Nissan ECO Pedal pushes back
Electronic nannies are all the rage these days, with many cars being equipped with lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control and more. Nissan's got a new one in the works, though, that really seems rather intrusive: the ECO Pedal. Did the simple gas pedal really need to be tweaked? The pedal is programmed to push back at your foot when its computer decides you don't really need to accelerate as fast as you want. Nissan hopes that the pedal will teach overzealous drivers how to drive more efficiently, ultimately saving 5 to 10-percent on your fuel bill in the process. We are all for learning to be better drivers, especially with the goal of reducing our environmental impact. Still, we'd greatly prefer a readout or a gauge which told us when we were lead-footing it a bit too hard. Fortunately, the system can be turned off.
[Source: The Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Erik 1:44PM (8/05/2008)
Now there's a feature I would pay money NOT to have.
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Dave 2:26PM (8/05/2008)
Def not a good idea at all IMO. This should be left up to the descretion of the driver!
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Whopper 4:08PM (8/05/2008)
To all of you who think only the Japanese can come up with innovative ideas, patent 4337743 was issued over 25 years ago for this device. We made samples and field tested them and they functioned as designed - we decided, however, that it was more of an annoyance than an assistance and killed the project.
As far as a "read out" or a gage, it is called a vacuum gage. In the 1970's Chrysler connected a vacuum line to a light switch, turning on an amber and then red light on the dash when you stepped into that Carter AVS too deeply. Ooops, you youngsters probably don't remember the Carter Air Valve Secondary 4 barrel carburetor.
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William Bell 10:57PM (8/06/2008)
Could it be programmed to kick in (only) when one's wife is driving? When mine is driving in town, it's jackrabbit starts from every stop, push down on the gas pedal till there's barely enough room for a panic stop before the next red light or stop sign, then jam on the brakes. Passenger-seat coaching from the male spousal unit goes in one ear and out the other.
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cirby 4:26PM (8/06/2008)
On the other hand, if you want a simple, low-tech device that will do much the same sort of thing, just use two pedal springs.
One for normal driving, with just enough resistance to make it easy to hold at 60 MPH, and a second one that engages when you push the pedal down really hard.
Congratulations, I just saved them a couple of hundred bucks a car, for pretty much the same result.
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john bono 9:33PM (8/06/2008)
"It's a thighmaster!"
"No, it's a sports utility vehicle!"
"No, it's a thighmaster, you fool!"
"It's an SUV you idiot!"
"Hey, hey, calm down you two! The new Nissan is a thighmaster and a sports utility vehicle!"
"Look at that car go!"
"And I've lost all that unsightly cellulite since purchasing my new Nissan Pathfinder!"
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