Breakthrough Engine Calibration Technology Guarantees Fuel Savings

Content provided by Derive Systems

There aren’t many certainties in law enforcement. That’s especially true when it comes to adoption of new technology. So how can fleet managers keep up with the latest developments with-out compromising readiness, dependability or budget? One automotive technology software platform is taking the risk out of early adoption by providing the rarest of all features in automotive technology — a money-back guarantee.

Calibration software platform Derive Efficiency demonstrates unwavering confidence in its technology by assuring customers that they’ll see at least 6% fuel savings. If they don’t, Derive will foot the bill for the difference.

To achieve these consistent fuel savings, Derive’s proven technology adjusts key engine parameters, optimizing performance and efficiency whether a police cruiser is in idle, on patrol or in pursuit. Here’s how it works. Derive’s engine tuning software recalibrates a vehicle’s engine control module (ECM), allowing a fleet to adjust parameters like idle RPM, throttle response and acceleration to better address their specific needs. Recalibration is quick and simple, accessing the ECM through the vehicle’s OBDII port using a handheld device. Since fuel savings regularly fall in the range of 6 to 12%, the company is now offering to compensate any fleet that fails to see at least 6% savings in the first 12 months.

Derive Efficiency’s optimized engine calibrations are specially designed to tailor performance and efficiency on a wide range of pursuit and patrol vehicles ranging from the Taurus and Crown Vic to the Explorer and Tahoe. With calibrations customized for each of these applications, you can expect reliable results as well as performance that plays to the strengths of your specific fleet.

Port St. Lucie achieves savings and sustainability with Derive

Several months ago, Port St. Lucie, Florida’s police fleet rolled out Derive’s technology and set about keeping a close eye on the numbers. They wanted to monitor the effectiveness of the software solution in lowering their fuel consumption and reducing their emissions.

As says police administrator Bill May explained, “It’s our responsibility to the public to continue to find ways to increase the efficiency while reducing our carbon footprint for the City.”

With Derive’s help, the Port St. Lucie police fleet did just that. With an almost 12% reduction in idle consumption and 11% lower fuel costs overall, May reports that the savings were better than expected. He also touts lower emissions, 200 pounds less per month per car.

His department, comprised of 285 police personnel and 343 volunteers, expects to see further savings through Derive’s software and hopes it will help keep their $34 million operation running efficiently.

Why is idle efficiency so crucial for police fleets?

With cruisers idling an average of 5 and 8 hours a day, police pursuit vehicles can burn more than 40 gallons of fuel per week without moving an inch. Using Derive’s idle efficiency calibration to adjust idle RPM has been shown to increase fuel economy during idle by up to 30%, without affecting your vehicle’s warranty. This leads to a savings of up to 12% on overall fuel costs. Best of all, the savings are achieved in idle, meaning officers won’t see any loss of performance in key areas like acceleration and cooling.

Derive Efficiency also recognizes that police cruisers have much different idle needs than other vehicle types. Since idling police vehicles consume a lot of energy running complex electronics as well as AC to keep K-9 units cool, it’s crucial to also deliver savings under a heavier electrical load. Independent testing found that under no load, Derive’s technology was able to reduce fuel consumption by 27%. With electronics and AC running, the savings was still 13%.

Those savings are achieved without compromising the readiness of the vehicle. Many other idle-efficiency solutions depend on auxiliary batteries to power electronics while the engine is turned off. But when an officer restarts the car, the engine is saddled with an even heavier load. That’s because the engine now has to recharge the extra batteries, deal with normal fuel consumption, and overcome the excess weight added by installing the batteries in the trunk. In fact, studies show that every 100 pounds of added weight decreases fuel efficiency by as much as 1%. By keeping that weight down and running more efficiently, your fleet can expect a reduction in its carbon footprint and longer life from its vehicles, putting you on track to achieving sustainability goals.

Putting the Customer First

Ultimately, Derive Efficiency sets itself apart from the competition through their commitment to the customer. Every fleet is different. Taking these differences into account leads to better and more reliable results when it comes to optimizing performance, conserving fuel and maintaining readiness. To get the most from your fleet, you need a technology that’s tailored to your fleet’s specific mix of vehicles, the unique modifications you’ve made, the accessories you’ve added to your vehicles, and the diverse set of tasks your officers take on every day.

The Derive Efficiency team is well versed in engine calibration technology, and can help you choose the products, features, and calibrations that will provide the most value to your fleet. In order to take advantage of the money-back guarantee, fleets should choose a calibration that includes idle RPM reduction. Next, provide fuel consumption data from the previous 12 months for use as a baseline for comparison. Or for new vehicles, Derive will use the previous year’s data from a similar make and model. After your vehicles have been running Derive Efficiency software for 12 months, that fuel consumption data will be compared to the baseline. If you don’t see a savings of at least six percent, you’ll be refunded the difference within 30 days. Derive Efficiency is that sure that you won’t be disappointed with its engine calibration.

The ability of Derive products to increase efficiency and keep police vehicles poised for peak performance has been proven again and again through client results and benchmark testing.

Its engine calibration technology has produced savings for police fleets across the country, including Port St. Lucie, the City of Ontario, Orlando, Sonoma County, The City of Oceanside, and many more. The company has also saved money for corporate clients like Comcast, Dish Network, Pepsi, Sears and the University of Washington.

To learn more about how Derive Efficiency software can help you achieve fuel savings without compromising performance, please visit derivesystems.com/efficiency.