Accelerator Mappings on 2022 Leaf (SV)?

Hello,

I recently bought a 2022 Leaf SV, and my previous experience is with a 2011 Leaf SL. The 2011 had just two pedal mappings, D and Eco, and so I understand them pretty well. By mapping I mean a function that takes % pedal depression (0 to 100%) and tells you the regen/throttle % (so you could call it -100% to 100%).

Below is a crude drawing of my understanding of the 2011 Leaf pedal mappings. The basic points are there: Eco has more regen on the accelerator, has a deeper "neutral" point, and is linear in power beyond the neutral point (pretty sure); while D front-loads the power on the accelerator. Otherwise I may have some of the details wrong: the exact y-intercepts, whether the slope is actually constant through the "neutral" point (which would depend on whether the y-axis is labeled from -100% to 100% or labeled in power output), and whether the D mode actually has a slope discontinuity or is smoother.

The 2022 seems like it has potentially 12 different mappings: D/B/R; Eco or not ; E-pedal or not. Or maybe there are fewer than that.

So is there any detailed info available on the different pedal mappings on the 2022, ideally accurate graphs like below? For example, I assume that E-pedal puts all the regen on the accelerator (y-intercept is -1), but is that true for all 6 cases, including reverse?

Thanks, Wayne

Wayne,

I have not seen a good detailed mapping like you are looking for, but I am really interested in responses from others. Another thing you will find with the new car is that the best acceleration from stopped requires "feathering" the accelerator to just reach the maximum power rather than flooring it. I noticed my 2015 was slower off the line than my 2011 when I first got it. I met a technician from the Nissan Proving Ground who told me to feather the pedal (depressing it just enough to get full power) instead of flooring it. Done correctly, the 2015 was almost as quick as the 2011. Unfortunately, it is difficult to be consistent. My 2019 SL Plus acts the same as the 2015 except that it has twice the power (along with more weight).

Enjoy the new car!

GerryAZ said:

Another thing you will find with the new car is that the best acceleration from stopped requires "feathering" the accelerator to just reach the maximum power rather than flooring it.

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Are you saying that (a) the power target is not just a function of the pedal position, but of the time history of the pedal position, or that (b) if you floor it you'll just cause the treads to loose grip and the wheels to squeal, or (c) same as (b) except there's a system that monitors for that and reduces power to the wheels to avoid loss of traction, and hence you end up with less power to the wheels than if you feather it. I'm guessing (c).

Cheers, Wayne

Hi Wayne,

It seems like the computers are programmed to unnecessarily limit the power to the motor if you floor the accelerator pedal when stopped or moving slowly. It is not traction control kicking in because the dash indicator does not come on (at least not with good aftermarket tires). As noted in my previous message, one can somewhat get around it by carefully feathering the accelerator (depress it just enough to reach the full kW of the motor by watching the energy displays). It may be Nissan's way to reduce stress on the reduction gear assembly and CV joints, but is annoying to me after getting used to the consistent, predictable response of the 2011. I was considering joining a bracket drag racing club with the 2011 because it was so consistent, but gave up the idea after it met its untimely demise because I could never launch the 2015 or now the 2019 consistently enough to be competitive.

I don't know if the power target is a function of time history of the pedal position or a combination of pedal position, time since start of movement, and motor rpm. I just know that both 2015 and 2019 yield best acceleration from a stop by carefully feathering the pedal to just reach and hold maximum motor kW (80 kW for 2015 and 160 kW for 2019 Plus). If it was traction control related, then acceleration by just flooring the pedal should be better and more consistent with sport performance tires. Unfortunately, the result is no different with sport performance tires so it must be power target programming and not traction control limitation.

Cheers,
Gerry

This unfortunate limiting of power when the accelerator pedal is floored was implemented with the 2013 model year. Since that was also the year the motor was redesigned to use less rare earth metals, I suspect it has something to do with that. Maybe the newer version of the motor produces more heat when fed full power...

LeftieBiker said:

This unfortunate limiting of power when the accelerator pedal is floored was implemented with the 2013 model year. Since that was also the year the motor was redesigned to use less rare earth metals, I suspect it has something to do with that. Maybe the newer version of the motor produces more heat when fed full power...

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I think it is just Nissan programming (probably to reduce stress on the CV joints) because you can get almost full acceleration by carefully feathering the accelerator pedal. If full power was detrimental to the motor, the computers would not allow it. The peak torque of the 2013 and later 80 kW motor is lower than the 2011/2012 so the peak power of 80 kW happens at a slightly higher minimum RPM. Once peak power is reached, torque drops off as RPM increases to maintain 80 kW power. You are correct, the lower peak torque is due to less rare earth permanent magnet material on the rotor.

Well, it would appear the modes changed for 2022 as I know at least 2 who had a gen 2 (2019) and traded up. Apparently the ability to "burn out" has been diminished.

As far as E Pedal mapping, I don't see Eco mattering as I tried it both ways and there was no difference so it seems that E Pedal overrides everything.

I think it is just Nissan programming (probably to reduce stress on the CV joints) because you can get almost full acceleration by carefully feathering the accelerator pedal. If full power was detrimental to the motor, the computers would not allow it.

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I think that Nissan wanted to preserve the 0-60 times, so they allowed full power after a fashion.