Just seen the advert for the new Leaf and it introduces the 'ePedal', apparent they have just one pedal that does both go and stop.
I can that taking a bit of 'relearning' from drivers used to three or two.
How do you do an emergency stop? instead of pushing down I guess you have to lift off quickly?
or did I miss something?
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The car still has a brake pedal. You only need to use it fo emergency braking though. Taking your foot off the accelerator will brake the car sufficiently for normal circumstances.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sun 4 Feb 18 at 10:41
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Yes,you have missed the brake pedal. The car has a normal 2 pedal set up ,but because of the hi-tech system,when you take your foot off the gas pedal,the brakes will start to apply (subject to various conditions).There is still full braking with the brake pedal. That's the way I see it.More info here;en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_brake
Last edited by: carmalade on Sun 4 Feb 18 at 10:45
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I guess it's similar to my car (Ampera), which has a gear mode which gives extra regenerative braking, and means the car slows quite rapidly (without showing brake lights!!!). With a bit of foresight and anticipation I rarely need to use the brakes around town, except usually (but not always) when coming to a full stop.
It does mean the brakes don't get a lot of use, and there is advice on the forum that you should "clean" your discs and pads every so often by putting the car into neutral while doing a few long slow downs from higher speed otherwise the discs are likely to require premature replacement through corrosion rather than wear. (Both forward gear modes have a degree of regenerative braking, which is like engine braking.)
On the plus side, the alloys always look sparkly clean!!
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The Leaf epedal is just an evolution of the regen mode all electric cars have. Some have settings to control the level, so lifting off the accelerator can range from having a noticeable but small effect (Zoe, not user changeable) to lots (BMW, but levels are user choosable).
Fortunately, the new Leaf has a button to turn the behaviour off, and I note some reviewers have done that within about a hundred yards because they hate it.
It will be interesting to see whether the ACTUAL new Leaf, due next year, rather than the facelifted abortion of a thing that's just come out, will retain the epedal.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Sun 4 Feb 18 at 12:06
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The epedal might suit my wife whose natural behaviour is to go from accelerator to brake rather than lifting off earlier.
Given that the energy recovery will not be fully efficient, from a range point of view it would be better not to use so much in the first place. Depending on speed and gradient, I come off the accelerator anything up to half a mile before roundabouts.
I think I would prefer a brake pedal, albeit one that uses energy recovery to slow the car, so I could have the slowing down when I want it. Does the epedal have a 'coast' position?
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>> It will be interesting to see whether the ACTUAL new Leaf, due next year, rather
>> than the facelifted abortion of a thing that's just come out, will retain the epedal.
>>
>>
The ACTUAL new Leaf has just been announced and it is not a face-lift of the last one.
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Thanks, just seen the ad again I've picked up the normal brake pedal.
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My car has 4 regen settings:
Strong, medium or no regen when you lift off the throttle (adjusted by steering wheel flappy paddles).
4th setting is "auto" where it coasts unless it needs to slow down because there is a car in front - works very well.
When using the brake pedal it automatically dials in regen and then friction braking as you increase pressure and works very well with no 'step' between drivetrain and friction braking.
I use 'auto' 90% of the time and engage 'strong' for downhill engine braking effect.
I think the big difference with the LEAF e-pedal is simply it can bring the car to a standstill whereas normal regen gets much weaker once you are down to a few mph.
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>> The ACTUAL new Leaf has just been announced and it is not a face-lift of
>> the last one.
>>
Has it? Not seen that anywhere official yet.
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“This new second-generation Leaf promises more of everything: range, technology, space, safety and quality (although judging by the old car’s ratings in our Driver Power satisfaction ratings, there’s never been a problem on that score anyway). The one thing that moves in the other direction, though, is price – this new model starts at £21,990 – less than the outgoing car.â€
www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/leaf/100747/new-nissan-leaf-2018-review
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That's not the new Leaf, that's the facelifted old one with a few bits of extra feeble tech. It might look a hint different but it's basically the same thing, slightly bigger battery, no improvement in aerodynamics, overpriced and disappointing range (less than the current Zoe, which has already been out for a year).
All of which Nissan have tacitly acknowledged and said there will be a proper new Leaf next year.
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Only user forums with potential customers, many of who put down deposits in excitement pre-release and got them back when it was actually launched.
It's not a disaster of a car, it's just not what everyone was hoping for.
As to the "proper" new Leaf, rumour if course, but more than just a bloke with a hope.
Example(first section):
www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/nissan/new-2018-nissan-leaf-revealed-pictures-specs-and-details/
Or just google "2019 Leaf" for more.
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They have been likened to driving an Autopia car at Disneyland.
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The 2019 Leaf will be the newly announced Leaf (all new body and interior - not a facelift) but with a new/better motor. No different from how new ICE cars gradually get a roll-out of improved engines during their life.
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That's how I read it. A new higher capacity batter when avaiable but not a new car. That's available now.
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Many railway electric locomotives have a steering wheel type control which controls both acceleration and braking by turing it clockwise/anticlockwise.
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>> Many railway electric locomotives have a steering wheel type control which controls both acceleration and
>> braking by turing it clockwise/anticlockwise.
>>
Mostly a foreign application I think but combined power/brake levers are fairly standard on modern UK traction.
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Most modern, say from the 80s onwards, trains, that is a DMU or EMU have a single power/ brake controller. Because all it has is a train brake
A locomotive, IE a power unit that can be attached to any form of train, will have separate controls, a power controller and a brake handle, because it has two braking systems to worry about, the train brake and the locomotive brake
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"Many railway electric locomotives have a steering wheel type control which controls both acceleration and braking by turing it clockwise/anticlockwise."
Otherwise known as a Hornby speed controller.
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I remember watching a programme years ago about a Triumph Herald that had been converted to hydraulic drive and had a single pedal pivoted in the middle. One way was accelerator, the other brake. The ability to change direction instantaneously combined with the incredibly small turning circle gave it amazing manoeuvrability.
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New 40kWh LEAF - 1st minute is a 360º around view.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uDU6Xxnv4o
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So when and how are the hrake lights triggered in this ePedal scenario?
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Presumably when the brake pedal is pushed, as it still has one.
I'm sure we've all been caught out at some point by a vehicle in front using engine braking to slow down. I can see what you're saying though, this appears to be a more rapid de-acceleration than internal combustion engine braking could manage.
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Here then, is a demo of the e-pedal.
You can see the brake lights are on at one point, so either he cheated and did press the brake, or the e-pedal lights them.
youtu.be/4aUZAE2Cl24
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Clearly that guy has never driven an automatic car before ...
It does seem that the ePedal activates the brake lights.
Last edited by: Hard Cheese on Tue 6 Feb 18 at 09:07
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>>Clearly that guy has never driven an automatic car before ...
His daily driver is a Tesla and he has driven pretty much all the EVs on the market.
I have had lots of automatics - none of them would hold on a 30º slope without a hill-holder mechanism.
Most EVs with heavy regen will put the brake lights on without pushing the brake pedal.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Tue 6 Feb 18 at 09:13
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>> Clearly that guy has never driven an automatic car before ...
>>
>> It does seem that the ePedal activates the brake lights.
>>
Clearly you don't follow Bjorn Nyland from Oslo on YouTube, then you'd realise what a fatuous statement you have just made. LOL
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>> I'm sure we've all been caught out at some point by a vehicle in front
>> using engine braking to slow down.
It's been an inherent flaw in the brake light concept ever since hand-signals were abolished.
Other lights show an intention to take some action, whereas brake lights only come on when the action has started. As a warning they are therefore by design rather late.
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True but most sensible drivers apply the brakes gently initially, lighting the lights before any retardation* begins.
*other than that already in the tail-gating nonce behind
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>> True but most sensible drivers apply the brakes gently initially, lighting the lights before any
>> retardation* begins.
>>
This isn't a new. issue, slowing down without brake lights happens with most radar/camera controlled cruise controls, I believe the ones on my Golf only go on when the ACC applies the brakes. I always try to protect my rear end with the brake lights if I have a tailgater
Some of the numpties never learn
Last edited by: commerdriver on Tue 6 Feb 18 at 12:33
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There was a device in the 50s I think which you could buy from halfords consisting of three lights, red, green and amber which you displayed in the rear window. It indicated whether you were accelerating (green), braking (red), or simply lifting off the accelerator/coasting (amber).
It didn't catch on, but would appear to be exactly what is now needed.
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Cliff, some people can't even manage to use indicators, let along what you're suggesting ;)
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The obvious way to implement this at the time would have been to link the red to the brake lghts, the green to an accelerator/throttle switch, and to show amber when neither of the other two were lit.
I can't see it being much use to the average (inattentive, inwardly focused) driver - the 'danger' sign already exists in the brake lights.
Following drivers would see me 'coasting' 300-400 yards from roundabouts, and it would probably only encourage them to accelerate, overtake, move into my safe space and promptly brake, which enough do anyway.
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>> Cliff, some people can't even manage to use indicators, let along what you're suggesting ;)
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The point was the driver didn't have to do anything - the lights were triggered automatically by a) brake pedal switch, b) similar accelerator pedal switch and c) vacuum sensor.
Someone behind would simply see by either one of three lights showing what the car ahead was doing and was going to be doing.
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ePedal? - CGNorwich
