One way to improve fuel efficiency of a vehicle is to detect the vehicle operational shortcomings related to fuel consumption by determining whether fuel used during operation of the vehicle is normal fuel use or wasted fuel use. Considerations of idling, speeding and inappropriate gear shifts are some ways to measure the amount of fuel wasted due to operator shortcomings. Communicating this information to the operator in real-time so adjustments can be made will improve vehicle fuel efficiency. These techniques are applicable to tracking employment of other driving best practices as well.

A hybrid vehicle comprises an engine, a motor and a meter display device. The hybrid vehicle is configured to display a tachometer on the meter display device in response to selection of a sport mode in a CS mode and to display a power meter on the meter display device irrespective of selection of the sport mode in a CD mode.

A driving support apparatus for a hybrid vehicle including an engine and a motor, in which the engine starts running when any one of parameters indicating a state of the hybrid vehicle reaches an engine start threshold set for the parameters, the driving support apparatus includes a current value acquiring section that acquires current values of the parameters, a margin calculation section that calculates margin levels for the current values of the parameters for keeping the engine stopping using the current values of the parameters and the engine start thresholds, and an output section that outputs the smallest margin level of the calculated margin levels.

Systems and methods for adaptive cruise control based on user defined parameters are disclosed. An example disclosed vehicle includes a GPS receiver configured to provide a location of the vehicle, an adaptive cruise control; and a cruise control adjuster. In the example cruise control adjuster is configured to generate an action when a cruise control event is defined for the location. In the disclosed example the cruise control event is based on past changes to the adaptive cruise control at the location. The example cruise control adjuster is also configured to apply the action to the adaptive cruise control to change how the adaptive cruise control controls the vehicle.

An electric vehicle display system may include a battery, an interface configured to present at least one selectable icon configured to control a battery powered vehicle feature, and a controller programmed to, in response to state-of-charge (SOC) data indicating that a trip range exceeds a possible driving range, update the selectable icon to indicate a suggested adjustment to the vehicle feature to decrease power demand of the feature.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, one or more processors receive a fuel sensor reading from a fuel sensor on a vehicle. The processor(s) receive an environmental state of a route being taken by the vehicle to a destination and a biometric sensor reading that describes a biometric state of a driver of the vehicle. The processor(s) determine whether the remaining fuel will be sufficient for the vehicle to reach the destination subject to the constraints of the environmental state of the route being taken by the vehicle and the biometric state of the driver of the vehicle, and then modify an appearance of a fuel gauge on the vehicle based on whether the remaining fuel will be sufficient for the vehicle to reach the destination.

Excess fuel consumption monitor and feedback systems for vehicles include sensor arrays of two primary types including those sensors deployed as part of a vehicle manufacturer established sensor suite and sensors deployed as after-market sensors. Together, these sensor suites include sensors coupled to vehicle subsystems and operating environments associated with the vehicle. Data from these sensors may be used as parametric inputs to drive algorithmic calculations which have outputs that express excess fuel consumption. Expressions of excess fuel consumption may be made instantaneously as real-time feedback to a vehicle operator/driver and/or a fleet manager as part of a summary report.

A control device that executes display control to perform emphasis display of a preceding vehicle, includes a detection unit that detects a candidate vehicle for a following target from among a plurality of the preceding vehicles; a calculation unit that calculates, a reduction effect of energy consumption to be obtained when traveling following the candidate vehicle; and an emphasis display setting unit that performs setting for performing emphasis display of the candidate vehicle. Further, when the display control is executed, the emphasis display of the candidate vehicle is performed according to a degree of emphasis set by the emphasis display setting unit.

A display device includes: a first display area displaying first characteristics digitally, a second display area displaying each of second characteristics as a scalar value, and a third display area displaying each of third characteristics as a rotational angle, and the first to third characteristics are displayed on a same display.

A display device used for an electric vehicle including a motor, includes a first area indicating torque of the motor and a second area indicating a coil temperature of a coil included in the electric motor.