OnStar by GM Empowers Vehicle Owners to Improve Fuel Economy
21 Juli 2006 - 1:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
OnStar Vehicle Diagnostic E-mail Adds Fuel Efficiency and Emissions
Data DETROIT, July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With high fuel
prices on the minds of most Americans, GM adds a new level of
service to OnStar's monthly diagnostic e-mail that allows drivers
to closely monitor conditions that can affect their fuel
efficiency, including tire pressure and vehicle emissions. OnStar
Vehicle Diagnostics, an industry-first service available only from
GM, collects valuable maintenance information on four of the
vehicle's key operating systems from hundreds of diagnostic checks
and sends a personalized e-mail directly to the owner. The
enhancements, being phased in throughout the remainder of 2006,
will include tire pressure monitoring, E85 ethanol compatibility,
enhanced vehicle emissions data and oil-life monitoring predictions
to provide subscribers with real-time information on how they can
help reduce gasoline consumption. "OnStar increases its
differentiation for GM vehicles, because OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics
empowers subscribers to actively engage in vehicle ownership to
help obtain greater fuel efficiency," said OnStar President Chet
Huber. "It's a great extension of the safety, security and peace of
mind services that OnStar is known for and that subscribers use and
value. When subscribers use the data provided it has tangible
financial benefits." According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, nearly
four million gallons of gas are wasted each day nationwide for
every one pound per square inch of tire under-inflation. That
translates to more than $10 million per day, or $3.8 billion per
year in wasted gas money(1). New OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics
offerings include: * Tire Pressure Monitoring - Being rolled out in
select models by the end of 2006 and across the majority of GM's
lineup throughout 2007, consumers will be notified of their
vehicles' current tire pressure and the manufacturer's recommended
tire pressure. In addition to the existing warning that in-vehicle
tire-pressure monitors provide when a tire is significantly
under-inflated, OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics will now notify drivers
each month of the actual psi reading for each tire - allowing
consumers to make small adjustments that can improve fuel
efficiency. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
you can improve fuel economy by about 3 percent by keeping tires
properly inflated (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/). * E85 Ethanol
Compatibility - The e-mail also notifies drivers if their vehicles
are E85 ethanol compatible and links owners to GM's
http://www.livegreengoyellow.com/ website, which links to the
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition's (NEVC) handy E85 ethanol
station on-line look-up tool. OnStar subscribers can search for E85
ethanol stations by using the NEVC's look-up tool, or by simply
pressing the blue OnStar button to receive directions to the
nearest E85 ethanol station when driving. * Enhanced Vehicle
Emissions Data - The OnStar monthly diagnostic e-mail will now
include detailed vehicle powertrain emissions data for additional
peace of mind. Fixing an engine that has failed an emissions test
may improve gas mileage by four percent, on average. That's the
equivalent of 12 cents per gallon(2). * Enhanced Oil-life
Monitoring - The OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics e-mail will predict the
mileage at which the next oil change will be needed based on
current driving patterns. Monitoring the percentage of remaining
oil-life has been a part of OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics since its
inception. This new enhancement allows drivers to know when an oil
change is likely to be necessary. Following GM's Oil-life System
not only conserves resources, but helps save the time and money
involved in scheduling unnecessary service. By following the GM
Oil-Life System, it's estimated that more than 100-million gallons
of oil could be saved over the next five years from the millions of
GM vehicles that already have this system. OnStar Vehicle
Diagnostics, which has had more than 1.6 million subscriber
enrollments since its launch in September 2005, is exclusively for
GM customers, and OnStar subscribers can enroll in the opt-in
service at no additional cost by simply pressing their blue OnStar
button and asking to be enrolled or visiting the OnStar Web site
(http://www.onstar.com/). OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics service can be
activated on most 2004 model-year or newer OnStar- equipped GM
vehicles that have GM's Oil-Life System. About OnStar by GM OnStar,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors, is the leading
provider of in-vehicle safety, security and communication services.
OnStar is available on more than 50 2006 GM models and includes one
year of complimentary services, and will become standard on most GM
retail vehicles in the United States and Canada by the end of 2007.
OnStar provides services to more than 4 million subscribers in the
U.S. and Canada. More information about OnStar can be found at
http://www.onstar.com/. (1) Based on an average gas price of $2.60
for 2006 from the DOE's Energy Information Administration (2)
Estimates for fuel savings from vehicle maintenance are based on
studies and literature reviews performed by Energy and
Environmental Analysis, Inc., Washington, DC. DATASOURCE: General
Motors Corporation CONTACT: Cristi Chojnacki, Manager, OnStar
Communications, +1-313-667-0874, Cell: +1-248-410-7827, ; or Daphne
Zheng, Vice President, OnStar Communications, +1-313-665-2816,
Cell: +1-313-720-8289, Web site: http://media.gm.com/
http://www.gm.com/ http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
http://www.livegreengoyellow.com/ http://www.onstar.com/
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