Using “L” vs One Pedal Drive

[hawkeye3point1]

Whisper - No liftoff regen.

Very good explanation of regen, thanks.

I would just add that Whisper does have a very useful regen bias going downhill vs. free coast on level ground. Kudos to the Ford designers for that.

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[SyNRG]

I'm mostly driving in Unbridled. Selecting L on the stupid rotary dial (I hate that thing - I want a real linear shifter) doesn't seem to do anything (unless the increased amount of electromagnically-generated deceleration is so slight that you can't feel it by the seat of your pants) when in Unbridled. ?‍?

Agreed, that's why we leave it in 2PD/Unbridled.

 

[SnBGC]

Please don’t use “L” as a brake!

The level of regen seems to be on par with 1PD but it is very important to note that your brake lights DO NOT LIGHT UP IN L the way they do with 1PD.

My last car was a Mariner Hybrid and I had been in the habit of using L every time I stopped to increase my regen. At first I used the same technique in my MME and loved how responsive it was. However, after I got my bike rack, I was able to actually notice the brake light behavior (or lack there of) when the lights reflect off my bike. With 1PD, the light shines the moment you lift off the pedal and continues to shine. With L, the deceleration is nearly identical as 1PD but no brake lights so the car behind you doesn’t get a warning you are decelerating. It isn’t worth the risk of being rear ended!

I generally get ~98% recapture with just the brake pedal in Whisper mode which is enough for me. I get 100% in 1PD but dislike the overall experience. If Ford made the brake light logic similar in L as 1PD, I would use it frequently.

My car performs different than yours does apparently. In my car,, the regen level with L enabled is not nearly as aggressive as with 1PD enabled. I also don't get the Brake Coach in Whisper mode.....only appears in Engage for me. I don't use 1PD yet I get 100% score most every time.

The level of regen with L button pressed is about the same as lifting off the throttle in a manual transmission vehicle. Never had anyone rear end me when driving stick and also never had any close calls when using L. I have a few miles behind the wheel to say that using L isn't going to be a safety issue so if people want to use it then they are free to do so.

I find that using L is easier then a linear shift lever. Pulling down a linear lever into L is easy enough but going back to D can sometimes accidentally go too far into N. With the MME. It is a simple no look button press to engage and then another button press to turn off. Super easy IMO and much preferred over a traditional shifter method.

 

[Colorider]

Mine is an April build and honestly I haven’t tried “L” since I realized the brake light issue. I will try it again and see if it has been detuned. When I last tried it, it was virtually identical to 1PD.

I agree on the button being easier than the shift lever in my Mariner Hybrid. I was pretty happy with Whisper + L when I first got the MME but I am not going to make it any easier for the idiots on our roads to rear end me so I just use the pedal now.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Get used to it.
<snip>

I am used to it, thank you. I still hate the thing. My preference in an automatic shifter is one on the console with a ratcheting dual-gate. Pontiac called it a “His and Hers” shifter. It’s impossible to over-shift and looks great. ??

The F150 Lightning will have a linear stick-shift, so it’s not like Ford doesn’t have it in their plan for the future. Too bad they didn’t go that route on the MME.??

 

[TruWrecks]

If all modes are the same I would like to know why I get significantly more brake dust in Whisper than in Engage.

I noticed this on the trip to Death Valley. I only use 1PD.

 

[Neil4Real]

L mode is more made for going down steep hills but you can technically use it whenever you want according to the manual.

"You can activate this position at any vehicle speed which provides an increased level of deceleration when you lift off the accelerator pedal. You can use low (L) at all times, if desired, but improving drivability while descending grades is the intent. Entering low (L) does not take any actions if one pedal drive is active."

So that is all L does? It just provides more deceleration? Interesting, thanks!

 

[B25Nut]

Very good explanation of regen, thanks.

I would just add that Whisper does have a very useful regen bias going downhill vs. free coast on level ground. Kudos to the Ford designers for that.

I drive only in Whisper with 1PD off. The first time I went down our local steep grade I had to use the brake pedal to keep my speed from approaching 80 mph. The "brain" in my Mach-E must have learned something from this since every trip down afterward I can let off the accelerator when I get to 72 mph and it stays there all the way down without pressing any pedal (I don't cruise control). I enjoy seeing seeing almost every other vehicle's brake lights light up most of the way down. I have a downward sloping 600' driveway and the regeneration also engages as I coast down it. I second the kudos for the Ford designers!

 

[hawkeye3point1]

Just stumbled on something that could help solve this regen conundrum.
In FordPass app., drill down to My EV Driving Data under Vehicle>Driving Data>Journeys.
Range from regen is one of the metrics saved each time you drive...news to me.
Any volunteers to be the test case for all of the difference drive modes on their daily commute over the next week.
Sorry, I WFH.

 

[Colorider]

How does one start collecting “My Journeys”?

 

[hawkeye3point1]

How does one start collecting “My Journeys”?

Haven't got that far yet, this is what I was referring to:

May be setting dependent. Example below.

 

[JamieGeek]

Please don’t use “L” as a brake!

The level of regen seems to be on par with 1PD but it is very important to note that your brake lights DO NOT LIGHT UP IN L the way they do with 1PD.

Just here noting that people have been driving cars with manual transmissions for years using low gear to slow down--which never turned on the brake lights.

Not saying its safe--people have been rear ended but just that it has been a common practice for a while now.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

on the stupid rotary dial (I hate that thing - I want a real linear shifter)

I've decided I like the rotary a lot, because I can just spin to Park or spin to Drive, the two most common use cases. It is very much like just throwing it into Park, although into Drive is better because I don't have to worry about passing Drive into Low.

and it doesn't take up a stupidly large amount of space in the console area, either, seemingly getting in my way all the damn time when trying to reach over to the passenger seat for something.

but this is a personal thing.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Where are the measurements?

wait did this forum turn into the Miss Universe pageant now?

oh wait I see what you mean never mind

 

[ChasingCoral]

Above posters are correct that "efficacy of regeneration" is the same in all modes because of the Mach-Es blended braking. Meaning, even with 1PD off, when you press the brake pedal, the car first calls upon motor regen before seamlessly switching to the friction brakes. For this reason, it's impossible to brake the Mach-E without first accessing regen, even when 1PD is off.

You have to press the brake pedal surprisingly hard before the friction brakes are engaged, when 1PD is off. I'd say you can go up to moderate braking force without engaging the friction brakes at all.

That being said, I think what OP might have been asking about is how strong 1PD accelerator liftoff regen is compared to accelerator liftoff regen when 1PD is off but L mode is on.

First, OP should know that with 1PD off, the drive modes are ranked as follows as far as liftoff regen goes:

Whisper - No liftoff regen.

Engaged - A small amount of liftoff regen; think of those cars that can hold your speed automatically while going down a hill so you don't keep going faster and faster.

Unbridled - Moderate amount of liftoff regen. People describe it like driving a manual. I don't drive manuals so don't really know that sensation. To me it feels like someone mildly pressing the brakes if you liftoff the accelerator completely in Unbridled.

In any of these modes, activating L will add an additional amount of liftoff regen. However, I think the total amount of liftoff regen is not the same between the three modes when L is selected - I think (but am not sure) that the mode you are in impacts your total liftoff regen when L is selected and 1PD is off.

When 1PD is activated, I think (but again, am not sure, maybe someone who drives with 1PD can weigh in), that 1PD overrides your base mode and all three modes offer the same maximum liftoff regen when 1PD is active.

I also think (but again, am not sure), that L doesn't do anything for you when 1PD is active because 1PD is already giving you 100% of the liftoff regen the Mach-E is capable of. Indeed, the manual says "Entering low (L) does not take any actions if one pedal drive is active."

Unbridled 1PD provides the maximum amount of regeneration, so nothing will change if you select L if you are already driving Ubridled 1PD.

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