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| A screen shot of the concept i3 drivers display. Nice and simple but where is my SOC? |
We are living in an age where there is so much information available we can suffer from information overload from time to time. We have even created the
acronym "TMI" (too much information) to quickly announce the information you have been presented with is more than you care to know about the subject.
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| F-16 cockpit display |
Automakers struggle with this also and are constantly trying to find the right balance of information that is displayed in their cars. With on-board computers constantly monitoring thousands of functions, they could easily display so much of the car's information that the display would look like the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet. Although I'm sure a few people would like dozens of gauges and digital displays, most customers would find it overwhelming and so complicated that the information they want to see would seem buried amongst the useless technical data that few really care about. This was difficult enough with gas cars. Manufacturers have been working with the information displays on gas cars for a long time and pretty much understand what the public wants and how they like it displayed. However when it comes to EVs, I'm not so sure they quite yet understand what the prospective EV customer wants. I do understand the dilemma they have. Should they make the display look as much like it does on a gas car so the transition from gas to electric is easier? I think the majority of hardcore EV enthusiasts will say "No way!" Electric cars are about the evolution of the automobile and the information displayed should also evolve. In other words, they want more, they want as much as they can have. Then on the other hand I have spoken to people who worry they won't understand a whole bunch of new gauges like real time consumption measured in miles per kilowatt hour. Everyone understands MPG, but miles per kWh? Not so much. |
| Nissan LEAF drivers instrument cluster. Note the SOC bar graph on the right |
After driving electric vehicles for about three and a half years now the single most important piece of information I want to see is the vehicle's state of charge or SOC and I want it shown front and center in a numerical value. Nissan made a terrible decision to display the LEAF's SOC with twelve bars like a gas gauge, each representing 8.33% of the cars stored energy(I assumed they were equal, but I've been told by LEAF owners they are not and the first few bars represent more energy than the last few- even more confusing!). Quick, tell me what percentage of the battery do you have left and how far you can go if you only have 5 of the twelve bars remaining? Most people can't without thinking and most everyone I have spoken to who has a LEAF absolutely hates the SOC bar graph. Please give us a clear numeric value for the state of charge and have it displayed all the time on the drivers instrument cluster. I don't want to have to search through options on the car's center information stack to get to it like I have to do with the ActiveE. (note: BMW gets a pass on the ActiveE because this is a conversion and they do have the SOC in a numeric display, just not on the drivers instrument cluster where it is shown using the existing gas gauge that the 1 series uses) |
| Multiple display settings of the Ford Focus EV |
I have not yet driven a Ford Focus Electric, but what I've read about the instrumentation has been been mixed reviews. Some like the various screen views that display range and a 'brake coach' that evidently helps you use the regenerative braking to your best advantage. However most everyone seems to dislike the 'points' game that Ford is using to help the drivers learn to drive more efficiently. Evidently you start out with an estimated range, lets say 76 miles which is the EPA rating for the FFE. As you drive, if you drive efficiently and the estimated range goes up a mile you get a point and if you drive inefficiently and the estimated range goes down you lose a point. You also get butterflies for every point you earn. (yeah I'm not kidding, there is actually a butterfly display screen; what a great use of prime real estate - ugh) So while you drive you see if you are earning or losing points, like a video game. This is supposedly meant to help teach the driver to be more efficient so the car will go further. You want to go further? Slow down. Period, end of story. Of course there are other techniques like gradually accelerating instead of stepping on it from a standstill and finding routes that have less hills, but in the range game speed kills it's really that simple. Ford's use of these points and butterfly game is what I'd call finding a solution when there was really no problem to begin with. If they really wanted to have something that coached people to drive more efficiently it shouldn't include a points system and using up valuable space on the drivers information cluster with pictures of blue butterflies.
Recently Honda started leasing a converted Fit electric car to select markets in California. I happen to know a couple of the first Fit EV lessees as they were MINI-E lessees also. Peder Norby, Colby Trudeau and Matt Walton have all leased a Fit EV and all are very happy with it so far. They have posted pictures of the FIT EVs displays online and Peder sent me some pictures at my request. I do like how it displays the regained energy form regenerative braking. Neither the MINI-E nor the ActiveE display that information so I really don't know how much it's helping. I know it is, and I know the car is going further because of it, but without a gauge to let me know either how many kWhs the regen supplied to the battery pack or how many miles it's added to my trip. I have no idea how effective it is. I hope BMW doesn't drop the ball on this. I want to see this info on the i3. It's not the kind of info I need displayed all the time on a permanent gauge, but I want it there so I can view it at my discretion. So what exactly do I want to see? Well I do want a lot of information, but I don't necessarily want it all being displayed all the time cluttering up the displays. I'd like a clean looking display with only the basic, necessary information on display all the time. Don't clutter up the displays with TMI, and please no leaves, butterflies or smiling polar bears. The other pertinent info can be called to the center stack info screen upon request. For the purpose of this post I am only talking about the information related to the electric drive, not navigation or entertainment related displays. Here's how my displays would look if I could design them:
Main instrument cluster in front of the driver:(This info should be shown all the time)
-Large MPH and SOC(a number, not a bar graph) display front & center.-Battery temperature & outside temperature.-Estimated remaining driving range.-What mode the car is in (Normal, sport, Eco Pro, etc)-Battery low warnings when applicable
Center stack display:(This information could be on multiple screens, with user scrolling necessary)
-Power use/regen gained display with real time energy use and regeneration displayed in kwh's. -Trip information. Miles driven, consumption rate, kWh's used, kWh's regained from regen, average speed, time elapsed. -Historic information: All the information from trip info, combined with previous trips until it is reset. -Energy consumption breakdown: I'd like to know what percentage of my energy consumption broken down into three categories: how much energy was used by the electric drive motor, how much by the thermal management system, and how much by the other electrical devices like cabin heating, radio, lights etc-Charging station locator |
| The ActiveE display is a 1 Series conversion just like the car. I am not a fan of the fuel-type gauge for battery state of charge. I want a numeric percentage of the battery SOC staring back at me when I drive my EV. |
So that's what I want. Now let me know what you want! Please leave comments below and tell me what information you want for your ideal EV.
Recently Honda started leasing a converted Fit electric car to select markets in California. I happen to know a couple of the first Fit EV lessees as they were MINI-E lessees also. Peder Norby, Colby Trudeau and Matt Walton have all leased a Fit EV and all are very happy with it so far. They have posted pictures of the FIT EVs displays online and Peder sent me some pictures at my request. I do like how it displays the regained energy form regenerative braking. Neither the MINI-E nor the ActiveE display that information so I really don't know how much it's helping. I know it is, and I know the car is going further because of it, but without a gauge to let me know either how many kWhs the regen supplied to the battery pack or how many miles it's added to my trip. I have no idea how effective it is. I hope BMW doesn't drop the ball on this. I want to see this info on the i3. It's not the kind of info I need displayed all the time on a permanent gauge, but I want it there so I can view it at my discretion. 
