让你不再忘记把车停在哪里的新装备

    这下你再也不会忘记你把车停在哪了。或者说，虽然你还是经常会忘，但起码现在你不用在停车场里漫无目的地找了。Automatic是一款可以插在车上的设备，它的功能之一就是帮助驾驶员记住他们的车停在什么地方，它可以使汽车与智能手机进行互联并提取各种有用的信息。这家旧金山的创业公司希望利用这个只卖70美元的设备，来取代价格昂贵得多的仪表盘资讯娱乐单元，后者目前日益在新车中流行起来。

    如果行车时发生了交通事故，Automatic可以立即通知相关机构。有时你可能不明白为什么车上的某个报警灯亮了，但Automatic可以告诉你毛病出在什么地方。你只需要把这款设备插在方向盘下面，就可以提取车内储存的大量信息。Automatic公司的CEO兼创始人杰乔•科特（Thejo Kote）表示：“有一个很困扰我们的问题是，你拥有的最贵的计算机设备就是你的汽车，而你却没有渠道去获取它的信息。它就像个黑匣子。”科特和该公司的另一位创始人杰瑞•加利亚斯南特不仅打开了这个黑匣子，而且据他们说，他们提取出的信息还能让驾驶员们省钱。这家公司是由安德里森霍洛维茨公司（Andreessen Horowitz）和创始人基金（Founders Fund）等风投机构投资的。

    Automatic的另一个重要的目标是让燃油效率最大化。科特认为，只要驾驶员稍稍改变驾驶习惯，每年就能节省将近30%的用车开支。美国汽车协会（AAA）2012年的一份报告发现，一辆汽车每年的用车成本从7000美元（小型车）到11600美元（4驱SUV）不等。有了Automatic，当你走到离汽车附近的一定距离内时，你的手机就会自动与汽车进行连接。当驾驶员在行车时出现了费油的驾驶行为时，Automatic就会发出“嘀”的一声提醒你。另外猛踩刹车、加速过猛或者超速行驶时，Automatic也会通过你的手机发出“嘀”的一声，提醒你改变你的驾驶行为。据加州能源委员会的数据，在高速公路上哪怕每小时只超速10英里，也会导致你的燃油经济性下降15%。

    You will never forget where you parked your car again. Well, you may forget, but now your phone will keep you from aimlessly wandering the parking lot. Helping drivers remember where they parked is just one feature of Automatic, a new device users can plug into their car, enabling it to talk to their smartphone to extract all sorts of useful information. The San Francisco-based startup wants its $70-device to replace the much more costly dashboard infotainment units that are increasingly becoming the star of the show in new cars.

    In an accident? Automatic alerts the authorities instantaneously. Wondering why your warning light has turned on? Automatic can tell you that, too, before a costly trip to the mechanic. By plugging the Automatic device under the steering wheel, users are treated to a wealth of information already stored by their car. "It bothered us that the most expensive computer that you own is your car and you don't have access to it," explains Thejo Kote, Automatic CEO and co-founder. "It's a black box." Kote, alongside co-founder Jerry Jariyasunant, have not only popped the lid to this box of information, they are pulling out data they say can save drivers money. The company is funded by backers including Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.

    Much of what Automatic offers is aimed at maximizing fuel efficiency, and Kote believes that simple changes in driving behavior can save users close to 30% of their annual automotive spending. A 2012 report by AAA found that car ownership costs anywhere from $7,000 (small car) to $11,600 (four-wheel-drive SUV) per year. With Automatic, your smartphone connects automatically to your car when you come within range, and drivers are alerted with an audible beep when their driving behavior is causing them to waste gas. Slam on the brakes, accelerate too quickly or drive over the speed limit, and your phone will give you a subtle reminder (beep) to change your driving behavior. Driving even 10 miles-per-hour over the speed limit on the highway can cause drivers to lose close to 15% in fuel efficiency, according to the California Energy Commission.