Cruise control and Eco mode?

[Yanquetino]

If you engage cruise control in the Leaf, will its range increase if you also shifted into "Eco" rather than "D" mode?

I wonder because, from what I've read so far, "Eco" mode (1) increases the amount of regenerative braking (irrelevant when cruising), and (2) makes the accelerator pedal harder to push (which you don't push anyway when cruising). I therefore suspect that it would make little difference which mode the Leaf is in when using cruise control.

I have NOT read that the Leaf's "Eco" mode is like that in the iMiEV, in which its power is actually "capped" at about 1/3rd its full capacity (18kW). I would imagine that this might increase the iMiEV's range when using cruise control.

What do you think? This might be something that those lucky reservation holders who test drive a Leaf in the next few months should inquire about.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Cruise control is silly in a car like the leaf because of drive distance. Cruise will likely burn more energy as it usually does. Eco mode just tricks the pedal to have less responsiveness to create awareness and does give more regen. Eco is the best bet for most drivers.

 

[Yanquetino]

Well... I really like cruise control myself, not for energy efficiency, but simply to give my right foot a rest and maintain the speed limit on longer stretches of highway without having to constantly check my speedometer. I use it all the time, and not just on long distance trips. In fact, just this afternoon I engaged it along a 40 mph road through the suburbs for about 10 miles --and then back again. I wouldn't have a car without it now. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[LEAFfan]

Cruise control is silly in a car like the leaf because of drive distance. Cruise will likely burn more energy as it usually does. Eco mode just tricks the pedal to have less responsiveness to create awareness and does give more regen. Eco is the best bet for most drivers.

ECO mode also cuts back on the A/C and some other energy users.

 

[mossyleaf]

It also limits your max speed to 60 mph.

 

[smkettner]

It also limits your max speed to 60 mph.

The cruise or eco mode?

 

[daniel]

Cruise control is silly in a car like the leaf because of drive distance. Cruise will likely burn more energy as it usually does. Eco mode just tricks the pedal to have less responsiveness to create awareness and does give more regen. Eco is the best bet for most drivers.

With a 100-mile range cruise control is very useful. As for efficiency, there are times when I plan on driving my EV near its limits, and then I drive gently. In the Leaf, if I end up getting it, I would use c/c or not, depending on whether studies show it to be more or less efficient. But most of the time I drive much less than my range limit, and with the leaf I would very seldom drive anywhere near its limit, and then comfort and convenience are more important than small differences in efficiency.

To the OP, I think we'll have to wait to find out how eco mode will work, and how it functions with cruise control, since Nissan doesn't seem inclined to tell us much of anything.

 

[garygid]

1. The LEAF has cruise control, right?

2. In ECO mode, the top speed is NOT limited to 60 mph, right?

3. If ECO mode limits speed to 60, then ECO mode is useless on the freeway, right?

4. Or, is it Cruise Control in ECO mode is limited to 60, but "unlimited" in "D" mode?

 

[mossyleaf]

The Leaf that was driven down from Mission Viejo was in Eco for part of the drive, and it was said to me that in eco mode it does not go over 60mph.

 

[garygid]

So, one cannot use the "eco" heater or A/C modes at freeway speeds?

 

[smkettner]

The Leaf that was driven down from Mission Viejo was in Eco for part of the drive, and it was said to me that in eco mode it does not go over 60mph.

So is that the cruise control... eco mode and just floor it :lol:

 

[planet4ever]

As I have posted before, what I am really concerned about is whether you can use eco mode and cruise control together at all. I keep thinking of eco mode as being like the "B" shift in a Prius, because both result in much heavier regen. And the Prius turns off cruise control when you shift from "D" to "B", and does not let you reengage it until you shift back to "D".

I care because I too like to use cruise control (maybe because I'm old and lazy), and the Prius cruise control does not hold speed when going down any significant hill. I know, others may claim they really want to speed up to 80 going down hill so they will have more momentum to start the next rise, and that momentum is more efficient than regen. I don't go for that because:
a) I want to stay at or below the speed limit, and
b) drag increases with speed, so I'm not sure the argument is valid anyway.

Oh, by the way, Gary:

3. If ECO mode limits speed to 60, then ECO mode is useless on the freeway, right?

Wrong. I've been holding my speed down to 60 on the freeway most of the time for the past two years to try to improve my gas mileage. It turns out that up here, at least, that's the speed most truckers go. Guess what -- driving in the right lane behind a truck is much less stressful (well, except for idiots who don't know how to merge onto the freeway) and it really doesn't take much longer to get places.

 

[garygid]

1. If one is going 65 (in "D") and tries to shift into ECO, does the LEAF just refuse?

2. If some vehicle is completely limited to a top speed of 60, is it freeway-legal in CA (or, what speed capability is required for "freeway-legal" in CA)?

3. In ECO mode, if you are at 59 mph, and need to speed up by 5 mph (perhaps for some safety reason), does the LEAF "drop out" of ECO when you hit 61, or do you get "stuck" at (limited to) 60 until you shift to "D", and then the LEAF will continue accelerating?

4. In ECO mode, you are going 58 and start going faster because you are going down-hill (feet off the pedals). Does ECO brake to keep you at 60, drop out of ECO at 60, or just do its "increased" no-pedal regen but let you go faster than 60?

Here, the big trucks are often in both the right lanes, with those in the outer lane often being passed by those in the next lane.

Dealing with merging traffic every mile or two (frequently) is a real safety issue, to allow others to merge safely, especially from some of the shorter on-ramps.

When incoming merging happens, the right-lane trucks often try to move to the left, so there is constant lane changing if "following" a truck.

Truck speeds vary from about 50 or 55 to 70 depending upon hills (of course, slower in slow traffic). The trucks do NOT like to be held up by a slowly moving car (some will get WAY too close to your cargo area), but they will usually pass if traffic allows.

However, if you cannot at least go the speed limit, or keep up with the slowest traffic, you are often a safety problem ... around here.

I tried 20 miles of right-lane 60 mph last Saturday morning (on the way to the SoCal Gathering) in light traffic, and it was POSSIBLE, but required a LOT more attention to slow/fast, lane changing, and merging traffic. Basically, it makes freeway driving "scary".

IMO, it is MUCH safer (and far easier) to just get in lane 2 and just follow traffic at a safe distance.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Gary you better get this car because you sure over think it. You can shift from eco and back, etc I did while driving. All eco does is gives more regen and changes the feel of the pedal, it does not restrict the full power of the motor in any way. I't a profile for inexperienced ev drivers to help them conserve.

 

[EVDRIVER]

If the eco mode limits the speed to 60 that is plain stupid. The reason for doing that is the efficiency gets really bad after 55 but you must be really dumb to not monitor your own speed. In addition, what is you want more regen but want to go faster. This is more of an idiot mode for people that cant drive an ev economically and penalizes good drivers from having full control AND the higher regen. I expect dealers to be able to over ride some of these settings with a diagnostic tool.

 

[daniel]

... I keep thinking of eco mode as being like the "B" shift in a Prius, because both result in much heavier regen. ...

Very, very, very, very wrong!!!!! B mode in the Prius is engine braking. It may increase regen, but principally it uses engine compression to slow the car. This is a VERY INEFFICIENT way to drive, and should ONLY be used on long downhill runs where the battery becomes full and regen is no longer possible and the friction brakes would overheat. B mode dissipates energy as heat via the engine and throws it away, which is necessary on long downhills once the battery is full, but is wasteful under any other circumstances.

As for Eco mode on the Leaf, I don't know what it does, and apparently Nissan won't say. I gather from posts above that it gives less acceleration and reduces heating and A/C. But you can accomplish the same things in Drive mode: Step more gently on the go pedal to reduce acceleration, drive more slowly to reduce drag, set your heat lower and your A/C to a higher temp to conserve power. Then when you do need to accelerate hard, or speed up, you can do so.

Cruise control really should not be all that inefficient. Just don't use it to speed up after having to slow way down if it turns out to be very aggressive. If you have to slow and speed up a lot, then c/c isn't great anyway, and if you are maintaining a steady speed then it should not hurt efficiency, and if you have a lot of hills, probably no c/c is especially efficient, since you're better off allowing your speed to fluctuate according to the terrain, if traffic conditions permit.

I say that c/c and Eco mode is a non-issue because Eco mode is silly and unnecessary.

What's of more interest to me is whether the Leaf has any provision to dissipate energy on long downhills if the battery is full or if it's too steep for regen to absorb all the energy, in order to avoid overheating the brake pads. Maybe they figure the size of the battery renders that moot. But it's a technical detail that would be interesting, if Nissan was not refusing to tell us much of anything about the car.

 

[Jimmydreams]

Oh, by the way, Gary:

3. If ECO mode limits speed to 60, then ECO mode is useless on the freeway, right?

Wrong. I've been holding my speed down to 60 on the freeway most of the time for the past two years to try to improve my gas mileage. It turns out that up here, at least, that's the speed most truckers go. Guess what -- driving in the right lane behind a truck is much less stressful (well, except for idiots who don't know how to merge onto the freeway) and it really doesn't take much longer to get places.

Me, too!!! I couldn't agree more with driving 60 in the right lane. NO MORE ROAD RAGE!!

 

[smkettner]

If the eco mode limits the speed to 60 that is plain stupid.

Actually this might be good for ICE vehicles also Of course there would be an override button but if it reset to econo mode at each restart it could really get people in the habit of saving fuel.

 

[Jimmydreams]

However, if you cannot at least go the speed limit, or keep up with the slowest traffic, you are often a safety problem ... around here.

I tried 20 miles of right-lane 60 mph last Saturday morning (on the way to the SoCal Gathering) in light traffic, and it was POSSIBLE, but required a LOT more attention to slow/fast, lane changing, and merging traffic. Basically, it makes freeway driving "scary".

IMO, it is MUCH safer (and far easier) to just get in lane 2 and just follow traffic at a safe distance.

I guess that depends on the driver. IIRC, the MINIMUM speed limit on Ca. highways is 45. The MAXIMUM legal speed is 65 or 70mph depending on where you are.

As a recent convert from 80-90mph drives to 60-65mph drives, all I can say is that it takes a little practice to enjoy riding in the right lane. Speeders are rarely an issue, and your biggest concern is merging traffic. If you watch the on-ramps, you can easily see when to speed up or slow down to allow for inattentive mergers. Personally, I do MUCH less lane changing at 62mph than I did at 80mph.

Simply 'following' traffic in lane 2 at a safe distance tells me that you're 'riding' more than 'driving'. Driving requires you to be aware of all the traffic around you (front and back) as well as what's going on in other lanes. Riding in lane 2 gives away too much of your attention to your surroundings....if that's your normal MO when driving, then 60mph in the right lane my not be for you, because it does require you to drive, rather than ride.

 

[garygid]

You bet, once I get to "riding" the lane, I can set the Auto-Lane-Detection, Radar-Collision-Avoidance, and Cruise Control, and take a nap (or "text" this reply) on the way to work, or home. Yes, these new electronic features are GREAT!

Of course, I realize that not all cars have all of these nifty features, yet.
Later, ZZzzzz ...