Nearly two-thirds of motorists are clueless about how much carbon their car emits each year, research shows

A surprising poll by carwow, in conjunction with Karai by DriveKey, highlights the majority of motorists don’t know how much CO2 their internal combustion engine-powered (ICE) car emits per year. carwow, the car buying and selling market place, in conjunction with Karai, the all-new carbon offsetting app, conducted the survey recently and received staggering results.

Polling over 22,000 motorists, carwow asked users to answer the question:

‘can you guess how much CO2 a car emits each year?’ with three possible answers to select. Nearly two-thirds (58 per cent) of respondents didn’t know the answer, and subsequently guessed wrong; highlighting there’s work to do for motorists to understand, and be educated about, their ICE car’s environmental, real-world CO2 impact.

While 42 per cent picked the correct answer - that the average ICE car emits 1,700 kg CO2 per year - it still shows there’s room for improvement, and an app such as Karai to track their CO2 down to the last kg for car owners and drivers, could be beneficial.

Launched in Spring this year (2022) the free-to-download (and use) Karai app tracks vehicle movements via real-world APIs, much like Google Map software or other map apps like Waze. Combining this data with accurate CO2 output information from the vehicle’s registration plate - obtained via the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - the app can then correlate that to real-world travel movements of that car to show a realistic CO2 output. Considering traffic for increased CO2 output and steady long journeys on motorways being more efficient, the app provides, in real-time, the actual CO2 emitted into the atmosphere via a specific car rather than an average statistic.

Calin Saftoiu, Chief Executive Officer of Drive Key Corporation said: “Since the survey [by carwow] shows that nearly two-thirds of motorists are potentially unaware of their vehicle’s environmental impact, we hope this highlights how Karai can be used to better educate drivers about how much CO2 they are emitting, and offer solutions of how to reduce that output or to offset.

“Karai is as much of an educational tool for drivers, since it also provides a real-world driving score to show where motorists can drive more efficiently, as it is an app that can offset these CO2 emissions via carbon credits. Being carbon neutral is important in a world where we’re struggling with rising seas and temperature increases, which are, in part caused by vehicle emissions. Of course, cars are only part of the issue, but with Karai, it’s a problem that drivers can help solve with the touch of a button.”

Karai by DriveKey, available initially through the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/karai/id1599712040), is the only app that tracks vehicle carbon emissions in real-time, as well as gives eco-driving behaviour scores and tips, based on actual driving data.

Created by leading vehicle Human-Machine Interface and vehicle technology specialists, Conjure Ltd for DriveKey Corporation, the Karai by DriveKey smartphone app uses Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data on any tailpipe emission-based registration on g/km carbon usage to calculate actual emissions. This, coupled with real-time driver data and behaviours, delivers transparent carbon emissions information. Currently geared towards motorists with internal combustion engines, Karai aims to provide drivers with options on how to offset their carbon emissions by either being carbon neutral or carbon positive.

*Article Source www.hannahburgesspr.com