On one hand, instantaneous mpg is seriously misleading. To me, accelerating efficiently means maximizing the amount of acceleration I get per unit of fuel—doing that does NOT maximize instantaneous mpg, but ideally finds the optimal point on the fuel-consumption-rate*time graph that you actually care about.
On the other hand, real-time feedback is probably better for the not-exactly-scientifically-rigorous way people learn, and it can be useful for noticing unexpected behavior not covered by intentional experiments.
A realtime unit-less fuel efficiency gauge in a U-Haul clued me into non-ideal behavior from the automatic transmission climbing hills. Feedback from this dumb gauge caused me to adjust my driving, which meant only my first tank of gas lasted way less time than expected.
On one hand, instantaneous mpg is seriously misleading. To me, accelerating efficiently means maximizing the amount of acceleration I get per unit of fuel—doing that does NOT maximize instantaneous mpg, but ideally finds the optimal point on the fuel-consumption-rate*time graph that you actually care about.
On the other hand, real-time feedback is probably better for the not-exactly-scientifically-rigorous way people learn, and it can be useful for noticing unexpected behavior not covered by intentional experiments.
A realtime unit-less fuel efficiency gauge in a U-Haul clued me into non-ideal behavior from the automatic transmission climbing hills. Feedback from this dumb gauge caused me to adjust my driving, which meant only my first tank of gas lasted way less time than expected.