As an Apple Consultant in Vermont, I travel thousands of miles a month to visit far flung clients in the Northeast. I use my iPhone to listen to podcasts, and sometimes I break out the calculator app to divide the miles I’ve driven since the last fill-up by the gallons I’ve just entered in the tank. And until last month, I didn’t think there was much more my smartphone could do for my car.
Enter Automatic, a hardware link that plugs into your car’s OBD (On-Board Diagnostic) port that automatically connects to an app on your iPhone when you drive. It provides information about fuel economy, driving-style efficiency, vehicle health, and even where you parked. It can even call 911 after a crash.
Automatic resonated with me as a passionate car and computer technology aficionado. Growing up, I would digest car buyer’s guides and pride myself in being able to identify every car on the road. As I grew older, I became more aware of the serious environmental impact of our global desire for personal transportation. While vehicles such as the Tesla Model S represent an ideal future, I think the smartest economic and environmentally conscious decision for most drivers is to prolong the usable life of existing vehicles and drive them as efficiently as possible.
Automatic, I believe, has the possibility to encourage drivers to be better, more efficient users of the technology at their disposal and to do so in such a way that provides a positive user experience. They start shipping in May, so I’d recommend pre-ordering it as soon as possible. Look for a follow-up review this summer after using it for a month.