Plug it in and save money: Manufacturers of so-called fuel-saving plugs advertise with this promise. But a test shows that this is shameless fraud.
The lights flash, but that’s just a background: In a recent test, ADAC and Computer Magazine “c’t” checked so-called fuel-saving dongles.
These are advertised in many online portals with a tempting promise: if you plug these plugs, which cost between ten and 40 euros, into the OBD (On-Board Diagnosis) socket in the footwell of the car, you can easily You can save up to 15%. in fuel. At fuel prices of around two euros per liter, the whole thing will pay off quickly.
Contacts are not even soldering
Testing a device named “ecoOBD2” leads to disillusionment: the fuel-saving dongle doesn’t even communicate with the car. “The dongle consists only of a voltage converter, three LEDs and the switching transistors, resistors and capacitors needed for this, eight series resistors and a button. Finally, an integrated circuit on which some contacts are not soldered at all. Two others The contacts are used for the power supply, one is for the switch, three is for the LED,” the ADAC states. Conclusion: “EcoOBD2 flashes and pretends it’s working. But nothing more happens.” So: factory-fresh e-waste.
Marcus Sipple, head of ADAC vehicle technology, explains why such plugs are nonsense: If it were easy to save fuel, car manufacturers themselves would have installed such a function and thus gained a competitive advantage. There is more: a technology that has always been equally successful and has been accepted for a large number of engines and their control units, not fitting in such a small plug. That’s why Sipple advises: “Keep your hands off such ominous offers. There are no miracle fuel-saving solutions.”
