Real-Time Gas Gauges Coming to More Cars

Toyota already includes fuel economy gauges on its hybrids that let drivers know whether the car is running on electricity or gas, but it’s also investigating whether to include similar gauges on all its cars and trucks.

The idea would be to let drivers know how their driving practices affect their mileage. Several other car companies already offer variations on this idea.

Already popular among many cars are readouts that display the car’s miles per gallon at any given moment. Nissan has plans to extend its fuel-efficiency meter (which it says can cut gas use by 10%) to its entire lineup. Ford has an electronic bar chart in the dashboard of its Mustang, Edge and Fusion that measures fuel efficiency. Chrysler and GM have similar displays that indicate when a car is putting its fuel to the best use, and some Honda cars use a light that glows during the most efficient driving.

The question for Toyota and others is whether or not to make such an indicator — whatever its form — standard. If drivers pay attention to such readouts and displays, the feature could prove friendly to both the consumer and the environment. Still, will those readouts distract them from where their attention should be: the road?

Fuel Economy Gauges Could Avoid Wasteful Driving (Detroit Free Press)