What do you look at? Part II

[Stev0]

Well?

[hill]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Mar 31 2007, 03:24 PM) [snapback]415574[/snapback]</div>

Well?
[/b]

Hugh! Consumption & Flippers 50 50. But it's still early in the pole.

[jdenenberg]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Mar 31 2007, 03:24 PM) [snapback]415574[/snapback]</div>

Well?
[/b]

Actually, I try to look mostly at the road ahead.

JeffD

[JimboK]

Like Jeff, I look mostly at the road. Assuming you really meant "What do you look at on the MFD," I answered the Energy screen, using its information to help me maximize fuel economy.

[Stev0]

Yeah, that's an oops! If some admin could fix it so the question reads "What do you look at on the MFD" and or/"What do you look at when you're not looking at the road?" I'd appreciate it.

[Bohous]

I voted "consumption" by default but I pay less and less attention to it all the time. If I am driving long distances, especially at night, I have found that turning the MFD off to be very liberating. If I had NAV I would probably leave it there all the time.

[Godiva]

I look out the windshield at the road.

[efusco]

CAN-View with a once or twice per trip glance at the consumption screen...usually at the end of the trip.

This thread also forces me to resurrect an old thread I think you guys will find interesting!
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=13686
The Four Stages of Prius Enlightenment
(author’s note: This is a rewrite of the original published over a year ago that was lost during the PriusChat server crash. There may be some differences. If anyone has a copy of the original I’d love to have it to publish it as well.)

Stage I: Awe and Fascination
The Multi-display screen (MFD) is left on the Energy screen the majority of the time as the driver and passengers watch with fascination as the colorful arrows shift and switch from Engine (ICE) to wheels and ICE to battery and wheels to battery. This is a time of trying to comprehend the general idea of how the car is working at different times. Some attention is paid to overall MPG by switching to the Consumption screen from time to time, but for the most part the 5-minute graph is hard to put into perspective. This phase lasts from weeks to a few months.

Stage II: Growth and Progress
The driver now tends to focus on the Consumption screen in an effort to improve each of the individual 5 minute bars on the graph as part of an effort to improve overall MPG. Fine adjustments are made in driving technique such as rate of acceleration, top speed, using cruise control and adjusting to traffic and lights. Occasionally switching over to the Energy screen may occur as he/she tries to understand what might be going on in a particular situation or to show that screen to a new rider, but the focus here is clearly on the Consumption screen and efforts to improve mileage. This phase lasts months to about a year.

Stage III: Fine Tuning
Once consistency is obtained with the Consumption screen phase and the driver’s MPG has seemed to stabilize for familiar routes there is a tendency to want to begin to ‘push the envelope’ to really maximize the fuel economy. To this end he/she needs to switch to the Energy screen once again. This time, however, it is used not to understand, but rather to fine tune and control the system to attain maximum efficiency. Techniques such as Pulse and Glide will require the Energy screen to assure they are in a ‘no arrows’ glide. Acceleration in the ‘dead-band’ (arrows from ICE to wheels only—none to or from the HV battery) for maximal efficiency likewise necessitate the Energy screen. Those not as dedicated or concerned about the fuel economy may find that they begin to use alternate screens such as the Audio screen or the MAP screen checking the Consumption screen occasionally and Energy screen rarely. Most drivers who are dedicated to constantly obtaining maximum possible fuel efficiency will remain on the Energy screen for years or even for the remainder of the time they own the car, switching to the Consumption screen only to check the tank MPG average and total miles on the tank then immediately returning to the Energy screen.

Stage IV: Prius Nirvana
Most people will never attain Prius Nirvana. This is the stage where the driver has almost become one with the vehicle. He/she is so aware of the car’s operation that he/she can tell when he/she’s in the dead-band or gliding without looking at the Energy screen. Indeed he/she will enter those conditions often without conscious effort as they’ve become second nature. Maximal MPG is still achieved but almost without effort. This is not the same as the person in Stage III who no longer cares about MPG, this person cares greatly, but no longer has to put significant effort in to their driving to achieve it. He or she will use various screens on the MFD as needed, or may even turn it off completely. There is no longer a need to look at the Energy screen at all and they look at the Consumption screen only to note overall MPG and total tank miles. This stage is lifetime.

[geeky teacher]

The "Four Stages" is a fun description of a Prius owner's learning curve. Is there an appropriate place to insert a Stage I. b. or II. b.?

Right now with the inconsistent weather I've been spending a lot of time flipping between climate control and the consumption screen. I've been driving the car for 3 months now. Yes, I know, the PriusChat advice is to set the climate on auto and let it do it's job, but my passengers insist on playing with it. Also, I never dreamed the gray interior would come with a black dashboard. What a heat magnet! I should've held out for the bisque/beige interior.

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(geeky teacher @ Mar 31 2007, 08:26 PM) [snapback]415736[/snapback]</div>

The "Four Stages" is a fun description of a Prius owner's learning curve. Is there an appropriate place to insert a Stage I. b. or II. b.?

Right now with the inconsistent weather I've been spending a lot of time flipping between climate control and the consumption screen. I've been driving the car for 3 months now. Yes, I know, the PriusChat advice is to set the climate on auto and let it do it's job, but my passengers insist on playing with it. Also, I never dreamed the gray interior would come with a black dashboard. What a heat magnet! I should've held out for the bisque/beige interior. [/b]

Go to the linked thread and add any suggested amendments there in a followup post.
To me they really need a Stage IIIb for the ScanGuage and CAN-View users who really and truely fine-tune...perhaps this should even be stage IV and the current IV made into stage V since it's truely distinctive incorporating careful observation of ICE RPM, battery amperage and SOC, and a multitude of other parameters to squeeze every possible fraction of an MPG out of the car.