A Dutch scientist has found that a modern car can reduce its fuel consumption levels by more than 2.5% by adding a piece of software to the car’s engine management. Reuters reports that University of Eindhoven scientist John Kessels achieved optimal engine performance by using the software to turn on and off the dynamo, which is used to charge the battery.

"Just by adding a piece of software and a simple cable, cars can save 2.6% of fuel consumption," he told reporters. Even more fuel, roughly 5-6%, could be saved by switching the engine on or off but this would also require modifications to the engine.

The project was tested using vehicles from Ford, but the software can be used in any car with an engine computer. We suspect car manufacturers will implement something similar in the near future to help curb emission levels in an attempt to meet the impending European Commission targets that have been proposed recently.