(Wed 06 Aug 08)

Nissan has unveiled a world-first piece of technology designed to help drivers improve fuel economy and produce less CO2 from their cars.

It's called the ECO Pedal, and what happens is that if you press harder on the accelerator than the system thinks you need to for the driving situation, the pedal exerts upward pressure on your foot by way of suggesting that you might want to back off.

There's a visual equivalent too, in that a steady green light on the instrument panel starts flashing as you approach the limit of acceptable fuel consumption, and then turns amber at the same time as the ECO Pedal begins to argue with your right foot.

According to internal research by Nissan, the ECO Pedal can lead to fuel efficiency improvements of up to 10%, depending on driving conditions. Nissan plans to commercialise the system next year, though there's no word as yet of exactly when it's likely to be introduced on cars sold in the UK.

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