Tag: Gas prices »

Benjamin Franklin once famously said that the only certainties in life were death and taxes. During the summer, you can add another thing to that list: lots of people are going to be hitting the road for their vacations.

It wasn't too long ago that travel during the summer months meant breaking out the road atlas and being able to read road signs. Now, of course, all the help you used to need for navigation, lodging, and anything else you might need on a road trip is as close as your phone or tablet.

Driving can be stressful, but paying for gas can be even worse. Fuel Monitor, a free app from Adir Genish, is meant to ease some of that pain.

Fuel Monitor runs in the background and uses the iOS device’s GPS location functions, along with your car’s model information, to monitor driving excursions and display fuel consumption data. It also offers up tips on how to cut down on fuel consumption as well as assists with finding parking spaces, locating your car after it’s parked, and an “Accident Kit” should anything unfortunate happen along the way.

And really, who doesn’t want to cut down on their refueling costs?

Long road trips are about as American as apple pie, but the costs involved often lead people to wonder who is getting the raw end of the deal. Groups of carpooling people often have ways of splitting up food/5 Hour Energy costs, but splitting up gas gets a bit hairy after day 3 or 4. Fortunately for iOS users, there is an app for that.

With HowMuchGas, all you have to do is select your vehicle from a list of cars on the fueleconomy.gov website, the address of your starting point (or your current location), any waypoints along the way, your final destination, and the cost of gas. You can further map you route by choosing between city/highway/combined driving and whether or not you want to use toll roads.

The app would work great for carpooling to work too, letting you calculate the costs for a one-way or round trip for the whole work week. Just divide it up by the number of passengers and you have a perfect system for eliminating gas cost arguments.

HowMuchGas is available from the App Store today for $1.99. Be sure to pick it up before your next journey, whether it be a great road trip or just a trip across town.