Car-themed video games typically put an emphasis on pushing sports cars and super cars to their limits.
The folks at Buick have taken a different approach to virtual driving by developing a trio of games called eAssist Fuel Efficiency. They are available as a single bundle that can be downloaded for free on the Apple App Store, and on the Android Market.
The first game is dubbed Regeneration Road. It focuses on the eAssist system’s ability to store the energy generated when braking in lithium-ion batteries that are housed under the car’s trunk floor.
The game consists of driving through an imaginary city to a predefined point without running out of fuel. Obstacles in the road such as pedestrians make the task a little more complicated, and force the player to think ahead.
The second game is called Roll and Boost. It puts the juice stored in the first game to a good use by providing what Buick calls an “emissions-free boost of acceleration.”
The setting is a nice weekend drive in the countryside that needs to be completed with only a single tank of gas. To win, the player must put an emphasis on distance, not speed.
The third and last game is the Wind Tunnel Tester. It teaches the player the basics of automotive aerodynamics by letting him or her toy around with the car’s length and width. Players can also remove or add extras such as spoilers, wheel covers, tail fins and roof racks to see what effect they have on the car in a wind tunnel.
Buick hopes that the games will help players develop a more eco-friendly driving style.
