Adjusting Regenerative Braking

[L-Dude]

While the Volvo does it better than my wife's GV60, I still hate it because I can feel the change in braking power when it switches. I'll keep the brake pedal at a constant level to smoothly stop, and when the car switches from regen to physical braking, it causes the brakes to either suddenly apply too much pressure and it slams to a stop before I intended, or it transitions too slowly and I overshoot where I was aiming to stop.

On the Audi, you can't tell when it switches to manual breaking. It is entirely seamless.

...Moreover, it is unlikely that significant regen can be gained when braking.

Regen is regen. Both slow the car down the same way. It doesn't matter if regen is created by lifting on a pedal or pressing on a pedal--the result is the same.

 

[dbsb3233]

Completely get where you are coming from. We all have different opinions and that is totally fine. No right or wrong way, just preference.

My concerns with safety goes to something like some EVs I've driven. Silverado EV could be put in 1PD, but it would creep in reverse, even in 1PD! That was confusing and borderline dangerous as I did not expect it the first few times I drove it. Kia EV9 defaults to regen + creep (at least when I had it) and I would have to switch it to full 1PD each time. More of a pain in the butt but also same issue where I'd expect to be in 1PD and had to change it each time I drove off. A system should allow you to pick your preference and stick to it or keep it predictable. That was what my comment was directed at but again all down to preference and we are seeing manufacturers keep playing with this formula as EVs take off.

Ah, yes, on that I totally agree. Same with the Gravity, where it won't remember CREEP. It's annoying to have to change that setting every time I get in the car. Fortunately it's on the first screen when the car powers up, so we don't have to go menus deep. But still, it's clearly an omission that needs to be fixed since nearly everyone is 100% 1PD or 100% 2PD (I can't imagine there's many people at all that go back and forth).

 

[dbsb3233]

Agree. The first time I got in a car to drive at 16 I was terrified that the second I moved it from park, it started moving on its own. First time I drove an EV, it felt like a revelation. IMO a vehicle shouldn't move without any input. I know we all grew up in a world where that it is not the case, but thinking of it from a perspective of a new driver, it is jarring. I can tolerate that behavior on ICE vehicles because that is how it always has been, on EVs it just feels odd/unnatural. Again, in my opinion/experiences.

I was 16 a long time ago too (70's), before you had to press the brake pedal in an automatic in order to shift it into gear. I think it was the 80's where BTSI systems became common, which solved that conundrum.

I've been driving for so long that pressing down is just the natural reaction to stopping fast. And letting up is the natural way to inch forward a tiny bit. Even though we have 2 EVs now, our Porsche Macan EV doesn't have 1PD (HOLD), so I wanna keep it consistent going from one car to the other and not confuse that muscle memory. And frankly in my late 60s now, I'm not interested in retraining that action.

I love regen slowing in the accelerator pedal while moving though. It's just the final stop and tiny movements when parking that I still prefer the brake pedal with creep. All slowing down to the last few MPH is still done with the accelerator pedal.

 

[kaz3320]

That is not ideal at all. I may not like one pedal drive (ie I prefer the car to just coast when I release accelerator) but when I press the brakes I always expect an EV to use regen first to slow the car down and onlly apply actual brakes if I press the pedal more and regen isn't enough. That's pretty much how every other EV I used behaves.

This is pure speculation on my part but I think part of it has to do with the constantly changing brake feel & calculations that may be required if you have a hybrid approach. The total brake regen also changes based on your charge level. I'm sure I'm not the only one that wants my brakes to feel the same 100% of the time. For example, I don't like it when my car is fully changed and the brake regen is practically null. It requires me to do more thinking to account for the weakened regen.

 

[JC_Coolomb]

I wish EVs had a detent or light haptic feedback on the accelerator to signal that the car is coasting and an indicator for when the tail lights are activated. I always worry that I'm inadvertently flashing my lights when slowing slightly on the highway. I also really liked the extra regen buttons on the Chevy volts and bolts.

 

[dbsb3233]

This is pure speculation on my part but I think part of it has to do with the constantly changing brake feel & calculations that may be required if you have a hybrid approach. The total brake regen also changes based on your charge level. I'm sure I'm not the only one that wants my brakes to feel the same 100% of the time. For example, I don't like it when my car is fully changed and the brake regen is practically null. It requires me to do more thinking to account for the weakened regen.

That part (inconsistent regen around 100%) is annoying and a bit dangerous when you forget about it or just aren't sure just when it's gonna happen or not.

Fortunately it's not too often that I charge to 100%. Just road trips. Although we do road trip often.

 

[BassWinger]

You can map regen setting to the steering wheel custom button.

Sorry to ask this... what button on he Air are you referring to?

 

[segbrk]

Sorry to ask this... what button on he Air are you referring to?

That was a Gravity answer unfortunately. Gravity has programmable buttons, Air does not.

I wish EVs had a detent or light haptic feedback on the accelerator to signal that the car is coasting and an indicator for when the tail lights are activated. I always worry that I'm inadvertently flashing my lights when slowing slightly on the highway. I also really liked the extra regen buttons on the Chevy volts and bolts.

If you have Dream Drive activated, your brake lights light up in the visualization if you want to get a feel for it. You're not likely flashing them by accident, they come on based on your rate of deceleration, not just whenever regen is active. Lucid does a solid job there I think.

 

[jeromey]

If you do like it off (you'll lose a lot of efficiency) part of the time, you can program the joker button on the steering wheel to rotate Regen between STANDARD, HIGH, and OFF.

Not an issue for me; I'm in cruise control on the highway. Wife prefers accelerator control on the highway, but wants to rest her right leg by going off regenerative braking sometimes. Which is the programmable steering wheel button?

 

[jeromey]

Not an issue for me; I'm in cruise control on the highway. Wife prefers accelerator control on the highway, but wants to rest her right leg by going off regenerative braking sometimes. Which is the programmable steering wheel button?

Sorry, I missed the responses above that indicated the button is on Gravity only. We'll work with the Drive Mode button.

 

[victoryroad]

I don't think that's true. There's no reason the brake pedal can't use just as much regen as the accelerator pedal. In blended braking (which most manufacturers of EVs have), the brake pedal simply applies more regen slowing the harder you press up to the point where it's max'd out and you're asking for more (press hard on the brakes) where it then starts adding friction brakes to it.

At least that's always been my understanding of how it works. For normal (gentle) slowing, it's all regen until you get down to that 3 MPH point where regen can't do any more and friction brakes have to do the rest.

I do not know how many angels are on the head of that pin but will defer to you and will stay with high regen.