2010 Ford Hybrids will have SmartGauge

By Brenda Barron/

Wow, this thing looks like it belongs in the future! Okay, so 2010 is the future, but you know what I mean. These SmartGauge instrument panels are set to be included in two Ford hybrid models in the year 2010, and if I had any plans of getting a Ford in the next couple of years, I'd be excited.

The two cars set to get the video panel are the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. This panel has a standard speedometer, but that's about where the "standard" ends. On either side are video screens. They play animations of the EcoGuide, indicating how much power you're using, and how your driving is affecting the world around you.

You can customize what information is displayed such as the tachometer, battery charge, accessory power use, engine output, power applied to the wheels and more. You can view charts and graphs of data as well, though I doubt that would be good viewing while driving. Check out a video of some of the animations below:

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