I’ve mentioned Google’s RechargeIT initiative before but found something interesting about it recently that is worth sharing. Google has installed a chip in each of their test vehicles to track the performance of the cars. According to the RechargeIT site, ” All of these cars are outfitted with data recording devices that track technical and environmental performance, use patterns and charging history. Above, you can see the actual data which is uploaded from the vehicles.”

Go to the fleet dashboard and you can find links to the vehicles that are submitting data that can be viewed on the web. I took a detailed look at the Comoe vehicle and was able to see the info below.

You can see a lot more info and look at the data for the other vehicles by going to the RechargeIT site. The key point here is the fact that the technology Google is using may represent the future of hybrid vehicle technology where performance and gas mileage can be stored for later analysis. By analyzing the performance of the vehicle after the fact, drivers or fleet owners may be able to identify engine problems or driving patterns that are reducing the efficiency of the vehicle.