoeuvers throughout the day, allowing fleet managers to assess how individuals are driving.

The firm says a typical fleet operator sees up to a 50 per cent reduction in crash costs and up to a 10 per cent cut in fuel consumption within the first year.

The dashboard component is directly connected to a password-protected web interface, where drivers and their managers can access real-time reports on driving performance, recommendations for improving safety measures or fuel efficiency, and tools to calculate risk on a vehicle or fleet-wide level.

Currently, GreenRoad has 80 fleet customers, some with as many as 20,000 active vehicles. Each of these clients pays $1,000 per car equipped with the GreenRoad system.

Steve Hellifield, managing director of logistics at Amey, which provides car fleets to public and private sector organisations, told a CBI conference today that a similar telemetry solution had reduced fleet emissions by almost 10 per cent.