How to shift gears

--just move the lever... No, this is a How-To article on changing the function of the shift gates.

Shifting Gear Positions

kiev, thanks for posting. Interesting.

I had actually pondered this arrangement and concluded that the existing sequence is my most preferred one, because:

1) I do a lot of hilly driving and going downhill it is simple to modulate the car's speed by how far back the lever is pulled, as the retardation force simply increases the further back you pull the lever.

2) I also do a fair amount of hypermiling, where it has become second nature to switch between D and N, especially on the highway - a good percentage of my driving is actually in N, as I find this much easier than trying to modulate the accelerator pedal and keep the needle 'zeroed'. Dropping from N into D results in a minimal shock to the drivetrain due to D having the lowest regen. As an aside, my wife and I each coast for most of the first two miles upon leaving home.

Thanks for giving us the process, in case someone wants to play with it.

I wonder if I could enable E and B modes in my C-Zero by playing with the connector? I only have PRND now. Perhaps by adding a three position switch, which I could use to choose between DEB when I have the gear lever in D. What I'd really like to have is a mode with reduced power and reduced regen, but sadly that's not an option at all, I believe.

What year is your C-Zero? Maybe you could look under the rear and spot the gear switch connector on the side of gearbox--it is a twelve position connector, 2 rows x 6 wide, and look to see if the violet, yellow and gray wires are already there. Also pull out the rear seat and remove the metal cover to inspect the EV-ECU connections and wire colors.

Maybe the additional gates are present but are locked out mechanically, either due to regulations or it's just an earlier version.

It can't hurt to snoop around and look under the covers...

It's a 2011, actually the very first C-Zero/iOn/i-MiEV in Finland. I'll need to check those connectors and see what wires go where. I don't think it's a regulations thing. Probably just trying to keep things as simple as possible. The remote control functionality would be nice too, but I'm guessing that's way too much to ask.

jsantala, you might want to check out this link of upgrading iOn/C-Zero to also have B- and C-mode: http://www.automobile-propre.com/fo...boite-de-vitesse-sur-ion-et-c-zero-t1142.html

It is in French so you might want to use Google Translate or something...

Thanks for the link! If I got it right (via Google Translate), they're saying that it's all there, shift positions and all, but it's just mechanically prevented to select those gears? Pure lunacy! I'll need to crack open mine and see if it's true.

Yes, it's all there! Amazing. Even the display registers the "new" modes. I just need to drill the slots open:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5q7lprqct60v142/2015-09-03%2011.06.19.jpg?dl=0

I immediately went ahead and did some drilling:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n51qn7pz9wafbh7/2015-09-03%2011.49.40.jpg?dl=0

It's not pretty, but it does work! Here's me driving in C:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y8fdvnhj796fwyq/2015-09-03%2012.23.44.jpg?dl=0

It seems that the difference in regen from B to C is about 10 kW with D in between. Letting the acceleration pedal go at about 70 km/h, CaniOn registered about 10 kW for C, 15 kW for D and 20 kW B. I didn't really notice difference in acceleration. I finally have the low regen mode I always wanted! Very, very cool.

I found this description very accurate:

POSITION D:
The equivalent of position '' Drive '' of an automatic transmission, '' D '' is the normal driving, operating all dynamic potential of the car. Its use is particularly suitable for city driving.

POSITION B:
Position B increases the response of the recovery system energy (engine braking). Its use is particularly suitable for downhill driving.

POSITION C:
In this position, the system energy recovery (engine braking) is mitigated. Its use is particularly suitable for extra-urban journeys.

With the B mode you almost never have to use the brakes.

The accelerator pedal seems quite muted in our E mode, maybe C doesn't do that. Shifting gears while running up to speed from B to E will show a big drop in the red needle.

The display changing is very interesting, didn't think about that happening.

Now that the seal has been broken it probably won't go back to the previous display.

Makes you wonder what other easter eggs a hidden in there...

I think it's down to car programming being identical across the board, PSA just had decided to block B and C mechanically. Thankfully in a way, because now I can have the full PRNDBC range in my disposal:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n4syf45ag1tjko0/2015-09-03%2008.59.32.mp4?dl=0

KiEV, JSantala, this is a great find. Now i-MiEV/iOn/C-Zero owners can modify the behavior of the shifter to better suit their preferences and add some additional functionality.

For the amount of shifting I do between ECO and N, I'm tempted to switch D and ECO, but the stock D, ECO, B setup is nice in that regen progressively increases, the same as shifting down an ICE transmission.

Very interesting.

jsantala, I can't see this two photos:

jsantala said:

...I immediately went ahead and did some drilling:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zwl4g9dscww802k/2015-09-03%2011.50.00.jpg?dl=0

It's not pretty, but it does work! Here's me driving in C:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5qd21llm1pp20db/2015-09-03%2012.23.53.jpg?dl=0
...

Click to expand...

(I have an error "404/not found")

Sorry, moved the files in dropbox, here's the new links:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n51qn7pz9wafbh7/2015-09-03%2011.49.40.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wnv21pulfhrn9jr/2015-09-03%2011.56.32.jpg?dl=0

So I guess in my PRNDBC order the regen doesn't increase quite the same way as it does for your PRNDEB - for you it increases on every step, for me it increases from D->B, but then goes back down and even further with B->C. So my C is your Eco, basically, and the order is different. Interesting that they did this and are there actually any vehicles out there with PRNDBC available from factory?

I had wondered a couple years ago if the order of the driving modes could be changed. Since we've driven pretty much every single mile in 'B' mode since we bought both cars, I thought it would be nice to have 'B' up next to 'N' . . . . but we're so used to getting in and shifting all the way back to 'B' every time, I guess I'll just leave it that way for now

What I *really* wish we had was a steering wheel paddle which would engage max regen whenever you pulled it, like the new 2016 Volt and a couple other cars have - THAT would be a major upgrade!!

Don

This is a really interesting topic.

What I would really like is do is add a three position rocker switch on to the shifting knob that I could toggle into neutral or breaking mode without moving the shifter I think this would decrease the wear and tear on the shift knob and also quickly allow you to kind of do a classic pulse and glide technique by putting the car into neutral with a rocker switch. I'm thinking that the rocker switch would be spring loaded and always return back to the middle position where it would do nothing.

In traffic you could go from coast to E to B in a couple of clicks to get the progressive regen. You would need to add a little throttle to get the D mode regen. But I'm usually always in E mode except on the highway. When I need quick power I drop into B.

For me a rocker switch would make sense and keep the car intact. If i switch around the positions I would have to re-learn and re-train reactions that I have burned into my brain over the past three years. I think a switch would be a cool addition.

I suppose you could accomplish this by routing the wires thru the rocker switch. If it had multiple contacts you could perhaps do this.

I dont know if the ecu would be upset if it saw the car in E mode and in N at the same time. Perhaps it checks for things like this and throws a fault. It would be interesting to find out.

Maybe the best way to do this would be with a couple of relays...

Have to think about this a little more...

Don.....

I got a quote for 2420A081XB "PANEL,A/T SHIFT INDICA" at a local Mitsubishi dealer for 107€. Ouch. Mitsubishi has one in Holland. Couple of days to deliver. Pretty pricey. I'll have to think about this and/or look for a used part. It might have Eco and B instead of B and C, but still much prettier than no cover.

Btw, I tried all the three forward gears on the C-Zero now. I set the red needle on Eco and shifted "gears" D-B-C. No change in power felt or any movement on the needle. Funny that they'd go through the trouble of designing B and C gears specifically into these PSA vehicles, in different order, naming and characteristics, but then decide to leave them out completely. Or do the European i-MiEVs have PRNDBC as well? I found a picture of a panel with those markings:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gfzz1w203enbysk/0522.jpg?dl=0

I've really missed a low regen "C" position and actually it has been there all along. Oh well, I suppose it's better now than never.

Your test result is interesting--so it appears that, at least for your car,

1. the accelerator function is identical in all three gears, DBC,

2. but the regen level varies from greatest to least, BDC.

Now i'm curious about how the levels of acceleration are varied for us with DEB and not so for you with DBC. i wonder if it is just your car not having this since it was sold with only D? or if this is true for EU cars sold with DCB?

jsantala said:

Or do the European i-MiEVs have PRNDBC as well?

Click to expand...

Yes.

http://imagenes.km77.com/fotos/bbtcontent/clipping/KM7KPH20110210_0001/5.jpg

Interesting indeed. We'd need input from a European i-MiEV driver on how the DBC are programmed on those. My guess is they'll be identical to my C-Zero.

Actually, if you think about it, the PRNDBC setup probably is the original one from Japan, which they brought to Europe and then PSA decided to leave B-C out on Citroën C-Zero and Peugeot iOn. When the i-MiEV crossed the pond, they likely decided to change it for North America, from B-C to Eco and B, also altering the programming to have less power.