Posted by: Jane Douglas

The Econav 435 by Vexia will launch in the UK later this month.

According to its makers at sat-nav specialist Vexia, it is “the first ecological GPS in the world”: a sat-nav that aims to reduce a driver’s fuel consumption (and hence emissions) by advising them, in real time, how to drive more economically.

We recently spoke to David Elder, UK Country Manager for the device, who describes the Econav’s intention to “bolt on to a standard sat-nav system something to make you drive more efficiently”.

It does so by piping in with audio prompts recommending the best gear for your speed and warning about excessive braking. The rest of the time it’s a regular turn-by-turn GPS gizmo – but it can’t do both at the same time.

“85% of journeys are to somewhere you know",” says Elder. “You’ve got no need for guidance.”

So the Econav, he says, isn’t designed to give the driver eco-friendly tips and directions at once.

This amounts to a choice between an eco view (on the right of the picture above), a navigation view (a traditional turn-by-turn sat-nav screen) and an eco-map view (on the left of the picture), which combines eco-driving info with a live map view – so you can see where you are, at least.

In Spain, the Econav’s only market to date, the 16,000 users of the device have saved an average of 15% on fuel, says Elder. This rises to 25-30% on “gas-guzzling” cars. If the owner of such a car cared to drop £170 on an Econav (and used it diligently), it might pay for itself in under a year.