Castrol partners with TomTom to study impact of stop-start driving patterns

Castrol, one of the world’s leading engine oil manufacturers, has partnered with TomTom to study the impact of stop-start driving patterns in 50 cities and regions across the world. The report will be published by Castrol and TomTom in September 2013.
Castrol’s studies already show that drivers can experience as many as 18,000 stop-starts every year. The pioneering study that Castrol is undertaking with TomTom will discover the number of stop-starts in different cities around the world, and TomTom will use its precise travel and traffic information to analyze driving behavior across the entire global road network.
Gareth Bracchi, senior development technologist at Castrol, commented, “Stop-start traffic is a global issue that not only affects journey times, but all that idling in traffic and waiting at junctions causes microscopic wear in engines. By partnering with TomTom, we’ll be able to accurately measure the stop-start average per kilometer within defined city limits, discover what cities have the heaviest traffic, and show which city’s drivers are most at risk of damaging stop-start wear.”
Ralf-Peter Schafer, head of traffic at TomTom added, “This partnership makes perfect sense, as both TomTom and Castrol aim to make the lives of our customers run as smoothly as possible, whether that’s on a daily commute, the school run or a weekend road trip. We are very excited to be working with Castrol and look forward to sharing the findings from this study.”
The study will uncover traffic conditions in 50 key cities and regions around the globe, including New York in North America; Sydney in Australia; several cities in Asia including Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong; Moscow in Russia; Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; and London and Istanbul in Europe.
Castrol is a global company that develops engine oils and lubricants for a vast range of applications and industries, from car and motorcycle oils to specialized industrial lubricants for marine and offshore industries.
Founded in 1991, TomTom (TOM2) is a leading provider of navigation and location-based products and services. These include TomTom maps, traffic information, navigation technology for automotive in-dash systems and mobile devices, GPS-enabled sports watches, web-based applications and government and business solutions. Headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has 3,500 employees worldwide and sells its products in more than 35 countries.
(July 31, 2013)