Prius Driver Interface Graduate Design Study

Greetings,

My name is Matthew Wilkins and I am working in the second year of a graduate study at Arizona State University. This particular study is aimed at improving driver fuel effieciency through studying current driver interfaces. I am looking for anyone who considers themselves to be an extremist in the realm of fuel effieciency. If you don't feel that you qualify then read no further. If you do qualify then please feel free to answer as many of the questions below as you can.

1: What is your average miles/gallon/full tank?

2: How do you feel when you drive your hybrid?

3: How do you feel when you drive a normal car (any car with standard injection engine)?

4: When you drive your hybrid how do you know you are driving more effieceintly?

5: What are the differences between the instrument panels of your hybrid and a normal car?

6: What are the differences between the controls (steering wheel, gas/brake pedal, shifter) of your hybrid and a normal car?

7: What would you like to see in your next hybrid? What, if anything is missing from your current hybrid that you think would improve your fuel performance?

I don't see the hybrid system indicator/energy monitor among your poll choices. What's the closest choice? Central dash fuel diagram?

Hi Grad Design,

This is an intersting project. I have done a post where I find the biggest mistake made in the excellent Prius is the effective feedback of vehicle operation to the driver. Check out this post ( http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/59475-so-much-stuff-right.html )...

I was using the MYCANSCAN system, which does not jump out at one as an excellent system, but dynamically, its use of positionally mapped parameters which change color to indicate magnitude is very good. One does have to learn what parameter is where, but that is simple enough.

Go through that thread I posted for all sorts of comments on these issues.

The main problem with the 2nd Gen Prius display is lack of magnitude information. They got caried away with the component pictures, and forgot what the whole purpose of the display should be for. Its not a marketing display to wow passengers - its a tool - like any other dash board on a car - to understand what is available from the car, and what is not. With such knowledge great improvement in fuel economy is possible - such as my last tank at 70.1 mpg, versus 58 mpg in similar conditions just driving it, and many people getting low 50's.

I am driving a stock drive-train Prius. I have some aero-mods, but drive slow on the highway. Many others have the EV switch, which when employed as an engine-kill switch can improve fuel economy a whole bunch. One of the issues with the Prius is that it just does not always turn off the engine when you lift the accelerator peddle. In the first half of my commute there are many times I am gliding along with the engine running. And no way to kill it. And no way to quickly notice the engine is running at all either (no tachometer!!!).

1. 54 mpg
2. I feel like I am driving any other car. Nothing extraordinary.
3. Some seem louder, but otherwise, pretty much the same.
4. The mpg readouts.
5. Other cars focus more on telling me what the enginge is doing. (temperature, rpms, etc.). The Prius tells me more about what I am doing to the car.
6. No difference. The brakes are typically more sensitive, th gas is a bit less sensitive, butboth are within normal variences
7. Plug in and bigger battery.

Yep. That's why I clicked 'I would discuss my experience'. Maybe the poll taker hasn't a clue what that is though ... much less Can-view ... that'd really flip 'em out.