With fuel prices ever on the rise, customers are always looking for cheaper ways to get around by car. While hybrid, battery-electric, and hydrogen fuel cell cars are considered to be the long term solution for powering motor vehicles, there is the need for a more short-term solution. Europe has already realized that diesel is this solution, and has implemented it with wide-spread success. North America has been much more reluctant to adopt this technology for various reasons, chief among them the negative association between the diesel used in cars versus that of trucks.
For as long as my family has owned our 1998 Honda Accord my dad has been recording the fuel use and mileage at every fill-up. Since buying the car in 2000 we have amassed a huge collection of driving data that for the most past has not been put to use.
This data is actually extremely useful when looking at the overall cost of the car, how well it is faring, and whether it is in need of a replacement.