jray3 said:
. . . . and his counterpart at the Vancouver Sun has another long term review underway.
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/category/staff/driving-staff/electric-cars-driving-unplugged/
Andrew McCredie doesn't seem to understand much of what he writes about
He speaks of the Mitsu 'automatic transmission' and it's three modes of driving - True, we have 'D', 'Eco', and 'B' to choose from, but the transmission has nothing to do with any of them. He evidently thinks they are 'gears' in the 'automatic transmission'.
"I’ve experimented with the B gear now on a couple of occasions, including a descent of Cypress Bowl Road and on my daily commute down the Cut on Highway 1 in North Vancouver. True to its design, when engaged the B gear flings the dashboard display charging needle to the full extreme. But it also acts as such a brake to keep the car hovering around the 45 km/h mark, meaning you’re a bit of an impediment to traffic." So, he switches 'gears' to 'Eco' which allows him to keep up with traffic . . . . while still recharging just as much in his opinion - I can see where he might visually get that impression since the needle is buried at an apparent full charge in both cases. I guess it doesn't dawn on him that if you're an 'impediment to traffic' that a slight pressure on the go pedal would cure that . . . . and it would probably take quite some time to clue him in that descending the hill at any given speed in any of the three driving modes would give him exactly the same regenerative recharge . . . . so long as he doesn't touch the brake pedal
But . . . . he evidently has other problems with regard to the brake pedal
In an article he published titled "Electric Vehicle's Unintended Consequences" He has this exchange with one of his readers, Doug Wilson concerning our terrible habit of riding the brakes everywhere we go and the problems that causes for the rest of the motoring public.
"But, since braking does recharge the batteries, Leaf and even hybrid vehicle owners ride the brake to replenish their battery supply, however limiting that may be. All of which leads to a valid concern raised by Mr. Wilson, particularly when it comes to traffic flow. The application of one’s brakes, and subsequent lighting of one’s brake lights, slows traffic as drivers behind you apply their own brakes. So, it would seem that with more electric vehicles on the roadways, the incidence of brake lights flashing will only increase, thus leading to slowing traffic flow. That’s one consequence of this great green technology few figured on when designing these vehicles."
What he writes may be true for some hybrids which don't regenerate much without pressing the brake pedal, but he's the 'expert' driving our fully electric Mitsu and he's complaining about it going too slowly downhill without the use of the brakes? Maybe someone (Mitsu) has already 'solved' this annoying problem with electric (not hybrid) vehicles? Maybe he should retitle his article "Hybrid's Unintended Consequences"
We do much of our slowing with no brakelights at all . . . . something Mr McCredie should have discovered on the downhill portion of his commute - Was he riding the brake pedal in 'B' when it prevented him from maintaining the speed he wanted?
I think one of the biggest problems with new technologies and journalism is . . . . the apparent lack of knowledge of the journalists they assign to cover the technology
Don