Comments on: New Leaf Owner: “more fun than a van full of cheerleaders”

By: Nissan Is Watching You --- EV Charge Points Tracked and Shared

Nissan Is Watching You --- EV Charge Points Tracked and Shared — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:41:21 +0000

[…] lost) can be a little overwhelming. Nissan has a solution to this potential problem — Leaf drivers know where to plug in their cars, so Nissan is just asking […]

By: dcmeserve

dcmeserve — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 03:32:00 +0000

As a sufferer of carpal tunnel syndrome, I cringe at the very thought of having to have that kind of continuous hand action required, in order to, you know, not die.

On brake position — I believe there’s an additional safety reason to not use the left foot for the brake; it’s a matter of remembering which foot is for what. I have heard that there was a time when people were actually taught to use one foot for each, perhaps when automatic transmissions were new. And I think there’s a correlation between people who learned it that way, and those old folks who occasionally go barreling through farmers markets…

By: BrianKeez

BrianKeez — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Congrats on the purchase David!
You’ll find that the remote climate control is excellent. With a twenty mile commute, you may not need to turn on the heat while driving to stay comfortable.

By: John Tamplin

John Tamplin — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:01:00 +0000

In my LEAF, it makes an audible sound when below 25mph specifically for pedestrians — are you sure yours doesn’t have it as well?

In my previous car which was a Camry Hybrid, I had exactly one case in 5 years where someone was about to walk out in front of me when I was running on battery. The horn made the car decidedly non-silent, so even without the pedestrian warning sound I never thought it was an issue.

I don’t find the driving style on surface roads to have much impact on overall range (unless you are trying to hypermile) — by far the biggest impacts are driving high speed on the interstate and running the heater when it is cold.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:39:00 +0000

You might force it on school buses, but I don’t think the car market would go along.

Perhaps better to install radar-based collision avoidance systems.

We’ve got the technology. It’s already on the road….

By: bussdriver78

bussdriver78 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:56:00 +0000

Actually, I would like to see somebody dare to put seats backwards. It is the clearly proven most save position to be in. The driver likely facing forward (but not necessarily.) Everybody else should be looking out the back. at least the school bus should be doing this already.

By: bussdriver78

bussdriver78 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:52:00 +0000

I have previously thought that alternative control methods would be nice but having though it over for years, I’ve decided that it would be foolish to change the car into a video game.

Conventional style is another topic, I was an Aptera fan and on their list.

1) people are used to and regulations revolve around the existing stuff. I would be great if side mirrors would removed for cameras and even a software helper.

2) Course motor movement involved in driving a car provides safety and accessibility besides familiarity and leveraging existing skills. A game controller involves fine motor movement and besides– think about playing a game while jerking around over pot holes and small animals. Sure, you can’t eat at the same time or do anything else– but a tiny slip becomes a huge problem.

Feet do nothing and having them simply push a surface is about as elegant a control as you can get. I’d make the pedals larger and position the brake for the LEFT foot. Nobody has to worry about using the both at the same time; this is not an old machine.

Steering wheel – has a large contact surface and is not a hair trigger input device – plus it is well positioned for the air bag. you can alternate hands. use 1 hand.. change position on the wheel (no sweaty hands)
I’ve driven a bobcat for years and I love the control much more than a car but you do get sick of your hand always being in the 1 possible position on each handle. (2 levers, 1 for each hand – bucket is done with feet.) Many benefits for this method over a wheel, but long term use and convenience (especially for doing things you shouldn’t while driving) it loses to the wheel. Handle bars have similar long term issues and limited control surface and positions.

Gear shift. That I 100% agree with you on. No point in having those anywhere but for gearheads. Even high performance manual trans have a computer switch gears. Gear shift can be lit buttons; or a toggle switch. backwards/forwards.