Cruise Control fyi

[ttweed]

Too bad 50KW of regen on the LEAF is missing.

How much does the Tesla have? Why did they leave that out? Cost considerations?

TT

 

[turbo2ltr]

I've done tests to see how regen is blended. Just put the car in neutral and you can feel the difference in the pedal. Regen starts almost immediately from when you tap the brake, the friction brakes come on with a little more pressure. Coming from vehicles that have all or nothing braking regen, I feel the transition is very seemless. I do notice some oddities when regen is limited while braking on a full pack . Bottom line is you don't get the full 30kw regen before the friction brakes start grabbing, but it's close.

 

[DaveEV]

Bottom line is you don't get the full 30kw regen before the friction brakes start grabbing, but it's close.

I suspect that's the compromise Nissan had to make to keep the regen/friction brake transition seamless.

I agree - would be nice to have up to 50 kW of regen (same as quick charge rate) - but that would probably reduce battery life.

The Tesla can get away with higher levels of regen since it has a much larger battery - 53 kWh battery so 50 kW of regen is less than 1C charge rate - very easy on the battery! The Roadster weighs 800 lbs less than the Leaf - it's possible that the Tesla can only regen at 30 kW - the weight difference alone could account for the greater regen feeling.

The Tesla does have one major drawback - being RWD it will be limited in how much regen it can apply before traction is an issue... Luckily it does have that big battery pack sitting over the rear wheels...

 

[philaphonic]

I have a different Cruise Control question: How slow can the Leaf go and still have CC engaged?

 

[JasonT]

I have a different Cruise Control question: How slow can the Leaf go and still have CC engaged?

Page 5-17 of the Owner's Manual:

The cruise control allows driving at a speed between 25 to 89 MPH (40 to 144 km/h) without keeping your foot on the accelerator pedal.

 

[smkettner]

snip.... and one thing in particular I don't like is the way CC brings the car up to speed again after being on the brakes - it does so quite quickly, so there is definitely energy to be saved there.

Does the resume use the same energy and quick acceleration in normal mode as eco mode?

 

[zizumara]

I was talking with a Nissan representative at the Texas State Fair and he said the Leaf is more efficient with constant power output on hills instead of constant speed. I started experimenting with this idea by adjusting my driving habits on the way to work, which is mostly on the freeway with slight hills. If you can avoid annoying other drivers while doing this, try holding the accelerator pedal in just one spot, regardless of the grade. The car will naturally slow down as it hits an incline, but recover speed on the downward slope. The problem is that people behind you might get annoyed at your erratic speeds or traffic in front of you might prevent you from recovering your speed. This seems to increase my average energy economy, but I'm still gathering data.

Ziz

 

[TickTock]

I have a different Cruise Control question: How slow can the Leaf go and still have CC engaged?

Page 5-17 of the Owner's Manual:

The cruise control allows driving at a speed between 25 to 89 MPH (40 to 144 km/h) without keeping your foot on the accelerator pedal.

You can actually drop to 24 by flipping the decel toggle after setting it to 25, but it won't let you go any slower.

 

[mxp]

Ok. I admit, I only read page 1 and page 7. But, have this been conclusive?
Incidently, I never needed to use cruise control on my car.

Thanks!

 

[LEAFfan]

Ok. I admit, I only read page 1 and page 7. But, have this been conclusive?
Incidently, I never needed to use cruise control on my car.
Thanks!

TickTock is correct. You have to set it for 25 first, then drop it one. I use it ALL the time with ECO and it has helped me achieve my #1 ranking.

 

[TomT]

I'm happy with my #103 rating and not having to go everywhere at 24 MPH! :lol:

But I do admit that this post did make me look at Carwings for the first time in many months... Still "nothing here to see..."

You have to set it for 25 first, then drop it one. I use it ALL the time with ECO and it has helped me achieve my #1 ranking.

 

[LEAFfan]

I'm happy with my #103 rating and not having to go everywhere at 24 MPH! :lol:

You have to set it for 25 first, then drop it one. I use it ALL the time with ECO and it has helped me achieve my #1 ranking.

LOL, I should have made that clearer. The 'it' is the CC, NOT 24mph. Here, the speed limit varies from 15mph-45 on the city streets, so the highest I go is 38mph w/o impeding any traffic.

 

[TickTock]

I did some experiments this morning. Drove 2.5 miles around a 0.5 mile flat "track" (nearby neighborhood-to-be). I did 5 laps with cc@24 in D, cc in ECO, manual in D, and manual in ECO and all four came back the same: 8.7mpkWh +/- 0.1. Apparently no impact from CC or D/ECO under these circumstances (never touching the brake, steady speed, ac off but fan running). I also did some experiments at 19, 14, and 9mph. Got 9.3, 10.5, and 11.5 mpkWh respectively.

I also joined the 5 trees club a little later

 

[DaveEV]

I did some experiments this morning. Drove 2.5 miles around a 0.5 mile flat "track" (nearby neighborhood-to-be). I did 5 laps with cc@24 in D, cc in ECO, manual in D, and manual in ECO and all four came back the same: 8.7mpkWh +/- 0.1. Apparently no impact from CC or D/ECO under these circumstances (never touching the brake, steady speed, ac off but fan running). I also did some experiments at 19, 14, and 9mph. Got 9.3, 10.5, and 11.5 mpkWh respectively.

Nice - should put this info in the wiki - tests at higher speeds (if your test track supports higher speeds) would also be informative.

 

[surfingslovak]

Got 9.3, 10.5, and 11.5 mpkWh respectively.

Great data, thanks for sharing! The 11.5 kWh energy economy figure at 9 mph is interesting. I tried something similar couple of months ago, but didn't go as low as this. Takes real patience. It's great to see the interest and consistent results at speeds lower than 38 mph, which I think Nissan always claimed to be best for efficiency and range. I can't wait to see someone smash the Edmunds long-distance record of 138 miles. Perhaps they will learn something from this group.

 

[TickTock]

I did some experiments this morning. Drove 2.5 miles around a 0.5 mile flat "track" (nearby neighborhood-to-be). I did 5 laps with cc@24 in D, cc in ECO, manual in D, and manual in ECO and all four came back the same: 8.7mpkWh +/- 0.1. Apparently no impact from CC or D/ECO under these circumstances (never touching the brake, steady speed, ac off but fan running). I also did some experiments at 19, 14, and 9mph. Got 9.3, 10.5, and 11.5 mpkWh respectively.

Nice - should put this info in the wiki - tests at higher speeds (if your test track supports higher speeds) would also be informative.

Faster is going to be hard. Even at 24 and using the entire road, my tires were squealing a bit on the corners (the "track" is basically 1/4 mile long with a u-turn on each end). I think at 29, I would be at risk of losing the back end. I couldn't bring myself to try 4. 9 seemed to take forever. However, at 9 I think you (and a friend) could break 200 miles on a charge if you were willing to dedicate a full day to it.