Nissan Introduces Eco Pedal - Takes The Lead Out Of Your Foot
Even with recently retreating oil and gas prices, fuel economy will remain a high priority for most drivers. Fuel economy labels tend to garner the most attention from car buyers, but what most people don't pay attention to is their driving habits.
Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. According to the EPA, it can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. So while it may feel good to put the pedal to the metal, driving with that lead foot can be expensive.
In an effort to assist drivers improve their fuel efficiency through better driving habits, Nissan has unveiled the ECO Pedal. When the eco-pedal system is on, each time the driver steps on the accelerator, 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. An eco-driving indicator integrated into the instrument panel feeds the driver with real-time fuel consumption levels to help improve his/her driving behavior. The ECO Pedal system can be turned on or off according to the driver's preference.
Personally, I have noticed in my own driving that when I make a conscious effort to drive in a more relaxed manner that my fuel economy goes up 2-3 mpg. Having an active device that forces relaxed driving could make driving more efficiently something that you can do without thinking about it. Just remember to turn it off before you try to make that left turn across four lanes of oncoming traffic!
- Posted by
- Lee Scott August 7, 2008, 3:00 AM
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- Categories:
- Driving, Fuel Economy
Isn't this the third Edmunds blog to post this article? Y'all need to coordinate wtih each other.
Not a great idea, a better approach would be to limit throttle angle no matter how much throttle is given, then have a kickdown switch. Which would be better than the gas peddle pushing back and telling you no.
Good idea, cx7lover.