In a move that has already sent gearheads into a foaming rage, Nissan has unveiled a bit of smart engineering that will help encourage smarter, more fuel efficient driving. The trick is a pedal that offers a bit more resistance whenever a driver accelerates very aggresssively. As a growing body of research has shown, these “jackrabbit starts” push the engine into a zone where it’s least fuel efficient. So-called “hyper-milers” even make a sport — verging on obsession — of accelerating silky-smoothly to maximize efficiency. Nissan aims to encourage such behavior, and make it second nature, with a bit of technology that senses hard, sharp starts and makes it proportionally harder to press down the pedal. This won’t effect top speed: one can still accelerate smoothly to velocities far beyond the speed limit. And the haptics system can be turned off. All the same, car blogs such as Jalopnik, are screaming that this technology is a threat to freedom and the American way. Such protestations are sure to be overblown: they echo the plaintive cries issued when cruise control (another gas saving technology) and unleaded gas debuted. Read more here:

Motor trend explains.

and here,

Jalopnik dissents.