Ford to drive green motoring with 'leaves and vines' dashboard
SmartGauge to 'enlighten' drivers into better fuel economy
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'Leccy Tech Ford appears to have come to the conclusion that the way to save the planet is to patronise its customers into compliance. That at least is the only conclusion we can draw from its new SmartGauge dashboard.
"SmartGauge with EcoGuide" instrument clusters will appear in the 2009 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids.
Essentially a pair of hi-res colour LCD displays that site on either side of the speedometer, the SmartGuage is designed to inform and educate the driver about how to get the best from his or her hybrid.
Ford's SmartGauge with EcoGuide: growing leaves and vines show how planet-protecting you are
Or, as Ford puts it, "inform, enlighten, engage and empower" the eco-conscious motorist.
Do well and you will be rewarded by a delicate tracery of “growing leaves and vines” appearing on the display to demonstrate how Gaia is burgeoning as a result of your considerate motoring.
"The driver is immediately engaged by the SmartGauge displays... with a special greeting that combines illumination and graphics," chirps the motor company.
Also shows useful data
"A tutorial mode built into the display that helps the driver learn about the instrument cluster and the hybrid in a whimsical way that does not overpower," it added, whimsically.
So that's the 2008 award for the silliest idea to come out of the motoring industry taken care of...
More usefully, the screen provides a review of important information gleaned from your most recent journey, such as fuel economy, battery charge and comparative performance data from previous outings.
The good news? It doesn't seem likely that we will see SmartGauge on our side of the pond, and at least they didn't go the whole nine yards and fit the system with HUD to project an image of a weeping Al Gore onto the windscreen begging you to think about the planet.
COMMENTS
@Danny Thompson
"Mines the one with "Get a f***ing move on" writted on the back"
Surely you mean the front? Dork.
Lets face it ????
"Let's face it you spend more time looking at the inside of your car, than you do at the outside, ...."
Oooh look. Another statistic just about to happen. Can you tell us where and when so we can take the GIFs and JPEGs of your imminent departure from this dimension.
Ford still don't get it - we don't want fancy dashboards, the world and its dog wants/needs/fancies ZEV at point of use. And not some crappy "concept" vehicle. If an upstart like Tesla or Vectrix can do it why cannot a major vehicle manufacturer. And why not before 2010? What is so magical about 2010?
Mines the one with "Get a f***ing move on" writted on the back
@Andreas
All depends really. I have in my hand a 2.2w bulb from a Smith's tachometer.
<Counts instruments>
Speedo, tacho, water temp, oil pressure, fuel, ammeter, clock.
That's 15.4w in total when the lights are on. Does the multifunction unit draw more or less than 15.4w? (Mandatory, 24x7 "lights on" is coming, courtesy of the "we have to do something or people will notice we're a waste of space" types in Brussels).
Never mind that you'd probably need a few extra dials to display all the info available from a modern multifunction display. Oh, and you *still* need a display for the navi system and built in ICE that's de rigeur these days.
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