"WISH LIST" Rev.11
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Revision notes:
- Items 7b, 10f, 10g, 13c, 14d, 22b, 27, 28 added.
- Previous item 7 changed to 7a.
- Previous item 22 changed to 22a.
- Items 7, 14 renamed.
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Originator names are given as a source for providing explanations
if needed. It is not intended to assign copy rights or any other
credits or privileges.
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1. Annoying beeps and chimes.
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1a. Reverse warning beep.
Was a hot topic on the internet for a while. To my knowledge
nothing was done about it yet. Best solution I heard was to
have a switch that can allow the driver to activate the horn
if needed, or keep it quite otherwise. (many)
1b. Door open chime.
A way to disable the rather loud chime when a door is open!
Maybe just pressing one of the buttons on the internal keypad
to mute the chime until the door is open again. (Greg Hanssen, Kodama)
2. State of "re-gen" indicator.
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It would be great to have an indication, on the display, of
"how much" energy is being put back into the batteries when
"cost down" is pressed or brakes applied (or both). We all
are trying to fine tune our driving habits and an indicator
like that can help tremendously. (many)
2a. In "power usage" mode have the bars come down from the TOP
to indicate regen. The bars all disappear (as at present)
when there is equilibrium, but then when there are 100 watts
of net regen, just the very top bar lights up, when there
are 500 watts, the top two bars light, 1000 watts, the top
three bars... and so on. No matter what, the bottom bar
should not light up so as not to confuse regen with power
usage. This feature require no modifications to the display
unit and resolution of the bars is maintained. (Tom Dowling)
3. More functionality using the door entry code.
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To get the car going, we now need to enter the car entry code,
get in, enter the "start" code, wait for the car to "boot up"
and then we are ready to go.
Since it is all in the programming anyway, here is a suggestion:
Add a 6th "function" digit entered after the code to do one of
several things:
- Turn on the car
- Open the trunk
- Raise the windows
- Lower the windows
- "Precondition-now" (Start the AC or Heater now while on shore
power.) (Avi Hershkovitz, Chris Yoder)
4. Power setting on the cruise control.
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4a. Cruise control is great. Especially with this responsive
car. When using the cruise control, I'm dismayed when the
"power used" goes over 50% - to keep up the speed over a
hill for example. It would be nice to have a "power saving
mode" for the cruise control, that when turned on, will
keep the speed as long as power used doesn't go over ,
say, 55% . (Kodama, Avi Hershkovitz)
4b. Also, we'd like the coast down button to control whether
the cruise control allowed the car to coast & gain speed
going down-hill or to engage the re-gen and keep the speed
steady. thus on the hills you'd speed up going down and
coast up next. This is more efficient use of power and if
I'm driving for range I'll use these tricks. (Chris Yoder)
4c. Buttons for speeds, i.e. 25m/h, 30m/h, 45m/h, 55m/h...
I don't really car how fast I drive, so I just drive
exactly the legal limit using the auto-pilot. Only annoyance
is having to set it again after stopping briefly at a red
light. (Dirk Harms-Merbitz)
5. A 4 seater.
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Being a young family with two kids - a two seater car is not
the best fit. My next EV will have to be a 4 seater or it will
be vetoed by my wife! I hope to stay with GM. So please - give
us a back seat. (Avi Hershkovitz)
NOTE!: Make the 4 seat a separate model. Don't take away the
2 seat sports car model, so many of us love so much. (Chris Yoder)
6. Optional longer charger cord.
------------------------------
Longer cord will allow better placement of the charger in the
garage. It's been a year, but we struggled a lot with that issue
when the car arrived. I still need to back into my garage with
my EV1 because the best place for the charger (noise considerations)
was close to the garage door. (Avi Hershkovitz)
7. Preconditioning.
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7a. "PRECONDITION NOW!" - Start an A/C or Heater precondition
starting immediately. Will run for no more than 15 minutes.
(Chris Yoder, Kodama)
7b. Allow preconditioning WITHOUT being attached to a charger.
This will allow a driver with full batteries to enjoy a
preconditioned cabin at all times. (Alec Proudfoot)
8. Remote Control.
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This is stolen directly from the Honda EV+. I'd like a remote control
that would allow me to check the state of charge from inside the house.
This remote would also have a "precondition-now" button. It would also
unlock the car and open the trunk but not start it (code would be
required to start.) (Chris Yoder)
9. Storage.
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9a. A glove compartment. (Chris Yoder, Kodama)
9b. A shallow lockable storage hatches where the shelf behind
the seats is currently located (look at the Honda Del Sol
for an example). (Kodama)
Another example: A custom storage box design and built by
Loren Nielsen. (Loren Nielsen)
10. State of charge and range.
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10a. Digital readout of battery charge (%), both for the pack
and for the individual modules. Currently this information is
available only for the entire pack and is only available from
the 240V wall charger. (Kodama)
10b. Digital readout for the auxiliary battery state.
10c. Digital readouts of power use (e.g. amps) vs. 11-bar nonlinear
display. This would help our awareness of power use by the different
car systems and allow us to train ourselves in optimal driving
techniques. (Kodama)
10d. An explanation of how the state of charge is calculated - In
addition, perhaps a "min" and "max" range envelope display would
allow us to get a better estimate of how much further we could go
based on our knowledge of what is ahead (e.g. freeway vs. surface
streets). (Kodama)
10e. Increase the resolution of the state of charge "bars" -
Change the bars from "all-or-nothing" to "thermometer" bars
that progress from the left in 1/10 of a bar increments.
that would give a percentage of charge reading to the nearest
1%, but would still convey the same at-a-glance information
as at present. (Tom Dowling)
10f. Show charge state on dash. This could be accomplished by turning
off the "MI" indication of the range estimator, perhaps after a
code is typed in, then defaulting back to estimated range when
the car is unplugged from the charger. This is very important if
the new Gen 2 charger has no charge percentage indication.
(Alec Proudfoot)
10g. Ability to see odometer during charge cycle. (Michael Schwabe)
11. Braking.
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An indicator showing when re-gen and friction braking is being used -
This would allow us to train ourselves to brake efficiently as well
as make it unnecessary to use the coast-down feature when it would be
safer to indicate to drivers behind the car that the car is slowing
down. (Kodama)
12. Controls and switches.
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12a. Move more of the controls on the central console elsewhere to
make it unnecessary to look down at the console when selecting
a control. For example, the window controls could be put in the
more traditional place (on the respective doors). (Kodama)
12b. Replace the shift lever with a button select to improve the driver's
access to the controls currently blocked by the shift lever. (Kodama)
12c. Security code - Provision should be made for optionally accepting
a longer code. Placing the security keypad in a less visible
location is also very desirable for more privacy while keying
in the access code. (Kodama)
12d. Valet Code - additional code allowing only reduced-performance
(and possibly limited-range) operation. (Bruce Sidlinger)
The valet code can be 11111 (or some other universal standard
valet code). Holding down the "5/6" key while in park will
engage this mode. Restarting the car with the regular code
will disengage it. (Chris Yoder)
12e. Move the "coast down" button to somewhere on the steering
wheel. This way one would not need to take ones hand off
the steering to change the re-gen mode. (Margaret Cheng)
12f. Add two, 3-position, steering-wheel-accessible thumbwheels
to provide comprehensive control of pseudo-inertia and
pseudo-friction, as follows:
1. "stationary behavior selector" (left thumb):
up (latching) -> creep (in "R" or "D")
center (latching) -> free rolling
down (momentary) -> active station_keeping mode (hill hold)
2. "deceleration behavior selector" (right thumb):
up (latching) -> free rolling
center (latching) -> coast down
down (momentary) -> maximum regeneration
(Bruce Sidlinger)
12g. The power door lock buttons are not very well placed or
ergonomically friendly. They are not marked U and L like most
other power door lock buttons, and they are too far back on
the door. (Tom Dowling)
12h. Autolock and unlock on the power door locks. Doors lock
when car is placed in drive or reverse; doors unlock when
vehicle is turned off. Some cars refine this a little by
also requiring the brake to be unengaged. An enhancement
would be a method of tailoring the operation via the
keypad, so that those who did not want the automatic
locking or unlocking could turn one feature or the other
(or both) off. (Tom Dowling)
12i. The set point of 66F as the dividing line between making
heating and cooling available should be driver programmable
to accommodate individual preferences or local climatic
conditions. (Tom Dowling)
13. Charger.
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13a. Convenience charger redesign - Move this into the car under the
hood so that charging from 120V just requires plugging an
extension cord into the car. A male 3-prong outlet could be built
into the car to allow a standard power extension cord to be used
as is done for electrical tools such as hedge trimmers. This would
eliminate the following problems:
- Charger power cord is too short for most situations.
- The charger needs an extra cable lock because it can be easily
unplugged and stolen.
- Extra work required to remove and stow the charger.
- The charger takes up extra room in the trunk.
- The fan noise of the charger would probably be less obvious if
it were buried under the hood. (Kodama)
Currently the location of the GFI on the charger might leave a long
extension cord unprotected. The safest approach would be to put an
integral power cord on a reel in the car, with a GFI-equipped
three-prong plug at the end. (Geoffrey Sommer)
13b. Install a pair of channels or rails at the front of the car, so
that the convenience charger can slide into them, with a hole
for a padlock. This would keep the charger off the ground, out
of puddles, and make it easier to use and keep safe. (Tom Dowling)
13c. Have the car send a message out via a pager, or cell phone, to
let a person know when it is not taking a charge as intended.
This will prevent an unpleasant surprise to a driver returning
to the car after some time, believing it is charged, and finding
it was just sitting there idle. (Sharon Hoopes)
14. HVAC
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14a. Better internal (ventilation) air flow. (Kodama)
14b. Ability to direct floor heat to driver's side only, to
warm the driver's footsies faster when there is no
passenger. This could be done by toggling the floor
air button, with two lights above the button -- L and R,
or Land BOTH or a three-way toggle L, R and BOTH. (Tom Dowling)
14c. Allow the air conditioner to run at all time while connected
to the charger. (Many)
14d. A fully automatic climate control that will control fan
speed, pump speed and the selection of fresh or recirculated
air for the optimal setting to achieve a preset cabin temperature.
with manual override on all parameters. (Many)
15. Displays & Indicators.
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15a. Alphanumeric display - Ideally a generic CR-type (or LCD)
display could present more information to the driver and
lend itself to incorporating electronic maps for the future.
(Kodama)
15b. Expert Mode.
An optional expert mode just like some software packages have.
The car could still be delivered showing "idiot bars" but
techies could type in a code and then get numerical readouts
of various parameters. (Bruce Sidlinger)
15c. Analog speedometer - A user configurable choice between
the current digital speedometer display and an analog one.
(Gary Lindgren)
15d. A way to display the outside air temperature. It can be
implemented by a momentary override of the range display.
It could be a separate button on the console or could
display for a few seconds any time any of the HVAC
buttons is depressed. (Tom Dowling)
16. Windshield wipers.
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16a. The windshield fluid spray pattern needs to be improved. The
lower part of the windshield does not get cleaned, especially
when the car is in motion and the airflow is carrying the spray
to the top of the windshield. (Kodama)
16b. The way the windshield wipers tuck away under the lip of the
hood makes it difficult to wash the exterior windshield.
A "cleaning" wiper switch position which moves the wiper arms
out fully would be handy. (Kodama)
17. Creep feature.
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Replace or augment this with a mode which holds the car motionless
no matter what kind of slope the car is stopped on (e.g. uphill or
downhill traffic lights). (Kodama)
18. Extended range trailer.
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Additional batteries installed in a trailer that can be towed
by the EV1 for those occasional long trips. During regular use,
when the 70-90 mile range is sufficient, the trailer will be
left at home. (Avi Hershkovitz)
19. Onstar.
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Have the GM "Onstar" system as an option available on EV1.
(Linda Nealon)
20. Public chargers.
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20a. A longer cord that will enable more cars to reach the paddle.
especially when the parking spot is blocked. (Linda Nealon)
20b. A regular 120V socket (with bicycle-type cable lock place)
below the charger so desperate EV owners, finding all of the
charges in use, could still get some charging using their
portable charger. (Dave Kodama)
21. Emergencies.
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An "emergency override" button to be used when the car losses
power in a dangerous situation. The driver then can chose to
damage the batteries but save his/her life. (Dave Kodama)
22. Seats.
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22a. I wish I didn't have to use the lever to put the seat back
back to the normal position when it is tilted forward. Very
awkward to have to use two hands, especially if you've just
fetched something out of the back. (Tom Dowling)
22b. Move the seat adjusting mechanism farther back under the seat.
Currently, it is just fairly far past the front edge of the
seat, and it is too easy to hit it with your foot as you
enter the car and the seat shifts position. (Alec Proudfoot)
23. GPS.
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GPS in car with software that is able to display the location
(or direction to) the n closest chargers. Location updates would
be received via paging network?. (Dirk Harms-Merbitz)
24. Charger timer.
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Integrate the timer into the charger, or the car, instead of using
the clunky "water heater timer" and all the additional wiring that
come with it. (Tom Dowling)
25. Windows.
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Add a defrost element to the side "wing" windows. They get fogged
up and it makes driving in the rain difficult. (Chris Yoder)
26. Cup holder.
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Redesign the cup holder. The existing cup holder cannot prevent
the cup from falling and spilling its content on the keyboard,
in the event of an abrupt stop or sharp turn. (Margaret Cheng)
27. Trunk.
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27a. The trunk lock should be changed to a regular lock, without
the "valet" feature that disable the inside trunk release.
The valet feature is very seldom useful with the EV1, and
it's all too easy to bump the valet slide into the valet
position accidentally. (Tom Dowling)
27b. Move the remote trunk release lever to a better location.
In it's current position it is easy to catch your pants
on the lever or activate it with your foot when climbing
out of the car. (Jerry Hudgins)
27c. Omit the remote trunk release lever all together. Use
the door keypad and/or the console keypad to preform the
remote trunk release. (Tom Dowling)
28. Lease.
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28a. Remove the 30,000 mileage limit on the lease. (Tom Dowling)
28b. Remove the 36,000 mileage limit on the warranty. (Tom Dowling)
Avi Hershkovitz
Largo Circuit Design
(714) 898-1588
