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CAMBRIDGE (WBZNewsRadio) - Gas prices may no longer be as high as they were earlier this summer, but a Cambridge-based company is doing their part to ease the pain at the pump.
Cambridge Mobile Telematics created the "FuelStar" app, which uses smartphone sensors and location data to track the way a person drives, then alerts the driver how their driving habits impact fuel usage in real-time. Driving patterns such as rapid acceleration, speeding and hard braking can all contribute to using more gas.
"The way that you drive influences significantly how much you end up spending on gas." Rafi Finegold with Cambridge Mobile Telematics told WBZ's Suzanne Sausville. "You see people on the freeway, they zoom ahead, and then they slam on the breaks and then they zoom ahead. Every time you do that, you're just burning a ton of gas."
On the company website, Cambridge Mobile Telematics said reducing your speed by just 10 mph can reduce fuel consumption by up to 14 percent. For example, at $5 a gallon, that's saving about $.70 per gallon of gas, which is more than if you were to say, hunt for cheaper gas prices.
The app is free and believe it or not has no ads and no in-app purchases. The company said user data will not be shared with any third parties.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports
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