I don't know about that Joe - *I would think* that the electrical equivalent of keeping the needle centered on the line between the blue and green zones *would still have some current flowing in the motor* to prevent you either accelerating or decelerating . . . . otherwise, you're effectively using the drag of the unpowered motor and trans for brakingJoeS said:Putting the vehicle into N is electrically equivalent to keeping your foot balanced on the go-pedal trying to keep the red needle exactly in the middle between the blue and green zones. I submit that simply putting it into N is easier, faster, and certainly less distracting when driving.
If I am to believe the Power Gauge is simply an ammeter, then the midway point between blue and green represents zero going into/outof the battery, as the motor itself has no reason to absorb current.Don said:I don't know about that Joe - *I would think* that the electrical equivalent of keeping the needle centered on the line between the blue and green zones *would still have some current flowing in the motor* to prevent you either accelerating or decelerating . . . . otherwise, you're effectively using the drag of the unpowered motor and trans for braking
Shifting from D to N when the car is stopped and the brake is on (disabling the drive) doesn't budge the needle. Foot off the brake, and you might feel a slight jerk like in an ICE (I'll have to try that to be sure, if I can get our iMiEV away from my wife).Don said:Does lifting your foot off in 'D' still have the forward 'idle current' applied to the motor that we feel when we shift from 'N' into 'D' at a stop? If so, that would seem closer to the electrical equivalent you described, at least to me
Agree with you there, but adding a clutch would increase weight and complexity. My old Saab has a freewheel (a uni-directional drive), but that concept wouldn't work for us as our motor reverses direction for reverse. I still believe the N switch electrically disconnects the motor (in both directions) and accomplishes what we want with a minimum of complexity. A more sensitive ammeter would tell us that.Don said:I still wish it had an electric overdrive clutch in the transmission so you could truly coast when you wanted to. They could hook that clutch to the neutral switch and then we'd really have a neutralDon
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