Eco As Default Option?

[planet4ever]

I thought I read in the manuals that the parking break disengages automatically to make hill starts easier? that way you don't have to think about it- as soon as it is in D the break goes off, I better go check the book again...

First, I never want anything to break in my car, though I'm glad it has a good brake. But no, shifting to D does not release the parking brake automatically. It is only released manually or when you press on the accelerator.

Ray

 

[highcountryrider]

I would like ECO to be first as well, but it's not a big thing. I use ECO for the
regen; there is a huge difference there. I've always hated wasting motive
power heating up and wearing out the brake pads. :x

What I'd really like to have is an "OK Carwings forever until I say otherwise"
button.

 

[LEAFfan]

I thought I read in the manuals that the parking break disengages automatically to make hill starts easier? that way you don't have to think about it- as soon as it is in D the break goes off, I better go check the book again...

Juli, you can move forward or reverse, and both the parking brake and the emergency brake will release automatically. Also, it isn't necessary to put the car in 'P' when you park because when you turn off the power, it automatically goes into Park.

 

[bmilner]

This would be my number one request as well followed shortly by not having to press "ACCEPT" on the nav screen every freakin' time the car turns on.

The software actually reminds me a bit of what the early iPhones were like. They were great and did lots of cool stuff but there were just a few no brainer things it seemed strange they didn't include such as copy/paste. Setting eco to the default should be an easy software change I would think. Makes me wonder if there will be a time when someone "jailbreaks" Carwings and developers are able to customize the experience. Personally, I would LOVE an Android based version.

 

[davewill]

I thought I read in the manuals that the parking break disengages automatically to make hill starts easier? that way you don't have to think about it- as soon as it is in D the break goes off, I better go check the book again...

... But no, shifting to D does not release the parking brake automatically. It is only released manually or when you press on the accelerator. ...

One thing to remember is that if you pull the parking brake a second time, it goes into a mode that uses more braking force, and it WON'T disengage automatically this way. I run into that occasionally when I've accidentally pulled the brake lever a second time forgetting I had already done so.

 

[xiaoyu80305]

After hearing all the debates and using eco on and off over the last 5K miles, I have decided I'd like to have Eco be the default instead of the regular Drive mode. I think having the choice would be great. I do understand the appeal of having the extra pep and do enjoy it from time to time, but for day to day use, I've come to prefer Eco and I'm getting tired of having to shift twice every time. Maybe simply providing an Eco button like in Toyota hybrids would do the trick and keep everyone happy. your thoughts?

I support your claim. I am wonderring is it possible to resolve this issue by a software upgrade? The best way is to chose the default setting (D or ECO) by the driver.

 

[TimeHorse]

+1

Main issue for me is having to hit it 2 or 3 times because sometimes the first hit just ends up in neutral so I want to be in ECO but end up in drive because the first kick back doesn't count and the steering wheel blocks the power mode display so I can't always see it and end up driving in D.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

As far as I know, this is uncommon and may reflect a malfunctioning shifter... get it checked out by a dealer!

+1

Main issue for me is having to hit it 2 or 3 times because sometimes the first hit just ends up in neutral so I want to be in ECO but end up in drive because the first kick back doesn't count and the steering wheel blocks the power mode display so I can't always see it and end up driving in D.

 

[planet4ever]

Main issue for me is having to hit it 2 or 3 times because sometimes the first hit just ends up in neutral so I want to be in ECO but end up in drive because the first kick back doesn't count and the steering wheel blocks the power mode display so I can't always see it and end up driving in D.

As far as I know, this is uncommon and may reflect a malfunctioning shifter... get it checked out by a dealer!

Well, then, maybe I also have a malfunctioning shifter. I have no trouble getting into D on the first try, but if I pop it a second time immediately it stays in D. I have to pause -- maybe a second or so -- then pop it again to get it into ECO. The problem is that I'm moving by then, and watching for kids between parked cars in the neighborhood, and I often forget to make the second shift.

Ray

 

[Rat]

My take on this is a bit different. I have tried ECO on several occasions and have decided never to use it. You do have to press harder on the accelerator to get the response you need, although I agree the power is there. Back to that in a sec. My main objection is that I don't see that it provides any benefit. One time I drove from my home to San Rafael (62 miles) and charged there for several hours then drove home. As an experiment I used regular mode going up and ECO with no Climate Control coming back. I drove normally in both cases, or at least tried to, but I probably kept a closer eye on the speedometer on the way back since I was trying to see how much benefit I got from the "green" features or driving style so I may have driven a tad slower in ECO. I took the same route both ways and started with a 100% charge both times. The result was that I reached the end of the route with exactly the same miles left on the range meter and same number of bars (3 as I pulled in to the parking space, but after I stopped and plugged in, then pushed the button to check again it read 2 bars both times). In other words, at least at freeway speeds in my car and with me behind the wheel, my mileage doesn't vary. I pretty much just get what I get regardless of how I drive.

Back to the responsiveness, or "pedal feel". I drive the Leaf about 95% of the time and our other car (my wife's usual - an Acura TSX) the other 5%. I find that when I drive the Acura it is much more sensitive to my foot pressure so I tend to accelerate too fast, almost backing out into traffic before I have been able to see clearly both directions, for example, or starting off from a stop sign too fast jerking us back in the seat at first, until I get used to the more sensitive pedal. If I were to keep the Leaf in ECO all the time I think this problem would be exacerbated. This is part of my overall world view on EVs is that they should be as much like normal ICE cars as possible to gain widespread acceptance. The brakes are about the same on both cars, but I think the Leaf's are a touch more sensitive. Yesterday I drove the Acura on a long freeway trip and found myself coming up to close to cars slowing ahead of me as I did not slow as much as I expected when first hitting the brake. I had to come to a somewhat sudden stop at the last second a few times but the difference with the brakes is definitely not as pronounced as with the accelerator. I would like my Leaf to be as much like my Acura in pedal feel as possible, and that is not ECO.

 

[jkirkebo]

I always use eco. I find the pedal response to be much more linear and natural in eco mode, and the greater level of regen makes one-pedal driving much easier.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I usually drive in Eco, so I would prefer that as the default. But I frequently switch between Eco and D to fine-tune the regen and my speed when descending hills. In theory this would be possible to do by very precise A-pedal inputs in Eco, but I find that difficult and it is easier to adjust my speed with the lighter regen in D or heavier regen in Eco (especially when I need to slow for a turn or stop). The less B-pedal use, with potential friction braking, the better.

I can't leave home without major hills of widely varying grades, so this stuff has become routine. I do wish there was more regen on Eco; even an additional 5 kW would help with controlling speed on steeper hills.

I also wish the D and Eco display was higher on the panel so it isn't blocked by a partially turned steering wheel. My preference would be putting it in the upper display.

 

[copdoc]

find a way to implement these 12 options. obtw; you only have 4 buttons to work with

Fun read: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/how-to-build-a-usable-watch/?scp=1&sq=redesign%20watch%20buttons&st=cse" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Main issue for me is having to hit it 2 or 3 times because sometimes the first hit just ends up in neutral so I want to be in ECO but end up in drive because the first kick back doesn't count and the steering wheel blocks the power mode display so I can't always see it and end up driving in D.

I end up with this problem when I'm trying desperately to get back down the driveway in the morning. Slide in, hit the button, shift to R, ... but the start up sound is still playing so actually I'm in N not R. sigh..... And every time pledge to learn to be patient and on time tomorrow.

 

[planet4ever]

Main issue for me is having to hit it 2 or 3 times because sometimes the first hit just ends up in neutral so I want to be in ECO but end up in drive because the first kick back doesn't count

I end up with this problem when I'm trying desperately to get back down the driveway in the morning. Slide in, hit the button, shift to R, ... but the start up sound is still playing so actually I'm in N not R. sigh.....

Huh?? I never have that problem. I often hear only a note of two of the start up sound before I'm "in gear" and start moving backwards. The sound stops, and there are no apparent ill side-effects.

Ray

 

[lpickup]

Huh?? I never have that problem. I often hear only a note of two of the start up sound before I'm "in gear" and start moving backwards. The sound stops, and there are no apparent ill side-effects.

Yeah...guess we're just lucky. I have never had a mis-shift either (except when I got into my ICE and out of habit shifted into drive twice very quickly!) Not sure what's up with all you folks that get mis-shifts, fail to hit the OK button and get your ears blown out by the VSP noise generator!

 

[planet4ever]

I often hear only a note of two of the start up sound before I'm "in gear" and start moving backwards.

Yeah...guess we're just lucky. I have never had a mis-shift either (except when I got into my ICE and out of habit shifted into drive twice very quickly!) Not sure what's up with all you folks that get mis-shifts, fail to hit the OK button and get your ears blown out by the VSP noise generator!

If you check back to my earlier posts, you'll see that I am in the mis-shift camp, when it comes to ECO. As I think about it now, I wonder if the differences in behavior might actually be due to differences in when we release, or start to release, the brake pedal. The manual doesn't seem too clear, but it's possible the brake pedal switch must be engaged when shifting P -> R and even possible it has to be disengaged when shifting D -> ECO. I'll have to experiment with this.

Ray

 

[lpickup]

If you check back to my earlier posts, you'll see that I am in the mis-shift camp, when it comes to ECO. As I think about it now, I wonder if the differences in behavior might actually be due to differences in when we release, or start to release, the brake pedal. The manual doesn't seem too clear, but it's possible the brake pedal switch must be engaged when shifting P -> R and even possible it has to be disengaged when shifting D -> ECO. I'll have to experiment with this.

Yeah, I thought you were...I was a bit confused there, but I see what you're talking about.

Brake doesn't have to be disengaged for shift to D->ECO. It's about 50/50 whether I'm stopped and do a "double shift" or shift to/from ECO while driving.

But perhaps it does have to be engaged for P->D/R and those that mis-shift are just doing things so quickly that maybe the order is reversed sometimes? i.e. instead of brake/shift it ends up being shift/brake?

Reminds me of another issue my friend had me check out. On his LEAF the car was always beeping when he got out. I had never noticed that myself, but he took me through a specific sequence and sure enough, my car was beeping too. When I stepped back, we discovered the difference was this:

When I stop and got out of the car, I always powered off the car and then opened the door.

Apparently he always opened the door and THEN powered off.

When you do the former, you get no beep. When you do the latter, you get the beep, even though you actually have turned the car off (our theory is that the beep is to remind you that you left the car on).

 

[TimeHorse]

When you do the former, you get no beep. When you do the latter, you get the beep, even though you actually have turned the car off (our theory is that the beep is to remind you that you left the car on).

I wish the manual described the beep patterns. You know the Engineers meant something by the 1 beep, 2 beeps, 4 beeps but why aren't we allowed to know?

As for shifting, I'm always foot on break shifting from Reverse to Drive to ECO when it sometimes gets stuck in Neutral. Who would shift from Reverse to Forward with their foot off the break anyway?

 

[lpickup]

As for shifting, I'm always foot on break shifting from Reverse to Drive to ECO when it sometimes gets stuck in Neutral. Who would shift from Reverse to Forward with their foot off the break anyway?

Now actually in THAT case I don't normally have my foot on the brake. When I back out of the driveway I take my foot off the brake and "coast" backwards and then as I'm rolling backwards slightly shift into D/ECO. I am aware that the owner's manual does say not to do this, but it's a carryover of having done it that way in gas cars for practically my entire driving life, and I haven't mis-shifted yet.

In fact I'm really surprised at the reports of mis-shifting, as in my car I have to hold the shifter in the left position for a full second or two before it shifts into neutral. How long does it take you guys to shift into R or D/ECO? For me it's a really quick flick of the knob.

 

[davewill]

OK, I played with the shifter trying to reproduce this ECO "misshift". What I found is that it's necessary to let the shifter return to it's home position between shifts. If you don't, you can try all day and not get the second try to get into ECO. Conversely, no matter how fast I did the shift, it didn't miss one as long as I let the shifter return to home.