MyFord Touch helps drivers save fuel and makes it easy to be green

A few weeks back I traded in my old Mustang for a new Mustang and one of the coolest things about the car is the Ford Sync tech. The hands free calling is cool that Sync offers, but the system is much more than a hands free calling device. Ford is talking up its next generation of in-vehicle tech that offers ways for drivers to save fuel and be greener called MyFord Touch.

The MyFord Touch system is sort of like the car computers that are in many Ford vehicles that show you how your driving style is affecting your fuel economy. However, the new MyFord Touch system takes this to a completely different plane. The system is a driver technology that has a wealth of feedback designed around fuel economy.

It features map-based software that has an interesting Eco-route option that calculates the most fuel efficient route for the driver. Ford claims that the system can improve fuel economy up to 15%. The system is able to provide a fuel-efficient route by looking at real-time traffic data and posted speed information to find fastest, shortest, and the Eco-route. Ford says that the system will chart a route that avoids congested freeways and choose roads where an efficient speed can be maintained. The new system will appear first in the 2011 Ford Edge and will be offered on the 2012 Focus around the world. Other Ford family vehicles will get the system as well.