Does anyone know what the amp draw is from the NAVI system? If you turn off the display, does it also turn off the gps, the DVD and the Navi computer?

On most of my driving (commute to/from my office), I don't really need the maps and gps. Knowing how much power some laptops suck, I was wondering if the NAVI could have an impact on the IMA battery SOC.

Is it significant enough that I should consider turning off the display when not using it? If turning it off (when not needed) might prevent or reduce the time of forced regen, it might be worthwhile. What do you think?

 

Let me give you one more thing to worry about:

You shouldn't eat breakfast until you get to work, so you don't have to carry that extra weight during your commute.

 

Okay... I guess I deserved that... but with some folks asking if they should remove their air conditioner, others recommending removal of the fuse for the daytime running lights, and still others putting nitrogen in the tires, I don't think the question was THAT unreasonable!

I know the HCHII battery packs are quite small (vs. Prius), and I've heard the computer in the NAVI is fairly powerful. Laptops gobble up power... add a DVD and gps to the mix, and the amp draw could be significant.

I'm not suggesting removal or disconnection of the NAVI... I love that thing, and I do use it! I just don't need it on my daily commute. Wondering if there MIGHT be some measureable impact on MPG. All little things add up, you know!

At least I know it would have a greater impact than Nitrogen in the tires... yet that thread went on FOREVER!!!

 

Hey Jeff - this is real easy to test. Just get a Voltmeter and hook it up to the battery and switch it to read Amps. Idle the car and turn the display off and see if the Amps fall then turn on the display. The car should have a good enough alternator and battery system to compensate for this so you would probably see a change in voltage across the battery if you were to just measure that (V=I*R remember). If you have Alligator clips to make the connection longer then you can bring the Voltmeter inside the car with you while you drive and can see what differences there are while driving with Nav on/off.

I don't think it is worth it. I've had my A/C off this whole week trying to see what the non-A/C tank economy is (about 49 mpg this week with Mon & Tue ending at 53 mpg) - and this is with daily totals of 150 miles mind you. Anyway, I always end up at home with an IMA Battery Charge showing as higher than it was when I left in the morning. That means that the battery is charging more than it is discharging during the day. If the Nav screen were consuming that much power then the IMA would not have a higher charge at the end of the day. Even with the A/C the IMA charge was higher at the end of the day (though regen braking also charges the battery some).

But stick with the display on. I have a PC Card with 999 songs and a WMA CD with another 999 songs so often I will have it on the Audio screen rather than seeing a blank (clock) display.

And 2,600 miles so far at the end of my 17th day of ownership (150 miles/day avg). That is already a savings of 55 gallons of fuel and at $3.00/gal here in PA that is $165 saved in 17 days. I knew this was the right car choice for my job. Sweetness!

 

Ha!!!! This post really cracked me up!!!

 

Yeah, yeah... and I should use the restroom before every drive, too. So I'm nuts. But I'm getting 52 - 54 mpg fairly regularly!