That iPhone in your pocket is good for more than making calls and social networking – it can also be used to help motorists save money at the gas pump, thanks to a growing assortment of fuel-economy-minded apps. Here’s a quick look at a few of the best of them; all are available as free downloads via the iTunes App Store: • AAA TripTik Mobile can help locate the lowest prices locally or en route for all available grades of gasoline. It also provides maps and turn-by-turn directions and identifies other points of interest, such as hotels, restaurants and attractions, with the ability to call for lodging reservations at the touch of a button.
• CarEconomy computes and displays a car’s average fuel economy, and can show instantaneous fuel economy on a real-time basis via an in-app upgrade.
• Fuelculator estimates the cost of a road trip based on distance traveled, a car’s fuel economy and the cost of fuel (per national averages or user-inputted).
• Gas Cubby tracks gas mileage and vehicle maintenance, and charts MPG, gas prices and fuel/maintenance expenses; it also delivers customizable service interval reminders.
• Gas Manager automatically tracks fuel economy, gas expenses and miles travelled, and can calculate a vehicle’s carbon footprint, based on fuel consumption. It further includes a GPS-based “find my car” function, and can help locate nearby gas stations, garages, restaurants and hotels.
• Road Trip Lite can work with multiple vehicles, graphically and statistically tracks a car’s fuel economy, maintenance and expenses and can import data from and export it to Microsoft Office.
• MyMPG teaches motorists how to make small changes in the way they drive for maximum mileage with real-time feedback. It uses the iPhone’s accelerometer technology to sense acceleration and encourage smoother driving, while tracking a car’s fuel economy.
• Also, while not specifically designed to boost your car's fuel economy, both Gas Buddy and Local Gas Prices can come in handy to help locate the cheapest gas prices in a given area for regular, midgrade, premium and diesel grades.
