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Smartphone APP to help with fuel economy questions (GENIII)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by F8L, Jan 19, 2011.

  1. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I just loaded an app called "My Tracks" for my Android phone.

    The reason for this is we see a lot of people asking why they are not seeing great fuel economy and we end up directing them to a questioner and/or asking a bunch of questions. With an app like this, or one available from many GPS devices, we can easily determine if the reason for someone's poor fuel economy is based on their commute or not. It is very simple to use and since most of us have smartphones now this could be very useful in diagnosing fuel economy issues. The program on your phone has a bit more information like a speed vs. elevation map which is handy. Here is a sample of what my work commute (both ways) looks like. I stopped tracking a few miles from my house for security reasons. [​IMG]

    On this commute I will normally average between 46-48mpg depending on weather conditions. On my flatland commute (to the girlfriend's house) I easily see 50-53mpg average. *NOTE - elevation map is X10ft.

    http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...d=202129938733970886848.00049a3f08539f01eac75

    Created by My Tracks on Android.
    Total Distance: 35.43 km (22.0 mi)
    Total Time: 23:37
    Moving Time: 23:10
    Average Speed: 90.00 km/h (55.9 mi/h)
    Average Moving Speed: 91.70 km/h (57.0 mi/h)
    Max Speed: 117.75 km/h (73.2 mi/h)
    Min Elevation: 71 m (233 ft)
    Max Elevation: 340 m (1115 ft)
    Elevation Gain: 272 m (894 ft)
    Max Grade: 5 %
    Min Grade: -5 %
    Recorded: Wed Jan 19 19:23:41 PST 2011
    Activity type: - Driving
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 F8L, Jan 19, 2011
  2. kgall

    kgall Active Member

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    Any idea if something like this is available for iPhone or others?
     
    #2 kgall, Jan 22, 2011
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    #3 F8L, Jan 24, 2011
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I've changed my commute. It is much longer now but the up side is my average MPG has increased. I know I'm still using more fuel but it's more fun to play with driving techniques when I'm not constantly uphill or down hill. :)

    I'm now averaging 50-52mpg. We'll see how that changes with summer temps and summer blend fuel.

    Pic is from home to work.
     

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    #4 F8L, Apr 14, 2011
  5. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    I'd like to download that app, but apparently I'm one of many customers that Google is not helping that cannot download apps using their Market app.

    For some reason, I get "Google Talk Authentication Failed" errors, and apparently because of that, I can't download any apps. Went to the Google help pages, and there's post after post of people with this problem, none of which have been definitively resolved, and no word from Google itself on any of this. You can't ask them for help either, they don't seem to have any live people anywhere.

    So I won't be running that app anytime soon it appears. I think I can get 3rd party apps on different websites (to be verified), just not anything from my provider or from Google.

    I have t-mobile, which is in the process of being bought out by AT&T. If this problem continues, I'll definitely switch to an iPhone.

    Sorry about venting in your thread, this is just rather frustrating because My Tracks does look interesting, especially for bike riding.
     
    #5 nerfer, Apr 18, 2011
  6. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Would the Mobile Tracker app work for you? I think PC member, firstflight, download ed it when he found out he couldn't use My Tracks. I think the app is made by Hadango?
     
    #6 F8L, Apr 18, 2011
  7. royfranz

    royfranz New Member

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    There is an Android app called 'Torque' that will log GPS tracks as well as data from a bluetooth ODB2 interface. You could get speed/location and also additional data like throttle position and engine RPM, etc.
     
    #7 royfranz, Apr 20, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  8. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Jason Holder, panelist on WhatDrivesUs podcast, showed me the app he uses on his iPhone to log average mph and elevation maps. I thought some of you might be interested. Seems like another good alternative to my Android app.

    Cyclemeter GPS Bike Computer for Road & Mountain Biking for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store

    Here is another iPhone alternative:

    Map My Tracks OutFront: All-sports GPS training computer for cycling, running, walking and more for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad on the iTunes App Store
     
    #8 F8L, May 10, 2011
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