Volkswagen Think Blue Trainer

Everybody wants better fuel economy.

If you’re a Volkswagen owner, chances are, you chose your VW because it’s an environmentally friendly car. But, while one vehicle may be more fuel-efficient than another, not all driving habits are created equal.

For every speed, there is an optimal gear. These may differ depending on whether you’re driving in town or on the highway.

In short, efficient driving is complicated. Changing driving habits while checking out the scenery or looking for an address could be difficult.

Enter, the VW Think Blue Trainer.

VW Think Blue Trainer. Photo: Nikki B

How the VW Think Blue Trainer Helps You Get Better Gas Mileage

A mobile application, Think Blue Trainer helps drivers to drive in a more fuel-efficient way. It can be used on mobile devices- but it is intended to be used via the onboard infotainment touchscreen.

The way it works is it monitors the state of the vehicle’s engine and uses this information to deliver real-time instruction on how to drive in a more fuel-efficient way. In short, if you are in the wrong gear for a given speed, the app will direct you to shift to the appropriate gear when driving a manual transmission.

As you travel along, you will see gear shift suggestions in the center circle which will read  “3>4,” which means you should shift from third to fourth gear. When the driver completes a suggested gear shift, the app will make a pleasing bell sound!

In an automatic, gentle pressure on the accelerator and maintaining a constant speed is the key to a better Blue Score.

VW’s Think Blue Trainer will hand out driving hints such as reduce idling, close windows or switch drive modes for better efficiency.

In the center of the display is an efficiency gauge which slowly fills up the more economically you are driving. When you are driving at optimal efficiency, the word “eco” appears in the center of the display, and the efficiency bar will continue to fill up.

On the left-hand side of the display is a circle that rates driving efficiency, which the app refers to as your “Blue Score.” The circle on the right side of the display gives you miles per gallon.

Pretty handy stuff.

Volkswagen Blue Score. Photo Nikki B

Volkswagen understands the demand for greener practices. They also understand the practical benefits of promoting more environmentally sound driving practices.

The Think Blue Trainer is in line with this goal, but more importantly, it gives customers the ability to contribute to the cause of producing less atmospheric pollution while saving money. This places VW ahead of the curve as they pursue better eco-friendly practices while delivering added value to the VW driver at the same time.

Volkswagen’s Think Blue Strategy is About More Than Just Fuel Efficiency

Volkswagen also has a program called Think Blue. Factory, which is about making their car plants more efficient. The initiative won the National Energy Globe Award’s “Best Environmental Program” distinction in for its improved use of resources in production.

Automotive World wrote, “Earning special recognition was its eco-friendly use of production resources. With the Austrian Energy Globe Foundation as its sponsor, the award allows prominent projects from all over the globe […] to be honored each year.”

At Volkswagen, clean energy-production resources like water, wind, and sunlight are continually in use. These include large solar asset installations at factories as well as energy derived from biomass cultivation. At the time of this writing, no less than 8 VW factories have implemented 100% renewable electricity generation methods.

VW is also adopting more water-saving assets and reducing emissions from solvents. A representative from the company told CleanTechnica.com, “[…] by reducing spraying intervals and applying a new paint formula we have been able to reduce solvent use in the paint shop at our plant in Palmela, Spain by 14%.”

16 paint facilities work this way, lowering the energy consumption of each plant by an average of 15%. That may not sound like a lot at first,  but consider the massive productivity of the VW.

VW reached their target of producing our vehicles 25% more sustainably by 2018 before the deadline.

Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Production and Logistics, Thomas Ulbrich released a statement,

“We intend to reduce our environmental impact by an additional 20% by the year 2025.”

Leading the Way in Eco-Friendly Production

In addition to VW’s eco-friendly production policies and Think Blue Trainer app, the brand is promoting sustainable transportation assets in a number of cities.

These include the creation of city-wide bicycle fleets, new cycle paths and large cycling events in European cities. In the final analysis, VW has made itself a global leader in the push for sustainable production of capital assets. The Think Blue Trainer certainly helps with the ecological target, while providing a valuable money-saving product to their customers.

For more information on the Think Blue Trainer or to test drive a Volkswagen with the technology, contact your local VW dealership.

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