Mindstates
The Kiwi Device
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Save Money at the Pump!
by Sydney L. Murray
When I bought a new car with my husband a year ago I marveled at my newfound ability to monitor the miles per gallon from the LED read-out on the dashboard. But oftentimes life got in the way and getting the most bang for my buck would take a back seat to my need to get somewhere fast. Did you know that if you drove 55 miles per hour versus 80 mph you would save 20 percent of your gasoline expenditures?
Now that the price of gas is higher than ever, I want to tell you about a new device that will help you save money and the environment.
“By using the PLX Kiwi, daily, you will not only save money on gas you will also reduce your carbon dioxide signature by 2 tons per year. That’s equivalent to changing 500 light bulbs (to energy saving bulbs) in your home,” said Paul Lowchareonkul, CEO of PLX Devices Inc.
Did you know that changing the way you drive has a more dramatic impact on the environment than by engaging in almost any other modern American activity? In the average household your vehicle is the primary contributor to the global warming gas, carbon dioxide. An average new 4-door sedan driving 15,000 miles per year produces about nine tons of CO2. To put it into perspective: an adult African elephant weighs six tons.
By using Kiwi and driving “greener” you will prevent about 2 tons of CO2 from being dumped into the atmosphere. And you will save money on gas. I had the opportunity to talk to two of the principals in the company who developed this great product.
I learned much more about these innovative devices from Paul Lowchareonkul and Brandee Kathan of PLX Kiwi Devices.
Vision Magazine: Tell us about PLX Devices and the newly launched Kiwi, which is a gas-saving device.
Kathan: We call it the Kiwi after the green fruit because it is a green, energy-saving device. It will most impact users because you will learn how to change your driving habits to reduce gas consumption. You will learn to drive your car more efficiently. It can be used in cars built from 1996, to the present, due to changes in emissions legislation.
At PLX Devices, we’re coming from a technical, automotive racing background, but with the Kiwi we’ve designed something that’s very user-friendly. All you have to do is look underneath your dash, behind your steering column and there’s a plug-in with holes in it. That’s where you plug the Kiwi in and it both powers the device and gets its data from there.
VM: Looking at the model, I see that it has a log, so there’s more to it than just gas savings. What are some of the other features it offers?
Kathan: There are two main features most people will use—Drive Green and Kiwi. Kiwi works if you just leave it on; it monitors your acceleration or deceleration by giving you a general Kiwi score and showing you how much money you’re saving. You can then go to Drive Green, which is a series of levels, basically set up like a video game. You drive for ten minutes and it monitors how you drove. It tells you if you passed or failed with the scores ranging from zero to 100. It will show you how much you saved based on the gas mileage price so you can get an accurate idea of how you’re doing. There is also the value of engine checks. Let’s say you get an engine check light on your dash. You would then go to the engine check section of your Kiwi and there’s basically a diagnosis that will tell you what the code is and what your engine check means, such as if you need an oil change or if you need transmission service, for example. You can then actually reset the code yourself instead of going to a shop and having them do it. They’ll charge you $15 or $20 for that.
VM: If you could sum up the Kiwi in one or two sentences, what would you say about it?
Lowchareonkul: You can save 20 percent on your gas expenditures just by driving more conservatively. On average, by the end of the year you’re going to have more money in your bank account by a couple hundred dollars. The product is $300 and you’re going to save about $600 a year for a standard car. You will save about $800 a year for an SUV or truck. In less than a year, you’re going to be essentially making money.
Kathan: Of course you save gas and you will have more money in your pocket, but on top of that you’re driving greener and helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.
The PLX Kiwi will begin shipping in June 2008. By using the Kiwi on a daily basis you’ll train yourself how to drive more efficiently in a fun, video game-like way. In doing so you will significantly improve your gas consumption, making your drive more enjoyable. And by using the Kiwi for a year the savings in CO2 emissions is equivalent to planting 80 trees. It sounds like a win-win to me. Go Kiwi!
For more information call 408.745.PLX1 (7591) or visit www.plxkiwi.com and to view a great product review visit: www.plxkiwi.com/product/how_video.html