Garmin ecoRoute HD

This does look very cool, whether or not it has Prius specific info available.

- D

 

If I upgrade my 3 years old Nuvi, I will get a model that supports ecoRoute.

 

I saw it at CES. It definitely has no Prius specific info nor did it seem to have UI for an equivalent of XGauges.

It had a lot of "standard" values like the ones shown in the the picture and I recall ones like coolant temperature. You basically have to chose from 5 of a fixed list. There's a partial list at http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2...uvi-into-a-realtime-diagnostics-computer.html. I'd say the set is similar to what's built into ScanGauge.

I mentioned ScanGauge to one of the Garmin reps (which he was unaware of) and showed him their web page. I also later showed him one of the Prius XGuage code lists.

 

Here's some information:
Fitted ecoroute HD and Garmin 2460 LT to a 2009 ZVW30 (aka 2010 Gen III) Prius this morning after using it for several months in a Citroën C5.

Most Garmin nüvi have ecoroute (i.e. before you fit ecoroute HD) and calculate fuel use based on city and highway fuel economy and fuel cost that you input. AFAIK the unit then applies the rates according to what type of road you were travelling on (city or highway) and how smooth you drive based on rate of acceleration, braking and gliding according to GPS readings. As you drive the fuel economy and score out of 100 is calculated. At the end of your journey fuel use and cost is shown. However, since the actual fuel use is not recorded, this is an estimate at best.

The ecoroute HD shares data from your car with the GPS. Note: Fitting the ecoroute HD does not magically guarantee that you can read all parameters. My Citroën C5 would not give ecoroute HD instantaneous fuel use, even if it did include it on its own display. And my ecoroute score was stuck on 0.

You can also record each fuel purchase by price, volume and odometer. I haven't done enough research to see if this refines the calculation, however the resulting spreadsheet allows you to calculate for yourself.

The XW30 Prius sends a lot of data to the ecoroute HD. Unlike my Citroën, the Prius is providing such data that the ecoroute can determine my ecoroute score.

GAUGES: engine load, coolant temperature, intake manifold pressure, timing advance, intake air temperature, mass air flow, throttle position, battery voltage, speed, RPM. You can display five of these at a time.
By comparison, my Citroën C5 had only 5: engine load, speed (which indicated a faulty speed sensor and reason for ABS and cruise control failure), RPM, Coolant temperature and battery voltage.
BTW The Garmin website can't specify what gauges you will see, only what gauges the ecoroute is capable of displaying if the data are forthcoming.

I'm not sure if the fuel economy calculation is more accurate with ecoroute HD (hope so!). The ecoroute score is continually updated. Plant your foot and the green-leafed 99 turns into a bright red-leafed 15.

The fuel used on a journey is displayed when you turn off. However, I need to confirm if this is an estimate (as per standard ecoroute) or from the ecoroute HD data.

The ecoroute HD can read error codes and the descriptions are a download. However, the car must be running and it doesn't record the error history.

It wouldn't replace a proper OBDC reader or recorder, which could read proprietary codes and reset them. But as an option it does provide a simple diagnostic that can help put the pieces of a puzzle together, like my speed sensor fault.

UPDATE 26/01/2012: Just took a 76km (47 mile) loop of mostly 80km/h (50mph) roads, some 100km/h (62mph) a few traffic lights and roundabouts and a few dozen metres of ups and downs in eco mode, though I pressed PWR mode to get through one roundabout. (Gungahlin, Tuggeranong Parkway, Monaro Hwy, Majura Drive, Horse Park Drive for those keeping score.) I tried combinations of gauges and checked the fuel used calculation at the end of journey.

Gauges were interesting but baffling. The engine load was usually zero or 90%, the RPM was usually between 1000 to 2000. Once when gliding downhill the engine load was 50%, which was odd since the engine was off. I'll have to video a drive so that the combination of speed, terrain, engine parameters can be analysed.

Fuel used calculation seems to rely mostly on my input during the setup of ecoroute HD, which at city & highway 6L/100km - 47MPG(UK) - 39.4 MPG(US) - 16.7 km/L was obviously too high. Pruis trip computer recorded 4.4L/100km - 64.2 MPG(UK) - 53.7 MPG(US) 22.7km/L. Maybe ecoroute HD it will become more accurate as I enter more petrol purchases.

 

As I posted in another thread, there's NO SUCH THING as an XW30 Prius.

Toyota has never called them that. There are the NHW10 (JDM only, Gen 0? or 0.5?), NHW11 (Gen 1), NHW20 (Gen 2) and ZVW30 (Gen 3). Gen 3's began sale in the US in ~May 09 and were referred to here as 2010 models.

 

I installed the EcoRoute HD unit. Last winter I started having starting problems. After three calls to the roadside assist i put the car in to Toyota for service and checking.
They told me the OBDC thing was causing extra drain on the elec system and that was causing the problem so i removed it.
Still had starting problems and finally put car in for a week of intensive checking. Initially they continued to blame the Garmin until I let them know it had been removed since the previous check. At the end of the week I was told the system was within specs and nothing wrong.
At this point I changed dealers for service and brought a battery booster unit tha is on charge on my work bench permanently.
Toyota not on my shortlist for next vehicle.

David

 

Why not check the health of the 12V battery and replace if necessary?

 

No doubt the Garmin 2595 NUVI/ ecoroute drains the battery. I was puzzled after leaving my 2013 sit for a week got back and battery was dead. Last week my wife and I were in LA for a week. Both own Prius, both have the Garmin 2595 NUVI, both have ecoroute, we both had a dead battery.