New Accelerator Pedal to Improve Fuel Consumption

Ever worry that cars are becoming more and more complicated and driving is becoming more and more electronically assisted? Well things are going to get pushed further, as Continental AG announced it is working on an accelerator pedal which will reduce fuel consumption and cut CO2 emissions, says autonews.com.

The new pedal comes as an alternative to other systems meant to reduce fuel consumptions like blinking lights or weird sounds telling you to shift into the next gear.

The German parts manufacturer already has an Accelerator Force Feedback Pedal meant to reduce rear-end collisions, which applies back force to the accelerator or applies vibrations to the pedal in order to determine the driver to slow down if there is a danger of an accident. Now the idea is to see if the active pedal can also work its magic on reducing fuel consumption, as it will get the driver’s attention easier than a light or a sound.

“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,” said Peter Laier, executive vice president of Continental's chassis components business unit. “Therefore we see 5 percent as realistic.”

The Germans are not the only ones looking at the possibility of introducing such a system into production cars. At the LA Show in December, Nissan presented its Infiniti M which featured an “Eco pedal,” which basically does the same thing.

“The driver can easily disregard the resistance,” Infiniti product planning director John Weiner says, “or turn it off altogether. But if you heed the signal and do as prompted, it can improve fuel economy.”