For the red-blooded enthusiast, it's the ultimate nightmare: a car that just doesn't want to be driven hard. For the under-frugal and over-cited drivers of the world, Nissan's ECO Pedal could be the mechanical conscience they need to adjust to our eco-friendly, speed-kills society. "Each time the driver steps on the accelarator (sic)," flubs Nissan's press release, "a counter push-back control mechanism is activated if the system detects excess pressure, helping to inform the driver that they could be using more fuel than required." Required for what exactly? An electronically-determined "optimal acceleration" based on transmission efficiency and fuel consumption rates. You know, like how polite people and Buick owners drive. Nissan claims that with the killjoy-graft "drivers can improve fuel efficiency by 5-10 percent, depending on driving conditions." Sadly, the intrusion is not limited to the gas-pedal recalcitrance. An "eco-driving indicator" on the dash stays green if your driving style does (get it?), but flashes and turns amber "to advise the driver of their driving behavior." Or remind the driver that they are merging onto an interstate. Luckily, you will still be able to eke whatever id-fodder is available to Nissan drivers who would consider this option by switching the nagging thing off. Nissan will "commercialize" the system in 2009, but they don't say what models it 'll be on. If it's cheap and it can be turned all the way off when the less-better angels of our natures need to have their way, it could be worth a look… if you're into that kind of thing.
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Accident waiting to happen: people merging onto the interstate staring at the dashboard to make sure they are still eco-friendly.
I can’t wait to forget to turn that off and try to pass on a two lane highway! Or merge into fast highway traffic.
Near death experiences are fun.
Otherwise known as the GT-R’s Valet Mode.
How about this instead: A cruise control setting for optimal mileage. Active cruise control systems already exist that watch for cars in front of you, how hard would it be for manufacturers to loop all of the engine telemetry (that the ECU already measures) into the cruise control to get the optimal mileage? You could even throw in a cheap accelerometer to account for hills. Right now it would be a huge selling point at virtually no cost to the manufacturers.
We all have this capability…most people just don’t use common sense. I normally drive trying to maintain speed and accelerate slowly to get better gas mileage (shut engine off at longer lights but be ready to start immediately). Most people just can’t change (hardest thing to do) their own behavior b/c they don’t try or care to – it’s just easier to complain why they get crappy mileage. It’s also easy to pass a car and return to the right lane instead of spending 99% of the time in the left too!
This “eco” pedal is not the solution unless it can be instantaneously disabled for full power / control.
so its like a “shift” light for automatics.
Didn’t the Corvette do something like this with its traction control system? As I understand it, the feedback was a gentle push. You could still push past the feedback to get the throttle position you desired.
I assume the Nissan system would be the same way – A small suggestive push, but one that you could “push through” to if you needed to (such as in an emergency, or when passing).
Accident waiting to happen: people merging onto the interstate staring at the dashboard to make sure they are still eco-friendly.
People already do this with their instant MPG meters.
I can’t wait until this system makes its way into the 370Z, GT-R, and G37
I had a Saturn with one of those stupid shift lights. If I had followed its suggestions, I would have been in 5th gear at 30 mph. For the same reason I prefer manual transmissions, I’d never want the car pushing the accelerator back at me or telling me I’m not being eco friendly; I prefer to use my brain.
By the way, I guess something like this wouldn’t care too much for when I accelerate at WOT in as tall a gear as possible followed by coasting out of gear. I only do this on the way home when it won’t interfer with other drivers, but this should actually return better fuel economy than slow acceleration.
I wonder if the fellow above me will save enough gas money to pay for his new starter? That’s a lot of extra starts for not much gain. Hypermilers drive me nuts. Drive the damn car or just bike it.
I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.
I already have enough people trying to police me, the last thing I need is the car I’m driving doing it also. Guess I will scratch Nissan off my future buying list.
I waste gas every chance I get up to the speed limit+10, can’t take all the joy out of my life, since their are no curves within 100 mile radius of me.
Worst Idea Ever.
Too bad if are making a left turn and need to get across the intersection quickly. This will appeal to those hypermilers who try to merge into interstate traffic at 30 mph because they are afraid to burn a little gas but I call it stupid and dangerous.
This will only work for an automatic tranny. I drive manual and get optimal fuel economy by going WOT in the highest gear I can.
BlindOne :
August 4th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I wonder if the fellow above me will save enough gas money to pay for his new starter? That’s a lot of extra starts for not much gain. Hypermilers drive me nuts. Drive the damn car or just bike it.
Read my post Blindone. A) what part of the post indicates that the engine is off? I said that I coast back down-in neutral, engine idling, either to the next stop sign, or for instance to 35 mph in a 40 zone before going WOT in 5th gear. B) I also said that I only do it when it won’t interfer with other cars on the road.
I am not one of those road hogs that thinks everyone should accomodate me. I also enjoy maximum acceleration when entering the freeway, particularly on a cloverleaf type onramp. What really drives me nuts is people who accelerate “like there’s an egg on the gas pedal” and put me in the position of merging on the freeway at 55 when the oncoming cars are doing 65 to 70 mph.
I always likes the efficiency gauge in my Mercedes 300E. I think it ran off a vacuum gauge. That was 20 years ago.
Redbarchetta :
Guess I will scratch Nissan off my future buying list.
Why? According to the article you can switch it off if you don’t want to use the feature…
If it can be done, it will become mandatory.
A manual transmission Peugeot I rented back in the UK last year had a similar(ish) mode to it’s cruise control. Aimed at preventing you from breaking speed limits, the CC could be set with a maximum speed, but instead of holding the car at that set speed, the car drove normally. Once the speed limit was reached, the accelerator pedal would go dead and the car could not be made to go above that preset speed limit unless you floored the gas, which over-rode the limiter.
In the UK, where there is a speed camera every eight feet, this seemed like a good idea. But in fact it just irritated me after five minutes and I shut it off.
Well, at least it my prevent some “unintended acceleration” incidents; and combined with Nissan’s upcoming breathalyzer start system…
Probably better to buy a horse that knows its way home.
Lumbergh21: I believe Blindone was referring to jaje’s post, where he explains that he shuts his engine off at longer lights.
Re: your post though… Depending on your speed, wouldn’t WOT in high gear lug the engine quite a bit? I’m familiar with your technique, as it is what they do in these supermileage competitions, but it seems like an annoying way to drive!
Assuming the same shift points, it’s more efficient to accelerate quickly, mostly because you get to high gear sooner. (Yes, I’ve tested it.)
I have a better solution:
If you want better fuel economy, stop buying slushboxes, you stupid collective North American market.
@JEC
My numbers are US EPA 2008 hwy only but in some cases a slushbox model gets better gas mileage than a stickshift.
For example the 2008 Civic
Civic auto 36
Civic manual 5sp 34
Civic manual 6sp 29
So I’m not sure why you are complaining about slushboxes.
Check out http://www.fueleconomy.gov to see the source for my numbers.
dhanson865, take a look at http://www.fueleconomy.gov‘s page showing drivers’ actual reported mileage for those cars. The manuals have better mileage than the automatics, despite the EPA ratings. (The 6-speed has a larger engine, so it’s not comparable to the others.) Poke around the site a little and you’ll see the same effect for many different cars. EPA’s test methods seem to have a bias against manual transmissions.
The EPA tests are far from perfect but so is anecdotal data which reported mileage most certainly is.
My point is vs other cars the benefit/penalty ratio is better on the Civic Auto versus the Civic manual than it is on other cars.
On some cars the EPA numbers come out even between auto vs stick such as the Honda Fit.
The civic is the best case scenario for automatic transmissions outside of the Prius where there isn’t a manual transition to compare against.
Now no matter whose numbers you go by the difference between MPG on a Toyota or Honda small/medium car auto vs stick will be small enough that your driving style and preference will outweigh the technical side of the MPG issue. Given that, I don’t understand the big complaints about slushboxes.