Not liking one pedal driving

[No.92]

This will likely lead to many drivers behind a Rivian assuming they are being brake checked. Some people don't care about this but I definitely do. There should be a setting where the regen is just strong enough to slow the vehicle down but not enough to activate the brake lights. This is the setting I would use personally.

This actually sounds dangerous. It will definitely be a social change where as more people get into EVs, they will understand the brake lights more. Heck, when I use Adaptive cruise control or an ADAS system, the software is worse when it comes to brake checking people.

Sponsored

 

[No.92]

I'm really not a fan of the way Rivian does regen. It's much too forceful in the lowest setting.

I'm NOT new to EVs but the R1T is the first one where the lowest regen setting will slam you back into your seat if you release the pedal.

It's a big miss and the setting should be more adjustable.

To each their own, but you do have a lot of negative comments toward Rivians, so I wonder if it's just some blanket hate for Rivians in general like they can do nothing right

 

[crashmtb]

I didn’t find I really had to get used to regen when I drove an R1T, and I went directly from my manual transmission car to rivian. Letting off the accelerator is slowing the vehicle adequately? Great, don’t need to touch the brake pedal.

But I also don’t treat the accelerator as an on/off switch in general.

 

[OEVA]

The OPD mapping in the Rivian could definitely use some work. It 's harder to drive smoothly than it needs to be. Also would have been nice if they put the systems in place to allow regen from the brake pedal - both in addition to a "softer" OPD mode and with a mode that functions nearly the same as the ICE vehicles many are used to. Many manufacturers have figured out how to do this smoothly.
Some, like Tesla, Rivian and Porsche, have decided to implement only one iteration. Tesla and Rivian with no regen on the brake pedal, Porsche with virtually none when lifting off the throttle. All the above brands have a portion of their fanbase that is very vocal in insisting the way their car implements regen is the only logical way it should be done and offering a choice to the owner is completely unnecessary.
I know the settings I prefer, but make no judgement of someone that prefers another way of doing things. A properly designed system will be equally efficient no matter what combination of brake and throttle lift is used to implement regen. As long as the electric motors are the primary method of slowing the vehicle and friction brakes are only used when more "whoa" is called for than the motors can provide it doesn't matter which pedal(s) control the amount.

As a side note, the terms regen and one pedal driving are sometimes being used interchangeably, but they are actually very different concepts. You can have regen without implementing one pedal driving, but not OPD without incorporating regen.

 

[mindstormsguy]

The OPD mapping in the Rivian could definitely use some work. It 's harder to drive smoothly than it needs to be. Also would have been nice if they put the systems in place to allow regen from the brake pedal - both in addition to a "softer" OPD mode and with a mode that functions nearly the same as the ICE vehicles many are used to. Many manufacturers have figured out how to do this smoothly.
Some, like Tesla, Rivian and Porsche, have decided to implement only one iteration. Tesla and Rivian with no regen on the brake pedal, Porsche with virtually none when lifting off the throttle. All the above brands have a portion of their fanbase that is very vocal in insisting the way their car implements regen is the only logical way it should be done and offering a choice to the owner is completely unnecessary.
I know the settings I prefer, but make no judgement of someone that prefers another way of doing things. A properly designed system will be equally efficient no matter what combination of brake and throttle lift is used to implement regen. As long as the electric motors are the primary method of slowing the vehicle and friction brakes are only used when more "whoa" is called for than the motors can provide it doesn't matter which pedal(s) control the amount.

As a side note, the terms regen and one pedal driving are sometimes being used interchangeably, but they are actually very different concepts. You can have regen without implementing one pedal driving, but not OPD without incorporating regen.

Thank you! I wish more people understood this and thought this way.

One minor correction though: you *can* have OPD without regen. I believe Ford calls this Trail 1-Pedal Drive, and they offer it on the Bronco and at least some F-150s. Technically this is what lots of EVs are doing for the last couple mph before a complete stop too. Even without brake by wire, the computer can actuate the brakes, so OPD is technically possible in just about everything, if the manufacturer were to choose to implement it.

 

[Mysta]

This actually sounds dangerous. It will definitely be a social change where as more people get into EVs, they will understand the brake lights more. Heck, when I use Adaptive cruise control or an ADAS system, the software is worse when it comes to brake checking people.

Only if you are awful at modulating the pedal. The brake light still only comes in when you’re truly decelerating so you would need to intend to buy letting off aggressively

 

[hbkdinobot]

This will be my number one favorite feature (coming from a Model X).

 

[ajdelange]

very vocal in insisting the way their car implements regen is the only logical way it should be done and offering a choice to the owner is completely unnecessary.

That is very probably in fact the case but there is always a portion of the populace that prefers to be illogical and I don't like their being discriminated against. I think the reason some of the OEMs don't scratch their itch is that adding regen into the brake pedal system increases complexity and cost which cannot be recovered through additional sales to the small percentage that prefer such a mode.

 

[HJP1]

I drive a Model 3 performance and when I drive an ICE vehicle without OPD I find it hard to get used to again. Although I have not driven an R1T yet I'm fairly confident I will get used to the stronger RB and learn to come to perfect stops with the OPD.

 

[blturner]

Only if you are awful at modulating the pedal. The brake light still only comes in when you’re truly decelerating so you would need to intend to buy letting off aggressively

I think your comment gets to the disagreement here. I have never considered letting off the gas as an aggressive thing to do. We literally use "Letting off the gas." as an idiom for being non aggressive. This behavior of letting off the gas whenever something unpredictable is happening is deeply ingrained in my driving habits. It will not be re-learned easily.

 

[SeaGeo]

I think your comment gets to the disagreement here. I have never considered letting off the gas as an aggressive thing to do. We literally use "Letting off the gas." as an idiom for being non aggressive. This behavior of letting off the gas whenever something unpredictable is happening is deeply ingrained in my driving habits. It will not be re-learned easily.

The trick is to realize that a neutral acceleration is still depressing the right pedal a hit. If you watch the power meter a little bit when you're driving it may be a useful learning tool.

For what it's worth I was not a fan of heave regen upon liftoff initially with EVs, and I generally prefer it now.

 

[ajdelange]

I'm NOT new to EVs but the R1T is the first one where the lowest regen setting will slam you back into your seat if you release the pedal.

To each their own, but you do have a lot of negative comments toward Rivians, so I wonder if it's just some blanket hate for Rivians in general like they can do nothing right

Yes, I have similar suspicions as he notes the effect of releasing the pedal as exactly the opposite of what really happens.

 

[ajdelange]

If you watch the power meter a little bit when you're driving it may be a useful learning tool.

It's really a pity the way they did the "efficiency" display. It too could have been an extremely useful learning tool if they had done it properly. At least it is in the Tesla where it is done properly and displayed right in front of the driver with the power meter integrated.

If the gain is too high currently it should be a simple matter to reduce it a bit in an upcoming OTA software update.

 

[Andystroh]

I kind of wish they had a way to disable one pedal driving, I enjoy this capability on the ID.4, especially when loaning it to family who are already skeptical of EVs in general. It is nice to not have to train them on how to drive the car. I would never give up OPD in cities, but on highways I like to be able to coast as well.

 

[Zoidz]

Most EVs do. But I believe both Rivians and Teslas do not. If you reduce 1 pedal driving regen strength, that is lost forever, burned in the friction brakes.

I prefer what many other manufacturers (like Audi and BMW) do, where even if you choose to *not* use 1-pedal driving, your brake pedal will be regen first, and only blend friction brakes in when needed for additional stopping force.

Do you know of a statement by Rivian that they do not use blended braking?

I ask because it was reported here that they do have blended braking capability. Assuming it is correct that they are using the Bosch iBooster system, that system includes the ESP hev, which provides blended braking capability.

"Like almost all other electric and hybrid cars, Rivian also initially uses regenerative braking as the traditional brake pedal is pushed but transition to friction braking as the need for anti-speed increases as the driver pushes down farther on the brake pedal.

Like many other car makers, Rivian is using Bosch’s iBooster brake system. Even Tesla has used this system since they introduced partially-automated driving features into the Model S although Tesla has programmed it to use only friction braking when the driver steps on the pedal, presumably to guarantee the highest level of consistent braking feel."

Sponsored