You can drive the 2018 Nissan Leaf with just one pedal
It's not a revolutionary technology, per se, but it's still a big leap forward for Nissan's electric car.
Two pedals are so overrated -- why not configure the gas pedal to both accelerate and decelerate the vehicle? Well, on electric vehicles, that's a possibility, and it'll be a feature on the redesigned 2018 Nissan Leaf.
Nissan calls its technology e-Pedal, which is activated with a single switch. Pressing the pedal normally will make the car go faster (duh), while lifting your foot off will cause it to slow down more aggressively than doing so in a gas car. Release the pedal on a hill, and the car will hold itself there until you're ready to push off.
The e-Pedal name is just a clever marketing gimmick. It's essentially some very aggressive regenerative braking, which converts the vehicle's kinetic energy into current that replaces some of the battery's charge.
The Chevrolet Bolt EV has a system similar to e-Pedal, but it requires holding paddles and changing shifter positions, whereas e-Pedal is activated with a single switch. I don't believe the Bolt EV's system will hold the car on a hill, but it has a separate Hill Start Assist system that will. Nissan just bundles it all together into a single system.
We'll get to see the whole shebang -- and not just the gas pedal -- when Nissan pulls back the veil on the 2018 Leaf on September 5.
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