An inexpensive gadget with wireless connectivity, Bluetooth and a micro-SD card slot could save you gallons on your car journeys as well as acting as a black box recorder should you be involved in an accident.

The developers of the device, Skalene Technologies were demonstrating its intricacies at the second Meerkats and Avatars technology showcase in Cambridge, UK, today. The box, which could also be hooked up to your SatNav has three simple ‘mood lights’ – green, amber, and red – that indicate how well you are driving in terms of fuel efficiency, letting you know that you should ease off the gas and make smoother gear changes if the lights are amber or red.

In terms of improving fuel economy, White points out that, “Research into the driving habits of mini-cab drivers has shown that an average driver could increase miles per gallon by 27% through more efficient driving. Our device means the driver can easily and immediately see their fuel efficiency in real time.” That can only be good for the environment and the driver’s bank balance in these times of rocketing fuel prices.

The device can store a year’s worth of driving data on a micro-SD card. Recording vehicle speed, fuel level, air bag status, engine rpm and the motion of the car and other parameters sampled one hundred times a second. Buffering means that should you be unfortunate to be involved in an incident the data continues to be collected for crucial seconds even after the power supply is interrupted Skalene co-founder Julian White told me. That could be vital for accident investigators, although of course, the device is an entirely optional accessory for your car.

“The black box is designed to be low-cost and can be fitted by any driver as it simply plugs into the data point near the steering wheel. This gives insurance companies, who want to offer lower premiums to careful drivers, the potential to post the black box to their customers. The box is intelligent enough to show if it has been tampered with and display the details of the car in which it has been used,” adds White.