Today sees the début of the new version of the eco:Drive software dedicated to Natural Power CNG-petrol dual fuel vehicles. The software, developed in conjunction with Eni, is designed to allow users of Fiat Natural Power vehicles fitted with Blue&Me to quantify the environmental and economic benefits of using compressed natural gas (CNG).

In detail, the application will feature a section dedicated to analysing the travel details of journeys made when running on CNG: the mileage covered, the quantity of CNG used, the cost of the journey. All consumption data will be compared to that of an identical journey made running on petrol, to provide an objective and clear view of the benefits afforded.

Free of charge and easy to use, eco:Drive will also be available for all Natural Power cars and commercial vehicles fitted with the Blue&Me infotainment system. This new version of eco:Drive, which can be downloaded from www.fiat.com/ecoDrive, will complete a broad range of applications on Fiat cars (500, 500C, Grande Punto, Punto Evo, Bravo, Croma, Qubo, New Doblò) and Fiat Professional commercial vehicles (Grande Punto Van, Punto Evo Van and Fiorino).

Based as it is on a user-friendly, efficient and sustainable idea, eco:Drive has been an immediate hit, as borne out by the 100,000 copies of the system which have been downloaded to date since its launch. However, the most significant figure is that, every day, more than 35,000 drivers use it and a good 7 million journeys have been logged and analysed on the dedicated website. Taking into account the commitment of the drivers who have joined eco:Ville, the online community of all Fiat "eco-drivers", it is possible to gauge an overall saving of approximately 2,700 tonnes of CO2. In addition, Fiat recently presented eco:Drive Fleet, the version of eco:Drive dedicated to fleets that manages car fleets more effectively to benefit both the ecosystem and business, with great ease-of-use. The innovative system immediately won over major companies, as demonstrated by “Coca-Cola HBC Greece” who decided to add a selection of vehicles fitted with eco:Drive to its fleet.

Last year eco:Drive also won numerous international awards, including “Best Digital Technology” (Guardian Innovation Award 2009), “Best Use of Innovative Technology” (Clio Awards 2009), “European Product Innovation Award” (Frost&Sullivan 2009), “Green Champion” (International Green Apple Awards 2009) and "Cyber Lions - Grand Prix" at the Cannes Advertising Festival 2009.

The eco:Drive application uses the Blue&Me interface – the most widespread on-board infotainment platform in Europe, with over a million units installed – a result of the partnership between Fiat Group and Microsoft. In detail, eco:Drive receives parameters related to fuel consumption from the engine control unit through Blue&Me. The data recorded can be transferred onto PCs with a USB memory device, and processed by the special software, in order to analyse motorists' behaviour, helping them to optimise fuel consumption and emissions.

eco:Drive is evidence of Fiat's consistent attention to environmental issues, with tangible results. In fact, according to analyses carried out by the independent institution Jato Dynamics, for the third year in a row, Fiat has been the most environmentally-friendly brand of the top-selling 10 car brands in Europe, with an average CO2 emission level of 127.8 g/km compared to the market average of 145.8 g/km. This record is due to Fiat's great commitment to 'eco-technological' innovation, a factor which characterises all its product choices. A fundamental boost to obtaining this result was given by the extraordinary growth of CNG, the most eco-friendly, most cost-effective fuel available on the market today. A forward-thinking choice, made over ten years ago, which has allowed Fiat to become the undisputed European leader in the CNG-powered car sector (OEM), with almost 400,000 units sold to date. What's more, Fiat is the first and only manufacturer to offer, in its Natural Power range, a wide choice of cars and commercial vehicles comprising 14 different models, which meet the mobility requirements of a truly broad clientele.

Lastly, it should be remembered that all the most recent Fiat models include versions with Euro 5 engines, high-tech equipment of the sort normally found in higher segments, a low environmental impact and reduced running costs: from the Start&Stop system, to the latest generation Multijet II turbo diesel engines, plus the Multiair technology and its latest application, the unprecedented Twin-Air dual cylinder engine, presented in a world preview at the Geneva Motor Show: with 85 HP and CO2 emissions of 95 g/km, it is already a benchmark for petrol engines, and these values may be reduced even further in future CNG versions.