This application facilitates comparison of vehicles based on a set of defined efficiency criteria. The efficiency criteria defined are weight against mileage, weight against power, mileage against power and acceleration against weight. The weight of a vehicle affects mileage, handling, safety, acceleration i.e. any meaningful performance parameter of a vehicle. An efficient vehicle balances the mutually conflicting parameters in a way that gives most satisfying performance and most bang for the buck. The aim of providing the above 4 criterion is to enable users to select a vehicle as per their own requirements.
Instead of comparing the mileage, power or acceleration for vehicles directly, we compare relative parameters since they provide for a more rational comparison. For example, a vehicle which weighs 2500 pounds and gives 34 m.p.g may be relatively inferior to vehicle weighing 3000 and 30 m.p.g as per this application.
On face value 34 m.p.g. vehicle sounds more efficient, but if a vehicle weighing more is capable of providing decent mileage implies that the less weighing vehicle has more scope for improvement. The improvement may come from reducing the weight further or using technologically superior engine.
Same logic applies for vehicle providing say 100 h.p with 60 m.p.g and one that provides 150 h.p. with 45 m.p.g. We are interested here in the relatively logical sacrifice one has to make for higher power output against dropping mileage.
The vehicles in the selected range are used for analysis and hence selecting the correct range is a important factor. Selecting too high a range will bring in vehicles with disparate technology and benefits in direct comparision with vehicles having lower capabilities which will make the comparision unfair.
The data used for the application is for the U.K. market. However, a singnificent number of vehicles in U.K. market are available globally with same or modified specifications.
The value add for the consumers in other markets is that they can request/recommend the manufacturers to make available certain desired vehicles in their own market. Version 2.0 may feature an option for the user to poll for a vehicle desired in a particular market.