Sunday, December 7, 2014

The missing cockpit

It's my opinion that, for the sake of simplicity, the current Toyota Hybrid cockpit is missing some valuable information for the driver.
Even the touch screen, that would be the perfect place to show more data, maybe out of an advanced mode, has little use.
Here is a Torque layout that shows what I consider the minimum useful info:

  • RPM: see if you're running on petrol or on battery, and when you're riding a sweet spot.
  • Battery State of Charge: as the Yaris charges the battery during the S1 phase, make sure you don't park the car with a full battery.
  • Battery Current: useful during the S1 phase, to check if you're demanding too much power from the battery.
  • Wheel Cylinder Pressure: check if you're braking using pads and thus wasting energy that would be recovered by the regenerative braking system.
    Note that the chart widget shows 10 seconds of history, so you can check braking performance later, without putting yourself in danger while driving.
  • Coolant Temperature: the S1 phase lasts at least until 40, and this guage will help you measure effects of winter radiator cover.



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