Integrating ODB-II, Android, and Google App Engine to Decrease Emissions and Improve Driving Habits

Every time a car is driven, sensors within the car generate information on a number of crucial systems that are typically only accessed when something goes wrong and the car is taken to a mechanic. The diagnostic (OBD-II) port on a vehicle provides a way to access this information so that it can be used to monitor the state of the vehicle at any time. Saving and tracking this information allows long-term driving trends and engine health to be monitored. When provided with this information, it is possible for drivers to significantly decrease their fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, improve driving safety, and make better maintenance decisions. Existing products are either expensive all-in-one solutions for mechanics or smaller devices designed for hobbyists to use in tuning, typically by connecting them to a PC. Our solution is targeted at average consumers and must be easy to use, easy to install, and require little maintenance. Our projects consists of three parts: 1) a hardware device that physically plugs into the car to gather information and transfer it to 2) an application on a smart phone running Android that saves the information, tags it with GPS and time stamps, and uploads it to 3) a Google App that will take the information and display it (route and sensor data) in an easy-to-read format