Configurable max power output?

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mctom987

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 25, 2014
Messages
333
Location
San José
I was wondering, would it be possible to limit the max power output to the motor?

I think it could be beneficial to limit the traction motor to say… 30kW output, or 20kW under 30MPH or something of the like.

Sure, it can be done with practice and precise control over the throttle, but a driver shouldn't pay that much attention to controlling the power. This could also be an extremely effective way to boost the economy of cruise control as a way to make it more of a constant throttle instead of constant speed. Climbing hills wouldn't waste extra power to maintain a speed only to be wasted on the descent.

Of course, for emergency scenarios, I'd say keep the "ECO Style" full throttle = 80kW. Hopefully you never need it, but if that time comes… you'll be glad you had it.

This could probably be done by remapping the accelerator response, but I don't think that would have an effect on the cruise control.
 
TomT said:
That is basically what Eco already does...
mctom987 said:
but I don't think that would have an effect on the cruise control.
:p

The mapping for ECO also gradually increases up to 100%. I was hoping more of a shallower stepping to maybe 40%, and then 100% when floored.
Thinking about actually using that… there would be quite a kick when it jumped from 30kW to 80kW output. :shock: Probably not the best idea…
 
mctom987 said:
I was wondering, would it be possible to limit the max power output to the motor?

I think it could be beneficial to limit the traction motor to say… 30kW output, or 20kW under 30MPH or something of the like.

Sure, it can be done with practice and precise control over the throttle, but a driver shouldn't pay that much attention to controlling the power. This could also be an extremely effective way to boost the economy of cruise control as a way to make it more of a constant throttle instead of constant speed. Climbing hills wouldn't waste extra power to maintain a speed only to be wasted on the descent.

Of course, for emergency scenarios, I'd say keep the "ECO Style" full throttle = 80kW. Hopefully you never need it, but if that time comes… you'll be glad you had it.

This could probably be done by remapping the accelerator response, but I don't think that would have an effect on the cruise control.

It's a great idea!
"The Fit EV has three drive modes: Normal, Econ, and Sport. Adapted from the CR-Z hybrid, these are accessed by a bank of dash-mounted buttons to the left of the steering wheel and have a direct effect on performance and range. In Normal mode, the default at startup, electric motor output is limited to 101 horsepower (75 kW), but the accelerator map is linear. Selecting Econ reduces motor output to 63 horsepower (47 kW) unless the accelerator is floored, in which case power is momentarily restored to 101 horsepower. Here, accelerator progression ramps up more slowly—so slowly, in fact, that we had to keep the right pedal stuffed pretty hard to keep up with freeway traffic. Also, Econ limits the A/C compressor and the fan speed to the extent that the car had difficulty keeping interior temperatures anywhere close to the selected 72-degree setting on a sunny (and sweaty) day. Sport mode is the least green of the three, but its performance is more in keeping with the fun-to-drive character of the gas Fit. The go pedal is more responsive, and the motor’s maximum of 123 horsepower (92 kW) is accessible. Honda says it’s like going half-throttle in a 3.0-liter V-6, and we concur."
 
So I bought the wrong car? :twisted:

Nah, I love my Leaf. But yes, something like what the Fit EV does would be pretty cool. Otherwise, the ECO mode is nice, but I just wanted to see if it was possible to take it a step further.
 
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