We talk a lot about fuel efficiency, but it’s places like Bosch who are actually doing something about it.  One of their great advances comes in electronic solutions to help current cars get better fuel economy.

Two of the biggest systems used to improve fuel economy, as well as safety, are Bosch’s Electronic Battery Sensor and Electric Power Steering.   The Electronic Battery Sensor is designed to not only monitor a battery’s current performance, but also its expected performance down the line, giving you a jump ahead on a dying battery and improving the chances you won’t wind up broken down somewhere with a dead battery.

Electric Power Steering, meanwhile, starts with a sensor that registers the movements of driving and sends electrical signals to a motor on the steering column to augment that steering motion, cutting down on the amount of force involved and thus saving wear on the vehicle and improving fuel efficiency by cutting down on jerky movements.

It’s surprising how deeply involved Bosch components are to fuel savings, but you learn something new every day.

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Honda is looking to invest some serious money into electronics giant Pioneer. The information first broke by a Honda spokesman who explained to Reuters that Pioneer is steering away from television production operations and instead choosing to center on automotive electronics. Honda’s planned investment, which stretches into the tens of millions of dollars, should give it a good handle over Pioneer’s automotive technology, which includes stereos, in-car navigation systems, entertainment units, and maybe the next-generation of car Blu-ray players.

According to Japanese analysts, Honda’s investment makes good sense since the amount being invested is not substantial relative to the company’s bottom line but still gives it an ally in the auto electronics facet of production. While an exact figure hasn’t been released, predictions are made around the several billion yen mark, which translates to around $30 million – $50 million.

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Now this here is a perfect example of just how far technology is progressing. Showcased in the above video is a modder who decided he wanted to control his Mazda RX-8 from his iPod touch.

Not only can he unlock the doors, lock them again, and pop the trunk, he also has the ability to start the engine and monitor it’s telemetry all from the handheld device. Amazing. 

This is all done with a heavily geared up Mazda RX-8 and a web application used on the iPod touch. Check out the video for the insanity it all of its gloriness.

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