With So Much Stuff Right....

The additional marginal cost to have drill-down menus is very minor. Toyota already has some of this, but in a semi-secret "dance" of MFD and buttons.

It isn't rocket science to build touch screen targets and drill-down menus. I was doing that in the mid 1980's on systems like this one



Obviously a lot larger and more expensive than an entire dealer allotment of Prius cars.

 

Wow. Those big outdoor grill sets have gotten really sophisticated.

 

For the time, that TDC 3000 was extremely futuristic and highly capable. It was also built like a brick s***house and ran forever. Not too many computers in 1980 offered touch screen interface.

Of course, a basic TDC 3000 installation would set the client back several million, so you paid for that futuristic technology back then

 

That's why we have Scangages.

 

Toyota is doing a good job on hiding these 'technical' info from the regular owners, which maybe account 98% of the Prius public. Prius is basically a 'software' car, you just need to turn it on and drive! All other info like Coolant Temp, RPM, Fuel Trim, O2 sensors volts, Intake Pressure, etc. are debug info used by the Prius Engineers who refining the OS of the HSD.

Watching over the roads or traffics will be far more important than being distracted by additional gauges, graphs or numbers on the MFD or dash. Simple is beautiful, the most indicators you need is just the MPH, MPG and the Fuel Guage.

 

I completely agree.

However, the ability to drill-down to different menu levels would be a welcome feature. Other car makers provide this feature. There is a "dance" one can do with the MFD to enter some diagnostic functions

Personally, I find myself driving with my MFD off most of the time, especially at night time

 

I would agree that the MFD should have a screen to conglomerate a lot of the information that we'd like to see. I'd also like to be able to see the engine temperature, so I can know what operation I can expect. It may be beneficial to have an indication of electrical power flow in order to maximize regeneration (the Insight I had a few years ago had a great power flow meter that helped with regeneration).

So, what I'd like to see on a conglomerated screen would be:

Engine temperature
Battery SOC
Energy flow (both powering the motor(s) and regenerating)
Engine RPM
Instant Economy

And then have numeric displays for

Lifetime Economy
Trip A economy (reset by the trip odometer)
Trip B economy (reset by trip odometer)
Today economy (like the SG will show)
This Trip economy (like the SG shows)
Outside Temperature


At a quick glance, one could see what mode the vehicle should be operating in with the engine temperature and battery SOC meters. Engine RPM would easily indicate when the engine shuts off. Energy flow would help maximize regenerative potential.

 

I want all of those things also. However, I would guess I'm in the minority in a BIG way.

Your average auto customer just wants a gas/brake pedal, steering wheel and a gas guage. Sadly, sometimes I don't think they even understand those simple things.

... Brad

 

One other consideration is that the "average driver" is more likely to be distracted and get involved in an accident with so much data to look at. I suspect most folks on this site or those among us who fly airplanes will safely handle the additional info.

 

I have a fairly high amount of lighting automation that I have installed in my house. Some of it is controlled by an electronic interface unit that is accessed via a standard ethernet network connection using a Java client.

The "operating system" for this solid state lighting controller is firmware based. It is truly an electronic "appliance", which is both very reliable and very small, and uses little electricity. When a new release of the firmware becomes available, I can easily update it via the Internet. Compared to the alternatives, it is very "user friendly". And yet it can be quite powerful and sophisticated should someone want to get into it to that level.

Contrast this with other control rigs that are used by Home Automation afficienados of the same protocol as mine. These are computer-based systems that require an "always on" computer in order to be able to launch the required events and timers, and to modify lighting scenes. Very cumbersome for the average user.

If I ever sell my house, I want the lighting to be a selling point. And I want to be able to say "and this little box here controls the lighting", not "oh, see this computer over here? This needs to run 24 hours a day for your lighting automation to function".

This thread reminds me of my lighting example. Toyota realizes that to ultimately be competitive, their hybrids have to behave like an "appliance": the simpler, the more it feels like a "normal" car, the better.

What's great about the Prius is that you can drive it like a "regular car", and still get mileage in the mid 40s (overall). Sure, it would be really great if we could have advanced access to more of the inside information in real time. And sure, you can hypermile and get 70+ mpg.

But I have to agree with the sentiments of others here that most people that who ultimately buy hybrids in the future won't care about "what" its doing as long as it works. After all, Toyota needs to sell volume to stay competitive and stay in business. And there probably are not enough enthusiasts to keep them in business.