Soon, everyone will be a hypermiler. Ford has joined the crowd of automakers building new systems that help teach drivers how to maximize fuel economy.
Ford's system, known as Smart Gauge, will be available first on a pair of hybrid cars, based on the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, planned for the 2010 model year. But the system could be installed on any for car, and could be made available on conventional gasoline-powered cars after that.
The Wall Street Journal reports, "The interactive system provides four levels of information display, from a basic ‘Journey' mode to the content-rich ‘Empower' level that will offer the most detail on engine performance and feedback on how to improve fuel efficiency." The system features two LCD screens set on either side of the speedometer. Set to its most basic level, one of the screens shows a graphic of a vine, with leaves that grow when the car is being driven in a fuel-efficient manner, and shrivel away when it isn't.
In more advanced settings, Autoblog explains, the two screens offer "impressive graphics and can be tailored to provide four different levels of information for the driver. Think of it as a normal trip computer on steroids. Smart Gauge can give you all the basic info like instant fuel economy, fuel economy history, odometer, engine coolant temperature, what gear the car is in and trip data, but it also goes several steps further." When you arrive at your destination, the system can "give you stats on your latest trip, and you can call up historical fuel efficiency data via a chart."
Jalopnik had the chance to test the system. They report, "The user interface is smooth and polished, with no lag in between screens and the interface proved far easier to use than we expected...Based on our limited time with the thing we were impressed."
With the release of Smart Gauge, Ford becomes one of several automakers selling devices that coach drivers into driving more efficiently. A Nissan system revealed this summer uses the gas pedal to do the same thing, pushing back against drivers who try to accelerate at rates that burn fuel quickly. Hypermiling pioneer Wayne Gerdes tells the Wall Street Journal that "Honda is at the top of auto makers when it comes to displaying fuel consumption." The upcoming 2010 Honda Insight, "according to Mr. Gerdes, has a clear bar graph showing fuel consumption from 0 to 150 mpg and four levels of average-fuel-consumption display. Driving one in May, Mr. Gerdes said he achieved 213 miles per gallon at the World Fuel Economy Championship in Elkhart, Ind."
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