Lexus CT 200h, HS 250h reward fuel-efficient driving with charitable donations

The Japanese-market Lexus CT 200h and HS 250h feature an electronic fuel-saving device called the Harmonious Driving Navigator. Ahhhh, doesn’t that tickle your ears? This system assists in saving fuel by alerting drivers when they hammer the pedal to the floor, accelerate briskly or pilot the vehicle in a way that consumes more gasoline than the Harmonious Driving Navigator deems necessary at the time. But it does so much more: it can give money to charity.

The Harmonious Driving Navigator tracks each vehicle’s fuel economy and issues points to drivers based on overall efficiency and performance in several other categories. Drivers can then redeem points to fund charitable organizations listed on the Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan. The better you drive, the more money goes to the charities.

Lexus’ Harmonious Driving Navigator operates under a similar principle to other fuel-saving systems, like Nissan’s Eco-Pedal and Ford’s EcoGuide, but goes one step further by monitoring driving habits and comparing each individual with a database of records to determine who is the greenest Lexus hybrid driver in all of Japan.

[Source: Lexus Enthusiast via Green Car Reports]