pre-release testers wanted - range-extending technology for Leaf

[mhramr]

Hello all, I received my unit last week but was away on business so only just successfully installed the unit and drove around a little yesterday. I was fortunate enough to have been looking at this thread when the discount code was posted so another big thanks for that!

First, yes, the installation is non-trivial in the leaf since it is such a small vehicle, although any work in that area of any car is never fun or easy. I struggled for a little bit to see if I could install the device without removing the pedal but that was impossible so I removed the pedal with the aforementioned 10mm socket. Be aware that you will need a very small socket wrench or a box end wrench for the upper bolt as the brake pedal is right next to it. These do not require a great deal of force to remove. I can verify the electrical tape issue as well, I just cut it loose.

One warning I have is that you need to be quite careful when installing to make sure you slide the connectors together to align the pins into the slots. My initial attempt missed one and bent it to the side. Needless to say my leaf wasn't happy about it and I had to remove the device to confirm my suspicion that this was the cause. Fortunately it was easy to "fix" this pin with two small flat-head screw-drivers. For this reason, and the tape, I would recommend that the only way to install this would be to remove the pedal (unless you are unusually small and dexterous).

Driving experience so far has only been in the default mode 2. Definitely changed pedal response. The instantaneousness is gone. I'll change it to mode 1 today and check that out. My wife is a bit of a lead-foot so I can imagine she won't like mode 2 or 3. I'll update as needed.

Question for Marc: I thought the leaf device had modes 1-3 but I see people posting here about modes 4 & 5? Also there seem to have been a couple versions: "Smartpedal Prime and Smartpedal Advanced" and "5+1"? How do I know which one I have and how many modes? thanks

[RegGuheert]

Newest videos for calibration and changing modes. We changed the software about two weeks ago and were playing catch up on this item.

Thanks, Marc! Those are very helpful and they now match what I am seeing here.

1) The unit is compact and appears to be well-made, at least the little bit of it that can be seen from the outside.

Thank you. Your feedback makes me think that at some point I should create a montage showing off the (also) high-quality components inside SmartPedal.

That would be cool!

3) I'm convinced that the lights do not flash in the manner described in this note. Specifically, it seems that the LED never stopped flashing.

You are right. We just changed this sequence in the last couple weeks. Originally, after the boot sequence completed, we turned the LED completely off in order to save power. A large number of our testers interpreted this "off" as a broken unit, so we added the green heartbeat.

That agrees with what I see here.

Incidentally, the LED heartbeat really is timed to the rate of a human heart.

I don't know about you, but I came equipped with a variable-rate heart.

Sorry, but we don't yet know one way or the other whether or not the SmartPedal is saving energy. My wife said she did feel a difference in how the car drives, but she had a lunchtime outing which increased consumption over a normal commute. I'll let her drive it in this mode (whatever it is) for a while to see if we can detect any difference in energy usage.

We recommend comparing 400 miles pre/post installation to have a large enough sample size for confidence.

That approach is actually a bit problematic since the temperature here is dropping rapidly as we enter fall. If we compare the efficiency this fall with what was achieved over the summer, then we likely would see it *drop*.

Ultimately I'd like to see her move to Mode 6.

Mode 6 is an example of over-correction: we set the required level of confidence for a correction to a really low level, which means the device continually overcorrects. Fair warning: especially on city streets, it will feel very slow. It's really for mileage fanatics.

Thanks for that! "Mileage fanatic" would not be a good description for my wife even though she has gotten quite adept at getting to work and back with more energy remaining in the battery than she used to. I think we will stick with Mode 4 for a while and will only move to Mode 6 when we are getting more desperate to extract more mileage from the vehicle.

Of course, not having ever done this myself nor ever having seen any video, perhaps that is not what is intended. Can you please clarify?

The two videos posted immediately above should address your remaining questions, but please let me know if additional info would be helpful. Support section gets updated tomorrow to reflect the same, fyi.

I don't see any changes to the written procedure for changing operating modes, yet. The only change I see is the addition of a mention of the heartbeat at the end of the note.

I would like to second mhramr's request for information about the available modes. It would be great to read a description of each of the modes and your recommendations about when and/or why your customers should choose each mode. TIA!

Thanks again for all your efforts and for providing this additional information, Marc!

[veezer]

I just installed this today. Took a good 45 minutes, mostly to figure things out and deal with the narrow confines of the wheel space.

Some thoughts:

• Took me a while to understand the orientation of the plug from the video. I’d suggest zooming in or making a closeup picture.
• Even though it seems like in the video the wiring harness just slides off, there is a pressure clip on the long side of the plug (the side that’s facing the right side of the well) that needs to be depressed to allow the plug to slide off the pedal. I used the tip from a previous poster to use a screwdriver in my left hand and gently lever the plug up while pushing in the release clip with my right hand
• The electrical tape tying this wiring to the brake wiring definitely needs to be removed. I made a small nick in it with a utility knife (was afraid of damaging the wiring if I tried to cut it off completely in such a confined space), and then just used fingers to rip off the tape. Then it’s still a little tricky to find the right angle to push the device up and back to try to align it with the pedal connector

But it’s done now! Looking forward to driving more with it. I didn’t notice an overt change in driving behavior besides the initial slight lag from stop (and I NEVER use eco because it drives me crazy), so that’s great. Definitely don’t see the power output bouncing around on the bumpy highway anymore in the leaf energy display.

[RegGuheert]

Sorry, but we don't yet know one way or the other whether or not the SmartPedal is saving energy. My wife said she did feel a difference in how the car drives, but she had a lunchtime outing which increased consumption over a normal commute. I'll let her drive it in this mode (whatever it is) for a while to see if we can detect any difference in energy usage.

My wife is already getting fairly comfortable with the new SmartPedal in Mode 4. Yesterday she arrived home from work after her 49-mile commute with three charge bars remaining and 20 miles showing on the GOM. That's the most remaining she has ever seen, and that was with some air conditioner usage. The previous remaining high was 16 miles showing on the GOM. This is with our 2011 LEAF with three capacity bars left and LeafSpy reporting capacity of 46.85 Ah.

Those are very encouraging results, indeed!

[RegGuheert]

Ultimately I'd like to see her move to Mode 6.

Mode 6 is an example of over-correction: we set the required level of confidence for a correction to a really low level, which means the device continually overcorrects. Fair warning: especially on city streets, it will feel very slow. It's really for mileage fanatics.

Thanks for that! "Mileage fanatic" would not be a good description for my wife even though she has gotten quite adept at getting to work and back with more energy remaining in the battery than she used to. I think we will stick with Mode 4 for a while and will only move to Mode 6 when we are getting more desperate to extract more mileage from the vehicle.

After 49,000 miles we decided to purchase new Ecopias rather than trying to get through the winter on the old thread. We did this even though we knew it would reduce the range of the vehicle. Given that, I decided to change the Smart Pedal to Mode 6 to give my wife the best chance of making it home on her commute. Actually, I like it! The pedal now feels roughly like pressing on soft butter, but it makes for some *very* smooth driving. I asked my wife if she was O.K. with it and she said she did not notice the difference from Mode 4. I guess that means it's O.K.

[PedalLogic]

Sorry, but we don't yet know one way or the other whether or not the SmartPedal is saving energy. My wife said she did feel a difference in how the car drives, but she had a lunchtime outing which increased consumption over a normal commute. I'll let her drive it in this mode (whatever it is) for a while to see if we can detect any difference in energy usage.

My wife is already getting fairly comfortable with the new SmartPedal in Mode 4. Yesterday she arrived home from work after her 49-mile commute with three charge bars remaining and 20 miles showing on the GOM. That's the most remaining she has ever seen, and that was with some air conditioner usage. The previous remaining high was 16 miles showing on the GOM. This is with our 2011 LEAF with three capacity bars left and LeafSpy reporting capacity of 46.85 Ah.

Those are very encouraging results, indeed!

Hi RegGuheert,

Thanks for your report. Feedback like this feels really good to read.

A quick question: is your wife's 49-mile commute mostly high speed on a highway or is it stop-and-go slow-moving traffic?

Marc

[PedalLogic]

After 49,000 miles we decided to purchase new Ecopias rather than trying to get through the winter on the old thread. We did this even though we knew it would reduce the range of the vehicle. Given that, I decided to change the Smart Pedal to Mode 6 to give my wife the best chance of making it home on her commute. Actually, I like it! The pedal now feels roughly like pressing on soft butter, but it makes for some *very* smooth driving. I asked my wife if she was O.K. with it and she said she did not notice the difference from Mode 4. I guess that means it's O.K.

Hi RegGuheert,

We haven't tested Mode 6 with fleets yet—it's still experimental so we thought to roll it out to this group. I'm glad the early impression is positive although I suspect your feedback on this point will not be in the majority. Most people want the vehicle to rock when they press the pedal, so we attempt to preserve that as much as possible from Modes 1 to 4. We ease up our adherence to the acceleration profile in Mode 5, and in Mode 6 we don't even pretend (or claim) that the car drives the same.

In fact, in some cases we think that Mode 6 might be counterproductive—most probably when used in combustion-powered vehicles operated by non-owners. But we have yet to test that particular mode on a commercial fleet...

Please keep sending the reports. Thank you!

Marc

[RegGuheert]

After 49,000 miles we decided to purchase new Ecopias rather than trying to get through the winter on the old tread. We did this even though we knew it would reduce the range of the vehicle. Given that, I decided to change the Smart Pedal to Mode 6 to give my wife the best chance of making it home on her commute. Actually, I like it! The pedal now feels roughly like pressing on soft butter, but it makes for some *very* smooth driving. I asked my wife if she was O.K. with it and she said she did not notice the difference from Mode 4. I guess that means it's O.K.

We haven't tested Mode 6 with fleets yet—it's still experimental so we thought to roll it out to this group. I'm glad the early impression is positive although I suspect your feedback on this point will not be in the majority. Most people want the vehicle to rock when they press the pedal, so we attempt to preserve that as much as possible from Modes 1 to 4. We ease up our adherence to the acceleration profile in Mode 5, and in Mode 6 we don't even pretend (or claim) that the car drives the same.

No argument from me on those points. I still like it!

In fact, in some cases we think that Mode 6 might be counterproductive—most probably when used in combustion-powered vehicles operated by non-owners. But we have yet to test that particular mode on a commercial fleet...

I'm sure you are correct here, also. It really gives the driver the impression that the vehicle has no power.

In fact, I currently have four(!) children with learner's permits and a couple of them have found the mushy pedal to be a bit disconcerting. Instead of smoothly accelerating, they sometimes hit the 90% point at which the torque jumps up. Me: "Don't push it down to the 90% point unless you REALLY need to go."

[cmwade77]

This looks interesting and while it looks like I missed out on the discount, I am going to consider buying it.

Can anyone tell me how much this has increased their range? I have a 2013 Leaf and I am currently getting about 4.6 miles per kwh on a new battery that I got last week.

[PedalLogic]

In fact, I currently have four(!) children with learner's permits and a couple of them have found the mushy pedal to be a bit disconcerting. Instead of smoothly accelerating, they sometimes hit the 90% point at which the torque jumps up. Me: "Don't push it down to the 90% point unless you REALLY need to go."

Pretty awesome collection you have there. Are there twins or triplets in that group? I imagine that you and their mom know quite a bit about playing a zone defense.

Regarding the 90% threshold, maybe it makes sense to take it out of that mode? Would it help or hurt in your opinion?

Marc