Get Energy Smart! NOW!

Putting fuel efficiency feedback systems on the dashboard of every American automobile (both existing and new) could well be one of the most cost effective tools for quick reduction in America’s oil dependency and, as well, to improve traffic safety (and reduce) fatalities.   These feedback systems can be as ‘simple’ as solely providing real-time miles per gallon information or more complicated systems, that might include educational steps to improve drivers’ habits.

The potential power of feedback systems to inform consumers and, in aggregate, change behavior to greater energy (and other) resource efficiency fascinates me.  When it comes to cars and automobiles, the “Prius Effect” is becoming somewhat legendary, with couples arguing about who gets greater fuel efficiency and Prius drivers’ speaking of how the system information is fostering changed driving habits.

Toyota is far from alone in this arena.  One of the differentiators for the new Ford Fusion Hybrid is its “SmartGauge with EcoGuide”.  Having seen material on it and crawled over a Fusion Hybrid at a trade show, I was a bit fascinated by their approach and I made a request. For the past week, I’ve had the pleasure (yes pleasure) of driving a (near) brand-new Fusion Hybrid courtesy of Ford’s test drive program for journalists.  This post is a brief discussion of that feedback system.

Below is an effusive Ford video laying out the feedback systems, but let’s do a brief review of some SmartGauge with EcoGuide features.

• Immediate feedback on fuel efficiency, with a graphic showing 0 to 60+ miles per gallon. Hit the accelerator and see the mileage drop, foot off the gas and see it rise quickly. Clear, rapid feedback.
• Recent (10-30 minutes) mileage per gallon performance history, whether illustrated with a green plant (losing or gaining leaves) or a histogram.
• A power bar which, when available, provides clear information on how much electrical acceleration is available.
• Battery gauge, showing battery level and whether it is charging or discharging.
• Accessories’ energy demand
• Fuel tank indicator
• Miles remaining on tank. (Have to say it felt good when that number went down by three while I drove nine miles).

You can personalize the dashboard from basically eliminating all information about your fuel efficiency to a set-up with information on accessory power draw, power (including an indication of how much acceleration you can do on electricity), real-time mpg feedback, and feedback on the past 10-30 minutes of driving (either with a histogram or a plant with leaves).

While considering myself a mindful and fuel-efficient (although not hyper-miling) driver, the dashboard seemed as fascinating as I expected it to be and over the week my driving patterns shifted.   First, of course, was seeking to figure out how to maximize electric (‘silent’) driving time. This is available below 47 miles per hour and the dashboard provides a clear indication of when it is available.   Watching that led to more ‘pulse’ use of acceleration to get  a few more moments of electric driving and to acceleration downhill, where all electric acceleration proved effective.  Probably the greatest “change” in driving habits was more deliberate movement in parking lots, being able to move around without the gas engine moving on. The battery gauge provided a decent heads-up as to whether there would be electricity available for that parking lot movement but, to be honest, was mainly wasted dashboard space for this driver.

The fuel efficiency feedback served, almost, as a ‘slap in the face’ of ‘you’re wasting fuel’.  (Really wasn’t feeling like an Energy Smart driver when it went to 10 miles per gallon.) The Fusion has good get up and go, there when you need it, but the fuel penalty for putting pedal to the metal is quite clear.

The ‘efficiency leaves’ just didn’t move me but they likely will be of more interest to others. (They are impacted by four criteria:  braking; accelerator use (smooth vs harsh); accessory use; environment (terrain and weather).  As for that last, guess that one loses leaves in very hot weather simply by driving in the hot weather.)  The fuel history histogram was of more interest.

Hadn’t, prior to the test drive, picked up on the accesory power demand indicator. There is an indicator as to how much power the accessories are drawing (radio, windows, air conditioning, heated seats).  One of the days driving was over 90 degrees and that bar went up high with the heat.  The vast majority of drivers, I would conjecture, have no clue how much power (and, therefore, gas) they burn up with their accessories. This is an interesting and, for this driver, useful indicator.

One of the distinctive elements of the EcoGuide is the ‘tree’ that appears on the right. More green, more leaves, more fuel efficient driving. Looks like fall, with leaves disappearing, you’re starting to waste gas. One of the powerful features of the SmartGauge is the ability to, within its parameters, individualize the dashboard. Thus, if you wish (which I did), you can have a histogram of previous driving (10, 20, 30 minute options) in place of the bush. Amusingly (and surprisingly), Ford choose to provide, at the end, a histogram of the last ten minutes of driving efficiency displaying horribly inefficient (about 20 mpg) efficiency. When driving, I felt best when the majority of the histogram was filled with 60+ mpg. (Sometimes, however, that would simply be from being caught at a stoplight for a few minutes when there was zero motion … but also zero fuel use.)

While generally pleased with the SmartGauge, lets lay out a few shortcomings:

• Not limited to the Fusion, but we have to wonder how many accidents might occur as people look down to track fuel efficiency or strive to keep the car in electric drive. An interesting problem, as the dashboard becomes more intriguing than the outside world.
• The new Prius has moved its feedback to, in essence, above the dashboard, making it far easier to quickly check the car’s status and get your eyes back to the road. Something like that would have worked better with the Fusion.
• The SmartGauge layout perplexes. On one side of the miles per gallon is the fuel gauge and the other the battery gauge. These are, in essence, among the least information elements of the dashboard for contributing to improved performance. Thus, to get the information most useful to improve performance, you need to be moving your eyes across the dashboard and back.  Enabling drivers that additional step of personalization — to choose a perferred layout of the dashboard, not just which displays to put up, might help improve this.

These are, however, relatively speaking minor complaints against a system that seems to make a lot of sense and which could help most become more efficient and safer drivers.

Too often, when people speak of the “value” of a hybrid and the cost effectiveness, they focus solely on the payback period of the additional cost versus the financial value of cost savings. Well, this is an incredibly constrained perspective of value. There is, for those like me, the quite different driving experience with the real-time feedback, seeking to improve mileage (including maximizing electric drive time). And, there is the quite tangible comfort improvement due to a quieter car through much of the operating cycle. Listening to birds singing while stopped at a stop light is a far cry from sitting on top of a rumbling diesel engine. Thus, the hybrid’s value added is far from just fuel efficiency.

But, to that fuel efficiency. The Fusion Hybrid is rated 36 city / 41 highway. Over a week’s driving, I put in 186.4 miles. (That is somewhat high relative to my ‘normal’ usage … no car pooling, no public transit, some family events requiring drives, and a few ‘let me show this cool car’ rides.) While some of the driving focused on fuel efficiency (really liked that 99.9 mpg for one short outing, mainly electric), there was some real learning going on and a few ‘how fast can it accelerate’ moments. The most consistent rides (to / from the office) averaged above 50 miles per gallon. All told, with a relatively balanced mixture of highway / city, 42.4 miles per gallon. A good ten percent better than the ratings but lower than hoped. But, I have a long way to go. Another test driver got over 52 miles in their week with the car.

The Fusion has a long range and gets, for its size, excellent fuel mileage. But, a recent foray around the DC area by a group of expert drivers set a target for others to aim for: 1445 miles on a single tank of gas averaging 81.5 miles per gallon.

After this, Ford shared these tips for drivers.

• Slowing down and maintaining even throttle pressure;

• Gradually accelerating and smoothly braking;

• Maintaining a safe distance between vehicles and anticipating traffic conditions;

• Coasting up to red lights and stop signs to avoid fuel waste and brake wear;

• Minimize use of heater and air conditioning to reduce the load on the engine;

• Close windows at high speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag;

• Applying the “Pulse and Glide” technique while maintaining the flow of traffic;

• Minimize excessive engine workload by using the vehicle’s kinetic forward motion to climb hills, and use downhill momentum to build speed; and

• Avoiding bumps and potholes that can reduce momentum

This was in the same note from a Ford spokesman:

It is worth saying that following these tips and with coaching, even new drivers to the Fusion Hybrid were able to get in to the low 70’s mpg. To get up to 80mpg and beyond requires skill and knowledge as well as advantageous traffic patterns, but is a realistic goal for anyone dedicated to saving fuel.

Well, time to start following those tips. While 80+ mpg would be pretty fantastic to achieve, hitting consistent mileage above 70 mpg certainly would be satisfying enough.