Ford Augments MyFord Touch System to Coach Drivers on Fuel Economy Performance
15 April 2010
| MyFord Touch map-based navigation offers an Eco-Route option, which instantly calculates the most fuel-efficient route for the driver. Ford testing shows Eco-Route can help achieve fuel economy gains of up to 15%. Click to enlarge. |
Ford revealed at the SAE 2010 World Congress that it is introducing new functions in its in-vehicle system MyFord Touch to provide real-time information on fuel economy performance that can coach drivers to get more miles to the gallon and save on fuel costs. In addition, MyFord Touch’s map-based navigation system offers an Eco-Route option that quickly calculates the most fuel efficient route a driver can take.
The MyFord Touch driver connect technology, introduced at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, replaces many of the traditional vehicle buttons, knobs and gauges. With more voice commands, LCD screens that can be customized and five-way buttons like those on cell phones and MP3 players, drivers can choose which information is front and center through a button click, voice command or touch-screen tap.
MyFord Touch launches this summer on the 2011 Ford Edge and will be available globally on the 2012 Ford Focus. MyLincoln Touch will be standard equipment on new Lincoln vehicles beginning with the 2011 Lincoln MKX.
The MyFord Touch fuel economy functionality is the latest effort from Ford to help drivers optimize their fuel economy. It builds on the fuel efficiency “coaching” concept in the SmartGauge with EcoGuide cluster for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid as well as the all-new 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The system provides real-time fuel economy data and promotes fuel-efficient driving by showing a graphic of growing leaves and flowers.
When a driver provides a destination to the navigation system, MyFord Touch accesses historical and real-time traffic data as well as posted speed information to calculate three navigation options: Fastest, Shortest and Eco-Route.
Eco-Route is not necessarily the fastest or shortest route but is the most fuel efficient. Typically, it charts a course that avoids congested freeways while maximizing the use of major roads where the driver can maintain an efficient rate of speed. When Ford of Europe engineers tested the feature, they achieved up to a 15% improvement in fuel economy using the Eco-Route.
When drivers use Eco-Route—particularly in combination with MyFord Touch’s fuel-economy feedback and fuel-efficient driving techniques—they can achieve a noticeable increase in fuel efficiency.
—Jennifer Brace-Mezigian, Ford user interface design engineer
| Instant fuel economy reading from MyFord Touch. Click to enlarge. |
In addition to its Eco-Route feature, MyFord Touch now can enable drivers to monitor and track their vehicle’s real-time fuel economy performance and mile-per-gallon averages for the past five, 10 and 30 minutes in the form of a bar chart next to the fuel gauge on the display. Drivers can customize the amount of information provided to meet their needs and hone their eco-driving skills over time.
MyFord Touch not only gives drivers information they can use to improve their driving habits, but also expands on that capability by engaging the navigation system to give drivers a variety of options. The benefits will be greater because MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch will be widely available in the future.
—Jennifer Brace-Mezigian
There ought to be a permanent display of the horsepower delivered to the wheels just to show how much horsepower is used compared to the advertised horsepower of the car. It will be shown that very much lower horsepower is needed for automobile operation and that a big engine is a waste of friction energy. It will also show how much energy the air robs from the car at high speeds. No one who promotes energy efficiency should oppose a return to the low speed limits on motorways in the US. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 15 April 2010 at 04:56 PM
Of course fuel economy gadgetry is a good and productive thing. But I'd be interested to hear what will happen when we implement zero point energy generation to the scenario. There appear to be dozens of disclosures coming forward many of which demonstrate over-unity energy systems.
If this proceeds, what happens to the behavior modification programs? There will be abundant, clean non-polluting or warming energy available across the planet. How is this a bad thing? And how is it good? Would people not be better with more energy than less? Especially clean, non-polluting energy?
We certainly need to modify eating habits in the West as they alone are cause for soaring health costs and a ridiculous tendency to fatness. Moderation. Seems to be the watchword going forward.
Posted by: sulleny | 15 April 2010 at 05:51 PM
Oh, goodness. An off-topic HG comment followed by sulleny on zero-point energy nonsense, of all things!
Show me a ZPE device. Just one. Show me, and I'll admit there's no problem.
Until then, STFU.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 15 April 2010 at 08:43 PM
I won't bother with the ZPE devices EP. Look up the recent 60 Minutes segment on... ahem, "cold fusion." I just hate when the mainstream press covers these disclosures.
Posted by: sulleny | 15 April 2010 at 11:55 PM
HG was not off topic.
He was just suggesting going a step further what Ford has done.
But I still disagree: people do put their foot down on the accelerator. And if they don't go up to the advertised figures, it's because the engine isn't running at the speed it needs to reach that figure.
But what matters is torque, not power, and I think lots of people reach the top torque figure, easily (it's just foot down at 2000 rpm on a turbocharged engine, whether gasoline or diesel).
Don't put speed limits down: tax fuel if you want to reduce fuel consumption, but let people speed up and pay if they want.
Posted by: Simodul | 16 April 2010 at 12:11 AM
What happens if, during the voice command, you sneeze?
Posted by: sheckyvegas | 16 April 2010 at 11:27 AM
Haha, Engineer-Poet, you're so dumb.... see, they're making electricity out of sunlight, which proves that Zero Point Energy is real!
/sarc
No, seriously, what does fusion have to do with ZPE?
Posted by: Nat Pearre | 16 April 2010 at 01:58 PM
sheckyvegas: vehicle dials Glaxo Smith.
Nat: That's cold fusion as in excess heat from... well, um, no one seems to know. Doh!
Posted by: sulleny | 16 April 2010 at 03:11 PM