mwalsh said:
So a couple of times, as I've been shifting from D into ECO and been too slow,
I've found myself in N. And you know what.....the car just coasts along in N. Really.
There is more drag on the engine in D, just like there is most manual transmission
cars in the highest available gear.
This is a very good question, but from other posts it looks like the LEAF's OEM
instrumentation is not sensitive enough to allow a power flow-based decision.
The Prius is a case in point. One of the conditions that a driver can achieve with
the accelerator, "go-pedal," is commonly known as a "no arrows glide." In this
condition, the OEM instrumentation would lead you to believe that no power was
flowing to or from the HV battery or MG2 to drive the wheels. But folks with more
sophisticated instrumentation, CAN View IIRC, found that there is a very small
power flow from the HV battery to MG2, about . 75 HP. Sorry, don't know the
electrical equivalent. They also found that in Neutral, there is no such flow.
Also in Neutral there is no regen or direct ICE to HV battery charging.
This has two consequences:
* The Prius' surprising ability to glide long distances is not just the result of very
good aero, but some electrical "augmentation" as well.
* If you are very, very seriously committed to getting max FE, with the Prius you
can save a really small amount of SOC and it is better to glide in Neutral than
"no arrows glide."
Is this true for the LEAF?
At this point, I'll bet nobody but engineers/testers at Nissan know. This unfortunate
situation isn't likely to change until a serious e-geek/techno-type decides to get
some real power flow readings.
Also, in a post or two you'll be hearing from folks who say it is illegal in their state
to drive in Neutral. The laws go back to the '30s'. Probably issues with restarting
while moving. Wholly out of date with contemporary computer managed power
systems. What can I say?