internet cool?!

Nissan’s new “ECO pedal” has been engineered to encourage good fuel economy with a servo-actuated gas pedal that will push back on the driver’s lead foot when on-board computers detect wasteful acceleration. According to Nissan, vehicles equipped with the ECO pedal, and real-time fuel consumption gauges in the instrument panel, have returned a 5-10 percent increase in fuel efficiency. Electronic “nannies” are all the rage these days, with many cars being equipped with lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, ABS, GPS, it’s a wonder we all still remember how to drive!

The pedal is programmed to push back at your foot when its computer decides you don’t really need to accelerate as fast as you want. Nissan hopes that the pedal will teach overzealous drivers how to drive more efficiently, ultimately saving 5 to 10-percent on your fuel bill in the process and be introduced on some models as early as 2009.

Soaring fuel prices and global warming concerns are pressuring automakers such as Nissan to introduce more eco-friendly products.  What better way to increase your brand’s recognition as eco-conscious than to create a new product like this that practically advertises itself.  Brilliant.  Rich Ideas don’t have to run in a media vehicle - they just need to change your brand’s perception. Feel different about Nissan now?  I do.

so how does the eco pedel work?
Well, the technology involved will make the pedal press upward whenever the vehicle is moving too quickly for your own good. According to Nissan, this system is able to improve fuel efficiency. The Eco Pedal has been programmed to calculate the most efficient rate of acceleration in a vehicle, and it might cause the driver to be frustrated with their cars especially when they feel like a quick overtake. A meter on the dashboard flashes and changes colours to help drive the message home and it can be over-ridden if things are really just getting too much for you.