Moof said:
7) Nuke the GOM. The current equations work to maximize range anxiety rather than indicating anything useful. Put in a very simple fixed EPA efficiency in mi/kwH times the remaining charge in kWh down to VLBW. Voila, a useful readout that does not cause heart attacks going up hills, or bad decisions after going down hills.
Also, consider putting in a phase change material heat storage system as part of the cold weather package. Currently we can pre-heat the fluid, but that only holds so much. A chamber full of paraffin capsules (or similar) would allow the pre-heat cycle to easily hold 2-3 times the heat to better take the edge off of winter capacity loss.
I agree w/most of the suggestions so far, and personally would like to see the GOM go. But, once the GOM goes, I'm 100% sure you'll hear many questions/complaints (mostly from EV newbs or those who refuse to/don't understand certain concepts) of "so, how many miles can I go?" "What good is it that I have x kWh remaining or x%? How many miles does that translate into?" and so on.
I've had enough experience w/people who have had their Leaf for *years* and don't know how to reset the b&w display display or understand certain concepts.
Some people seem unable to learn how to even cycle thru (let alone reset) that display. Case in point is my mother w/her Altima Hybrid. The operation of its orange LCD in the center is exactly like that of my Leaf and basically the same as that of my former 02 Maxima's and 04 350Z's trip computer (1 button to cycle thru displays, press and hold the other to reset).
If you try to explain it to some of those folks, they just won't get it or their eyes will glaze over. And, they might choose another car w/a GOM. The salesman of their competitors will use it to their advantage. "See? Our car tells you how many miles you can go. The Leaf doesn't." :roll:
As for heat storage... the fluid bit seems like a non-issue w/the hybrid heater. As I've posted numerous times, if I turn on the heat on my '13 SV, in winter, by the time I've backed out of my garage onto the driveway, I already have warm air coming from the vents.
The US Gen 2 Prius (04-09) had a coolant thermos (see slides 38 to 41 of http://john1701a.com/prius/presentations/2004-prius_tech-presentation_38.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
, IIRC to speed up ICE warmup. The thermos was ditched on the Gen 3 Prius though...
Off the top of my head, here are some of mine (I'm not going to repeat other feedback...at least not yet):
- make the rear headrests even less obtrusive (good example is Gen 2 Prius, if that's permissible now)
- would like a grey cloth interior that's in between the current light interior and black. I don't like the black interior at all (seats, surfaces, dash, etc.) It looks too depressing. So, I went w/the light one, knowing that it was hard to keep clean.
- add back choice of getting QC + LED and premium package together on the SV (was possible on the '13)
- better aerodynamics (showing in http://www.caranddriver.com/features/drag-queens-aerodynamics-compared-comparison-test-drag-queens-performance-data-and-complete-specs-page-7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; was surprisingly poor for a car that could really use it for more range)
- get rid of the dumb beeping when you power off the car w/the driver's door open. I don't think my Prius does that.
- ditch the useless range circle button on the steering wheel. Ditch some of the useless voice commands like the ones that will read you your GOM value. Add more useful ones like 70 degrees, I'm hungry, Chinese food, etc. My 06 Prius has all these.
- On the nav system, allow for more choices of visible POIs and include company logos (my 06 Prius has these. Would see logos for various restaurant chains, for example.)
Oh yeah, you probably remember the wants thread at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=17821" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.