-Nate Bryer, Azuga vice president of Innovation
We are excited to announce that Azuga will support the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as a commercial account manager (CAM) for the state’s new road charging pilot program that will launch in July of 2016.
What it is
Enlisting up to 5,000 volunteers, the Caltrans pilot will test the feasibility of a direct-to-user charge concept meaning drivers would pay the state according to their number of vehicle miles traveled vs. gas consumed. As cars become more fuel efficient, many drivers are paying less gas tax, which continues to reduce the amount of money used for fixing the state’s 50,000 miles of roads. For the pilot program starting this summer, volunteers will not pay anything, but will still be able to see how the translation of miles to charges will work in the future.
How it works
To make this possible, Azuga is providing easy-to-use, self-installed OBD telematics technology that effortlessly and accurately reports mileage via the cloud to our secure servers. Our device plugs into most cars’ OBDII port, the same port used by mechanics to run diagnostics, emissions tests, or interpret engine trouble codes, and is able to collect the following data:
- Odometer reading
- Diagnostic trouble code notifications (DTCs) that lend insights into vehicle health
- Driver behavior data that provides information on unsafe and fuel wasting behavior such as hard braking, fast acceleration and speeding
- Vehicle location tracking
Azuga will also provide a user-friendly online customer portal. The following features will help volunteers track their monetary contributions:
- Trip logging
- Detailed road charge reports lending insights into miles driven and fuel used
- “Wallet” funding options that allow pilot users to set up automatic RUC payments.
No need to worry about monthly payments.
Why choose Azuga
We understand volunteering for a government program is not exactly on anyone’s bucket list. To help make the experience enjoyable, we also offer fun and personal features:
- Take advantage of engine health notifications and GPS location in order to face your mechanic with confidence.
- Easily find your car in a sea of vehicles in large parking lots.
- Create “Safe Zones” to keep track of teenagers driving the family vehicle.
- Assess incidents of hard braking, fast acceleration, and speeding to calculate a Drive Score—you can finally put the long standing “who’s the better driver?” dispute to rest.
Why not sign up? Connect Azuga with your car for FREE and reap the benefits of award-winning connected vehicle technology, while simultaneously helping to improve California roads.
Want more information on the Caltrans Road Charging Pilot program? Visit californiaroadchargepilot.com. If you have questions about Azuga’s technology simply click here to contact us or shoot us a tweet @Azuga_GPS.