Driver

Paradoxically, the "driver" portion of the GHG emissions equation holds the potential for substantial emission reductions at minimal cost, but it is often overlooked. Ultimately, drivers decide which vehicles and fuels they will purchase and how those vehicles will be driven. While our major focus is on the vehicles we make, we have also reached out to drivers around the world to promote the practice of "eco-driving." We do this by providing training, information and vehicle technology that helps drivers learn how to drive using the least fuel possible.

Information Technology

The Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid come equipped with Ford's award-winning SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide digital instrument cluster. SmartGauge is designed to coach Ford hybrid owners to maximize fuel efficiency. High-resolution, full-color LCD screens can be configured by the driver to show different levels of information, including fuel and battery power levels, as well as average and instant miles per gallon. The technology gives the customer real-world feedback to make the most of their hybrid, acting as a good "coach" and engaging drivers in real time to help them achieve maximum fuel economy.

In Europe, the Ford EcoMode system that was first presented in the new Focus ECOnetic has been made available in a wider range of vehicles. Like SmartGauge, Ford EcoMode is an all-new driver information system that helps to educate the driver to achieve improved real-world fuel economy. The system will be implemented as an option in more European Ford models in the future.

In early 2010, Ford announced that its new in-vehicle system – MyFord Touch™ – will offer an array of real-time information on fuel-economy performance that can coach drivers to get more miles to the gallon and save on fuel costs. In addition, MyFord Touch's map-based navigation system offers an Eco-Route option that quickly calculates the most fuel-efficient route a driver can take to get from A to B. Ford testing shows that Eco-Route can help achieve fuel economy gains of up to 15 percent. MyFord Touch launches this summer on the 2011 Ford Edge and will be available globally on the 2012 Ford Focus. MyLincoln Touch will be standard equipment on new Lincoln vehicles beginning with the 2011 Lincoln MKX.

Eco-Driving Information and Training

Ford has demonstrated that drivers who practice "eco-driving" can improve their fuel economy by an average of 24 percent. Eco-driving tips are available to the public on Ford's website, and online training is available through the Ford Driving Skills for Life (FDSFL) program. In addition, a web-based eco-driving program has been available to all U.S. salaried Ford employees since 2006.

Ford began work on the eco-driving concept in 2000, when we first offered an eco-driving program through our German dealerships, in partnership with the German Federation of Driving Instructor Associations and the German Road Safety Council. That program trains drivers in conservation-minded driving and vehicle maintenance habits. It uses specially trained and certified instructors to run programs for several target groups, including fleet drivers and customers. By the end of 2009, more than 16,000 German drivers had been "eco-trained" under real-world conditions.

In Asia, Ford launched the FDSFL driver training program in 2008 with a "train-the-trainers" workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, in March. At the workshop, Ford professionals from Germany trained two to three representatives from the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The FDSFL program was customized to address the higher average age of beginner drivers in the region, as well as the unique driving environments within each market. It places equal emphasis on safe driving and eco-driving, as customers in the region are interested in both.

In 2009, we continued with the successful roll-out of the program to additional markets. FDSFL is now in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan and India. During 2009 in these markets, Ford provided training for roughly 11,000 licensed drivers and several thousand Ford India employees.