http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/04/nissan-eco-pedal-promises-to-push-back-against-aggressive-driver/
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/04/nissan-eco-pedal-puts-pressure-on-lead-foots/
While Nissan hasn't quite cut drivers out of the equation all together (yet), it is making some considerable progress in controlling just how they drive, including preventing folks from driving drunk and, now with its new ECO pedal, preventing people from driving inefficiently. To do that, the pedal simply pushes back against the driver's foot when it detects wasteful acceleration, which Nissan says could improve fuel efficiency by as much as five to ten percent. Of course, the system can be switched off, and it likely won't be making an appearance in all Nissan vehicles right off the bat, although the company says it'll be showing up in at least some of them as early as next year.
So how does the computer know what is "wasteful" and what is "Oh FUCK that truck is about to hit me! Our Lady Of Blessed Acceleration don't fail me now!" Also a computer has no sense of fun; and, let's face it, mashing the loud pedal once in a while is fun. Sure it wastes fuel, but it's my fuel, I'll waste it if I want!
As if "shift lights" weren't annoying enough... Nissan's new "ECO pedal" has been engineered to encourage good fuel economy with a servo-actuated gas pedal that will push back on the driver's lead foot when on-board computers detect wasteful acceleration. According to Nissan, vehicles equipped with the ECO pedal, and real-time fuel consumption gauges in the instrument panel, have returned a 5-10 percent increase in fuel efficiency. The Japanese automaker says it has plans to begin installing the ECO pedal in models next year, although there is no word on what models, or markets, will get the system. We're betting it's an option unlikely to show up on the GT-R anytime in the near future.
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