Ford "Smart Gauge" collects green leaves for good behavior w/VIDEO
by Chris Tutor on Oct 29th 2008 at 7:56AM 
You drive like crap and you know it. Stop the burnouts, late braking and 100-mph freeway sprint and you just might make a tank of gas last longer than a day. Sure, automakers like Ford could spend a few million on lectures to teach car buyers a thing or two about better driving. But if you didn't get it in Driver's Ed, you're not likely to get it now. Instead, Ford's new Smart Gauge will teach better driving through rewards. Do a better job controlling your right foot, and Smart Guage adds a green leaf to a display next to the speedo. The better you do, the more leaves you get. Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of hybrid-vehicle programs, tells The Wall Street Journal, "You don't have to count the leaves. But if you're in a forest of leaves, you'll know you're doing well."
You can also grow your Virtual Dash Tree™ for a chance to defeat the boss monster on the final level and, if successful, Smart Gauge will reward drivers with Fordelicious Fruit™, which you can trade for Microsoft Points that can be used to pay for your Sync subscription. No. Not really.
Ford is expected to announce the Smart Gauge today and it will initially be available on the hybrid versions of 2010 Mercury Milans and Ford Fusions. There is a video from Ford after the jump.
[Source: The Wall Street Journal]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike 8:04AM (10/29/2008)
I know the last part is a joke, but I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as a SYNC subscription. Probably confusing it with OnStar.
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Foose1397 8:12AM (10/29/2008)
Good idea...better than the lets control your kids with a special key idea
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rndmnme 8:20AM (10/29/2008)
I think I'll stick to my 100 mph freeway runs, thanks.
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Neil Schelly 8:33AM (10/29/2008)
Good idea, but not a new one. Prius and Camry hybrid drivers are used to this (gauges glow a brighter, prettier blue when you're doing well and it will congratulate you after a drive if you've reached a certain threshold). I think Honda has a similar setup.
Ultimately, I find the best (and far better than this) teacher in this regard though to be the real-time MPG gauge that BMWs have had forever and many hybrids have too. When I push down the gas pedal and see that needle drop, it's an instant reminder and you start to try and accelerate without having as much of an impact on that needle.
-N
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Vance 9:01AM (10/29/2008)
I think so, too.
I have a Hyundai Sonata that has a mileage calculations for the tank, and while not real time, I find myself always taking a glance at it after every drive to see if I've improved the overall mileage or gotten worse. It's really helped motivate me to be a better driver. At first thought, I would think the leaf system would be very annoying, though I could be wrong and wind up liking it.
Also, I can't help but point out that it seems as though Hybrid owners would be the ones already doing this. Why not put this system in Expeditions, Mustangs and F-150's where the drivers really need the education?
ettore38 9:26AM (10/29/2008)
I agree 100% about the instantaneous fuel consumption meter. There's already been a comment made about BMW owners ignoring it but I'm one of them who doesn't. I'm getting the exact same fuel economy in my 2001 740i as my colleagues are in their 4-banger Mazda6s and Nissan Altima SE-Rs (13l/100km with 70% city). None of us floor the car during our commutes either. I always find myself being careful with how hard I accelerate because when that needle jumps to 30l/100km during acceleration it's enough to make me gag every time. Also it's much easier finding a highway cruising speed that's more fuel efficient than just going the speed limit or less. I'd welcome the leaf-thingy or any other type of explicit display for fuel economy. It really does work if you want to take advantage of it.
Judy Zik 10:50AM (10/29/2008)
The Escape Hybrid has always had a gauge that tells you how efficiently you are driving. I imagine the Fusion and Milan will have the same thing. The leaf graphics will probably just be in addition to it.
Amazing to think these cars should be out in 3 months. Where is the hype from Ford? GM is constantly talking about their Volt and the Malibu almost hybrid. Ford's hybrid tech is right up there with Toyota and they are finally putting it in a car. I am surprised at how little we are hearing about it so close to launch.
dkw 10:56AM (10/29/2008)
@ Vance Some of these vehicles you mentioned have this kind of a gage. My Mustang has a simple bar graph that shows, in real time, what kind of mileage you are getting, as well as average fuel economy, and distance to empty.
That being said, I don't look at the gage when 'dropping the hammer.'
turbo-quattro 12:11PM (10/29/2008)
yea i was checking out my uncles 540i he just purchased, and it has a small gauge that shows instantaneous mpg, pretty funny to watch when flooring it haha.
My car has a similar feature on the "driver information display" but its not as exciting as watching a physical gauge, since its just digital numbers.
Joshua 9:07AM (10/29/2008)
bimmers have mpg numbers calculated and displayed as the car is driven, yet that doesn't stop their drivers from acting like everything is a race. if people aren't motivated by actual numbers how will leaves have greater influence?
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garland823 9:18AM (10/29/2008)
That's a pretty small sample size, wouldn't you say? BMW's are widely regarded as sports sedans, so it's no surprise the numbers don't really motivate their drivers. Nevermind the popular opinion that their drivers are idiots/jackasses.
The Toyota Highlander has the most effective solution I've seen, with a LCD screen that displays real-time MPG with a bar graph and average MPG for the tank. My 08 Impreza has a display that calculates MPG for the current trip. Not quite as effective but it still makes me think about how I drive. Anything that does that should be enough for most people.
HotRodzNKustoms 9:41AM (10/29/2008)
Earn enough of them and you earn an extra life.
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anoldbikeguy 9:52AM (10/29/2008)
The first car I had that had a fuel economy display was a 1986 Ford Taurus. I took it as a challenge to get thirty MPG driving across town with the trip setting and seeing what I could do instantaneously really showed the effects of slight variations in speed, acceleration up hills vs. speeding up slightly before the hill and easing off going up, etc.
Ever since, I typically get better fuel economy than others driving the same vehicle.
Still do the same with my Aurora (3.5 Shortstar) - long term average 25.6 mpg with the infamous 'Brighton to Novi commute' every day - those of us in SE Michigan know what that commute is like!
Anything that helps people get this 'fuel economy challenge' mindset is OK with me!
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Jakesnake1294 9:53AM (10/29/2008)
I use the hell out of my mileage gauge on my BMW 3 series and I average over 30 mpg with it. My car does spend a lot of time in neutral when going down hills and once I get it just above the speed limit. Strangely enough, I am usually moving faster than surrounding cars even though my foot is not on the gas pedal nearly as often.
I like this idea. I am one of those people that would get obsessed with the number of leaves I could get to pop up.
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SCBG 9:58AM (10/29/2008)
Am I crazy to think (not necessarily because of the leaves Ford is putting on the dash) that we could have real-time online gaming behind the wheel where people are hypermiling against each other? Joe the Plumber (did I just type that?) in Ohio would be hypermiling against Joe the Elitist in NY. Of course driving conditions are everything in this but even a daily download and analysis/comparison of the numbers would be interesting for some. Of course I'm sure I would despise driving behind these people and never mind the dangers in it.
The MPG readout on my '05 Legacy GT MT is never high enough for me...truly depressing.
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BartMack 10:34AM (10/29/2008)
I once had a 1976 Oldsmobile 98 with a fuel economy guage. Sometimes that car would get upwards of 8 mpg.
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LoneWolf 10:43AM (10/29/2008)
Yeah, that is a pretty old news. Pontiac had a economy gauge in the mid-sixties...
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bill 11:58AM (10/29/2008)
And in the fall when the leaves fall from the dash we can hire unemployed GM, Ford, and Chrysler sales persons to rake them up and haul them to the dump.
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Sharone 10:54AM (10/29/2008)
A car with such a smart gauge is just asking for a keying.
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Fordzilla 11:14AM (10/29/2008)
"You drive like crap and you know it. Stop the burnouts, late braking and 100-mph freeway sprint and you just might make a tank of gas last longer than a day."
It's like they've been watching me drive. :D
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