Aside from taking public transportation, one of the best ways to increase fuel economy and decrease emissions is, of course, to use a light touch on the accelerator pedal. Hypermilers know this, which is why some of them go so far as to drive without shoes. The rest of us might get a little help from Continental.
The German auto parts giant is working on an "active" gas pedal that pushes back when pushed too hard. It's a variation on Conti's Accelerator Force Feedback Pedal, which helps avoid rear-end collisions by applying back pressure or vibrating the pedal to alert the driver when a crash is imminent. Now it's testing the gadget to see if it can be used to tell drivers they're leadfoots. Conti says the technology could prove more effective than a warning light on the dash or an annoying buzzer.
“The first studies show that using it as a gear-shift indicator led to a reduction in CO2 and fuel use of 5 to 10 percent,” Peter Laier, executive v.p. of Continental's chassis components business unit, told Automotive News. “Therefore we see 5 percent as realistic.”
Those figures jibe with what Nissan expects to see with its ECO Pedal, an option slated to appear in the next-gen Infiniti M sedan. The pedal, developed by Japanese supplier Mikuni, is wired into the car's engine management system and provides some resistance when accelerating too hard for maximum fuel efficiency.
Of course, there are times -- say, when getting on the freeway -- when you want to stomp on it. Nothing about the systems designed by Mikuni or Continental will prevent you from doing that.
“The driver can easily disregard the resistance,” Infiniti product planning director John Weiner told Automotive News, “or turn it off altogether. But if you heed the signal and do as prompted, it can improve fuel economy.”
Graphic showing how the Accelerator Force Feedback Pedal works: Continental. Download the full-size .jpeg here.
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