Features I have seen in competition…

[L4z3rUsLOng]

I am currently renting a couple cars and I saw some features I really wished I had. The first, a Nissan Qashqai, has an image in the car showing the status of the brake lights. This car, while a hybrid, had an ePedal mode (1P) and would show when the break lights were illuminated.

the second, a Volvo xc60 Hybrid Diesel, has the Google car platform with Google Maps. It displays the map of the most local area in the driver display. Also it has a hud for direction and speed. Only issue was that it was not reflecting the correct road speed limit. I didn’t compare to my phone.

both of these cars made me realize how basic the Mach E instrumentations are. @Ford Motor Company, can we get some of these features? The brake lights could be considered a safety feature.

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[wise612]

Are the breaks lights with 1 pedal not as simple as you take your foot off the accelerator and you slow down, if you are slowing down your break lights are on? Assumed that was the case but maybe not?

 

[phil]

Are the breaks lights with 1 pedal not as simple as you take your foot off the accelerator and you slow down, if you are slowing down your break lights are on? Assumed that was the case but maybe not?

Most electric cars don't turn on the brake lights unless the one-pedal deceleration exceeds a specified threshold, such as 0.1g. I don't know exactly what the Mustang does, but reports indicate our lights reliably illuminate when they need to.

I wouldn't mind having a dashboard indicator for the brake lights, but it's pretty low on my wishlist.

 

[L4z3rUsLOng]

Here is the dash from the Volvo…

 

[phil]

Here is the dash from the Volvo…

That looks ok, but I'm not sure it's any better than the Mustang display, which shows us a simple next turn display on the dashboard and a larger map on the big center screen.

Complicated streets and turns may get hard to read on the little IPC. Though when you're driving from Virginia to Germany, I suppose things are bound to get a little tricky...

 

[MachEMaster]

I was being followed by a Ford F350 Super Duty in stop and go traffic. I was in 1 Pedal Drive. Every time I slowed to a stop the brake lights illuminated in the truck's huge chrome grill. The brake lights acted just as if one were covering the brake pedal during 2 pedal operation.

 

[flapjake314]

Here is the dash from the Volvo…

i'll be honest this looks so terrible to me, there's no way that tiny map with all that blue squiggle is useful.

and why does it look like i'm looking into binoculars or something, it's so inset...

 

[RedStallion]

I am currently renting a couple cars and I saw some features I really wished I had. The first, a Nissan Qashqai, has an image in the car showing the status of the brake lights. This car, while a hybrid, had an ePedal mode (1P) and would show when the break lights were illuminated.

And why would you want to clutter the display with the information you don't care and can do nothing with?

 

[RedStallion]

Here is the dash from the Volvo…

There is a map on a large display in MME if you ever want to look at it. Why would you want a tiny map that takes a reading glasses to see? It's nothing but distraction. I for one, don't look at the map that much, voice prompts is all that is needed.

 

[Reign of Ravens]

I was being followed by a Ford F350 Super Duty in stop and go traffic. I was in 1 Pedal Drive. Every time I slowed to a stop the brake lights illuminated in the truck's huge chrome grill. The brake lights acted just as if one were covering the brake pedal during 2 pedal operation.

Brake lights seem to come up as you would expect in one-pedal drive operation. I don't think that OP was going down this route but usually when you read about this online, the area of concern with brake lights has to do with regenerative braking. The view is that brake lights for EVs shouldn't just activate when friction brakes are active, but if you're decelerating at a certain rate. It would require an accelerometer, which not all EVs have (and I'm not sure the Mach-E does, either). I don't disagree with this - you can actually slow down quite quickly in Unbridled mode (highest regenerative brake setting) even without touching the brakes, and I don't believe the brake lights come on. That's a potential safety hazard.

I don't know that seeing whether the brake lights are activating or not would be all that useful. If I have a choice between seeing if the lights are on or not and then tapping the brake to force the lights to come on, versus having the car do it automatically based on a certain degree of deceleration, well... I'd rather not have to micromanage it. Don't show me the status of the brake lights, but make them come on if we're decelerating and even if the friction brakes aren't activating.

 

[L4z3rUsLOng]

On the brake light question, I am generally not concerned except in stop and go traffic, where you could ride the brake and creep at the same time. I have seen Teslas creep without their brake lights on.

The map above was actually a very complex routing in Germany. I did have the map to the right of me too. Google maps on the phone did not take over the center display, so I had one set with routing and the other without. You could also switch of the center map display.

Optional display items…

really miss my bird’s eye view and front camera trying to navigate a German parking garage and park an xc60.

 

[MacherAWD]

Brake lights seem to come up as you would expect in one-pedal drive operation. I don't think that OP was going down this route but usually when you read about this online, the area of concern with brake lights has to do with regenerative braking. The view is that brake lights for EVs shouldn't just activate when friction brakes are active, but if you're decelerating at a certain rate. It would require an accelerometer, which not all EVs have (and I'm not sure the Mach-E does, either). I don't disagree with this - you can actually slow down quite quickly in Unbridled mode (highest regenerative brake setting) even without touching the brakes, and I don't believe the brake lights come on. That's a potential safety hazard.

I don't know that seeing whether the brake lights are activating or not would be all that useful. If I have a choice between seeing if the lights are on or not and then tapping the brake to force the lights to come on, versus having the car do it automatically based on a certain degree of deceleration, well... I'd rather not have to micromanage it. Don't show me the status of the brake lights, but make them come on if we're decelerating and even if the friction brakes aren't activating.

Brake lights do come on with Regen, we do have an accelerometer. Our lights stay on when stopped and not on any pedal. What you read about is other EVs that don't do this, my old bolt would not have the lights when stopped, always worried I would be rear ended at a light. New bolts fixed this

 

[phil]

Brake lights do come on with Regen

Always, regardless of the level of regen?

Or only when the resulting deceleration exceeds 0.1g?

 

[MacherAWD]

Always, regardless of the level of regen?

Or only when the resulting deceleration exceeds 0.1g?

Oh the 0.1 I believe, similar if you let off in an ICE automatic, it slows, especially at highway speeds with no brake lights

 

[awp0]

Totally agree with the brake light indicator request. The brake lights do come on with 1PD after a certain threshold, but it's not always clear where that threshold is. When you're driving on the highway and managing your speed using 1PD, it's easy to begin worrying that your brake-checking people behind you whenever you let up on the accelerator even to a small degree. In an ICE car, you can use the engine or coasting to decelerate gradually without worrying about the brake lights, but it's not as easy or intuitive with 1PD.

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