How to drive a Mach E in suburban city traffic

timbop

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I never realized that OPD was not universally loved before joining this forum. I've had it in two different BMW i3s and both my wife and I would not drive any other way. In fact, we eliminated any EVs without OPD as contenders for our next vehicle. (VW ID.4, I'm looking at you.)

So it's been interesting to see other viewpoints on this. And nothing wrong with that, of course, I think one of the best things about the MME is that it gives you the option to turn it on and off *and* it has the L button.
I had 1PD on for a few weeks, but for my driving style it just didn't work. It always felt like I had to concentrate on feathering the accelerator just right, otherwise I'd have to hit the brake at the last second anyway. It's most definitely "me" and the way I drive (I might be an aggressive driver), but too often I switched to the brake anyway. For many years I drove stick and often let the engine slow me down, but for some reason the 1 pedal drive was just less natural for me. Maybe I'm too old or something as the last time I drove stick was 2012 when I gave my son my 2nd mustang. With 1PD it also made switching to my wife's ICE annoying as well (I'm not putting dirty crap from Lowe's in the Mache E).

I settled on unbridled with 1PD off so I get some deceleration around curves or approaching a red light, but use the brake pedal to finish the job.
Sponsored

 

JamieGeek

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I stand by my recommendation to eschew the one pedal mode for anyone who hasn't previously driven an electric vehicle - particularly if they are trying to master the Copilot 360 features. The "Low" mode provides a very natural, intuitive transition to one pedal. It provides introduction/experience with the use of regenerative braking, without trying to simultaneously attempt to become proficient in both dominatrix regenerative braking and adaptive cruise control and lane assist.

Just begin with driving in "Low," while you become an expert in the nifty drive assist features. One pedal driving is the least useful skill to master. Save it to the end. Then think of it as a cherry on top.

I wish we had the option to generate an instant poll, as is popular on Twitter. How many people brake with the Right foot? How many with the Left? I spent decades of training my right foot to be the accelerator foot and the left to be the auxillary foot. The accelerator foot was constantly engaged with the accelerator. Removing and repositioning it in an emergency wasted precious milliseconds. The left foot was always primed and ready to go. In a stick shift car, I'd have it engaged above the clutch. In an automatic, primed above the brake. To this day, I'm sure I'd do a faster emergency stop with my left foot than my right.

Maybe I'm one in a thousand. I'd be curious to take a survey.

- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach
The forums support a poll; there have been many.

1-P driving is completely independent of the other advanced driving features. Besides you're not using the accelerator or the brake when cruise control is on anyway.

You're also getting regen when using the brake pedal: The Mach-E has a blended brake. If you're careful you can feel the transistion between regen and the friction brakes. This fact makes using 1-P or L unnecessary since simply driving the Mach-E like any other car will achieve the same results.

I, however, still remain a fan of 1-P mode......
 

Kamuelaflyer

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O.K. I'll make this short.

Most Mach E reviews have to do with stuff like range, 0 - 60, general Mustang-nish, open road, mountains, winter weather, etc etc etc.

This is about taking your kids to soccer practice. Or just driving into work.

Here's the Executive Summary:

You want the drive mode to be "Low." One pedal is a gimmick. Kind of novel. Perhaps useful for some people with a personal issue. But otherwise, just messes with real driving, especially integrating Co-Pilot 360 features with the real world of American suburbia. "Low" is the perfect compromise between freestyle and dominatrix - regenerative braking wise. Your friction brake pads get 90% of the benefit, while you maintain ultimate control. Trust me on this, if you are new to this. Start out with driving in "Low" mode. After awhile, experiment with one pedal, if you are curious, or if you just were born to be a one pedal driver.

Set your adaptive cruise control to "Intelligent" mode. Thereafter, for most driving situations (exceptions would be late for work or going to the Emergency Room), turn on adaptive cruise control and lane centering. What you want to achieve is a state in which you and your Mach-E do a Vulcan mind meld. You don't drive the car. Spock (the MME) doesn't drive itself. It's more like Spock is a 3rd year resident in surgery. She does most of the operation, but you watch her like the proverbial hawk. The two of you make a great team.

What Spock does is most of the actual work. She keeps you in your lane. Adjusts your speed. Maintains proper distance (I suggest going with the "4 Avatar" car distance to begin -- the maximum separation between you and any leading (or cutting into your lane) car. I also suggest just setting the "Intelligent" cruise speed to the exact speed limit of the street on which you are traveling. Later on, if you want to dial it up to speed limit plus 7 or whatever, you can do it. But I advise against it. If you aren't late for work, just chill and listen to some good music or an interesting podcast. You'll arrive at your destination much more relaxed (and with less body odor).

Spock's job will be to keep you centered in your lane and adjust your speed and separation between the vehicle in front of you. Your job is to make sure that Spock doesn't accidentally sever the aorta. Plus you have to do the braking when you approach red lights or stop signs. Then, after you've stopped, you'll usually have to press on the accelerator to give Spock a little wake up call, as well as pressing the "resume" button in the center of your cruise control cluster on the left side of your steering wheel.

I've owned this car now a bit more than a day. Yesterday, I did a 130 mile drive on SoCal freeways. Today, a bunch of suburban driving in a wide variety of typical traffic conditions. Car has, to date, totally blown me away. As I wrote elsewhere, my expectations were sky high, and Spock (Premium trim, RWD, standard battery) has just melted (and melded) my mind. Awesome car. Just awesome.

Pro tip on lane centering: It won't work unless you have adaptive cruise control engaged. Also, when you change lanes, you have to turn your turn signal on in the direction of the lane change. The instant you do that, you control the direction of driving, not Spock. And until you turn the turn signal off, you are 100% in charge, not Spock. So be sure to turn the darn blinker off, once you are in the new lane of travel.

More, I'm sure, as time passes.

- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach
There is literally so much wrong with this list that people are going to have hard time picking where to start.
 
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woody

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I have been driving with 1PD for a couple of years in my Bolt. It has become a habit, indeed the SOP. It works great: brake linings; cruise control works much better on the decline; etc. I only use the paddle to disengage the cruise control. In the Bolt "L" is 1PD. "D" in the bolt is not 1PD but you can use the paddle - extra step, not as efficient as "L" 1PD.
I guess I am nuts.
I know the 1PD in the MME can be turned on or off with "D" while using the various modes.
My only questions are: In the MME, in "L" , is that 1PD w/o switching 1PD on? If "L" is not 1PD, what purpose does it actually serve?
Please just deliver my MME. No longer then to bug you lucky MME owners/drivers.
 

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You want the drive mode to be "Low." One pedal is a gimmick. Kind of novel. Perhaps useful for some people with a personal issue. But otherwise, just messes with real driving, especially integrating Co-Pilot 360 features with the real world of American suburbia. "Low" is the perfect compromise between freestyle and dominatrix - regenerative braking wise. Your friction brake pads get 90% of the benefit, while you maintain ultimate control. Trust me on this, if you are new to this. Start out with driving in "Low" mode. After awhile, experiment with one pedal, if you are curious, or if you just were born to be a one pedal driver.
You've been driving a BEV for all of two days and you're the expert on how everyone else should drive?
 


All Hat No Cattle

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Well, that explains that, LOL.

For years I have been remarking to my wife, "we're going uphill, why is that guy riding the brake?"

This thread made me look it up.:)

The same instruction policy applies to the teachers with Young Drivers of Canada, the country’s largest driver training organization, which has been in business since 1970 and has more than 140 facilities across Canada.

“If you see someone with their brake lights on as they’re moving forward, I can almost guarantee you they are using their left foot for braking,” said Angelo DiCicco, YDC’s general manager in Toronto.

“A couple of times a year, I help out seniors, or older drivers, who still believe this fallacy that left-foot braking saves time and makes for a smoother ride.


“Typically, we take them to an off-road location like our advanced driving centre in Markham where we’ll have them do the same manoeuvre with right-foot and left-foot braking,” he added.
 

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I have been driving with 1PD for a couple of years in my Bolt. It has become a habit, indeed the SOP. It works great: brake linings; cruise control works much better on the decline; etc. I only use the paddle to disengage the cruise control. In the Bolt "L" is 1PD. "D" in the bolt is not 1PD but you can use the paddle - extra step, not as efficient as "L" 1PD.
I guess I am nuts.
I know the 1PD in the MME can be turned on or off with "D" while using the various modes.
My only questions are: In the MME, in "L" , is that 1PD w/o switching 1PD on? If "L" is not 1PD, what purpose does it actually serve?
Please just deliver my MME. No longer then to bug you lucky MME owners/drivers.
Another forum member described "L" as 1PD on demand. With the exception that "L" wont bring you to a complete stop and will allow the vehicle to creep forward or in reverse (provided you also have the brake hold feature turned off). That was literally the very first thing I turned off.....even before I left the dealership. :)


I am not a fan of 1PD have tried it several times and every time I have found that I dont like it. My passengers hate it almost universally as well.
 

waldo1949

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O.K. I'll make this short.

Most Mach E reviews have to do with stuff like range, 0 - 60, general Mustang-nish, open road, mountains, winter weather, etc etc etc.

This is about taking your kids to soccer practice. Or just driving into work.

Here's the Executive Summary:

You want the drive mode to be "Low." One pedal is a gimmick. Kind of novel. Perhaps useful for some people with a personal issue. But otherwise, just messes with real driving, especially integrating Co-Pilot 360 features with the real world of American suburbia. "Low" is the perfect compromise between freestyle and dominatrix - regenerative braking wise. Your friction brake pads get 90% of the benefit, while you maintain ultimate control. Trust me on this, if you are new to this. Start out with driving in "Low" mode. After awhile, experiment with one pedal, if you are curious, or if you just were born to be a one pedal driver.

Set your adaptive cruise control to "Intelligent" mode. Thereafter, for most driving situations (exceptions would be late for work or going to the Emergency Room), turn on adaptive cruise control and lane centering. What you want to achieve is a state in which you and your Mach-E do a Vulcan mind meld. You don't drive the car. Spock (the MME) doesn't drive itself. It's more like Spock is a 3rd year resident in surgery. She does most of the operation, but you watch her like the proverbial hawk. The two of you make a great team.

What Spock does is most of the actual work. She keeps you in your lane. Adjusts your speed. Maintains proper distance (I suggest going with the "4 Avatar" car distance to begin -- the maximum separation between you and any leading (or cutting into your lane) car. I also suggest just setting the "Intelligent" cruise speed to the exact speed limit of the street on which you are traveling. Later on, if you want to dial it up to speed limit plus 7 or whatever, you can do it. But I advise against it. If you aren't late for work, just chill and listen to some good music or an interesting podcast. You'll arrive at your destination much more relaxed (and with less body odor).

Spock's job will be to keep you centered in your lane and adjust your speed and separation between the vehicle in front of you. Your job is to make sure that Spock doesn't accidentally sever the aorta. Plus you have to do the braking when you approach red lights or stop signs. Then, after you've stopped, you'll usually have to press on the accelerator to give Spock a little wake up call, as well as pressing the "resume" button in the center of your cruise control cluster on the left side of your steering wheel.

I've owned this car now a bit more than a day. Yesterday, I did a 130 mile drive on SoCal freeways. Today, a bunch of suburban driving in a wide variety of typical traffic conditions. Car has, to date, totally blown me away. As I wrote elsewhere, my expectations were sky high, and Spock (Premium trim, RWD, standard battery) has just melted (and melded) my mind. Awesome car. Just awesome.

Pro tip on lane centering: It won't work unless you have adaptive cruise control engaged. Also, when you change lanes, you have to turn your turn signal on in the direction of the lane change. The instant you do that, you control the direction of driving, not Spock. And until you turn the turn signal off, you are 100% in charge, not Spock. So be sure to turn the darn blinker off, once you are in the new lane of travel.

More, I'm sure, as time passes.

- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach
Rubbish! Absolute rubbish! ?
I looooooove OPD.
 

smartino

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I stand by my recommendation to eschew the one pedal mode for anyone who hasn't previously driven an electric vehicle - particularly if they are trying to master the Copilot 360 features. The "Low" mode provides a very natural, intuitive transition to one pedal. It provides introduction/experience with the use of regenerative braking, without trying to simultaneously attempt to become proficient in both dominatrix regenerative braking and adaptive cruise control and lane assist.

Just begin with driving in "Low," while you become an expert in the nifty drive assist features. One pedal driving is the least useful skill to master. Save it to the end. Then think of it as a cherry on top.

I wish we had the option to generate an instant poll, as is popular on Twitter. How many people brake with the Right foot? How many with the Left? I spent decades of training my right foot to be the accelerator foot and the left to be the auxillary foot. The accelerator foot was constantly engaged with the accelerator. Removing and repositioning it in an emergency wasted precious milliseconds. The left foot was always primed and ready to go. In a stick shift car, I'd have it engaged above the clutch. In an automatic, primed above the brake. To this day, I'm sure I'd do a faster emergency stop with my left foot than my right.

Maybe I'm one in a thousand. I'd be curious to take a survey.

- Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach
I’m sorry you have had the car for one day and your recommending how people should drive the car? How about you drive the car for a few weeks and try all the options before giving recommendations. At this time you are just not very believable.
 

Dmhccs

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Don't agree with your dismissive 1PD review. It's far from a gimmick. Sounds like you don't want to learn something new. I've been driving cars with 1PD for 8 years now and it's way better than using the old 2PD.
As someone who has never owned an EV before, what makes the 1PD better?
 

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Imagine being so “confident” that after 2 trips in your brand new electric vehicle, you write a how-to-article on the practice and declare that people who do it differently are somehow troubled. Not only that, you are so ill-informed of ‘net etiquette that you sign your forum posts with your full name and home town. My friends, meet the doctor.
 

mixduptransistor

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You want the drive mode to be "Low." One pedal is a gimmick. Kind of novel. Perhaps useful for some people with a personal issue. But otherwise, just messes with real driving, especially integrating Co-Pilot 360 features with the real world of American suburbia.
lol, the Tesla community/demographic skews heavily towards toxic tech bros and I'm glad to be out of it, but the community/demo of the Mach E is skewing in an equally weird direction to the other end of the age scale

I hope the Mach E doesn't become the EV with the largest number of owners with aol.com email addresses
 

dbsb3233

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I find the regen deceleration level to be pretty close to the same between 1PD and "L". They're both very strong regen.

My preference is Engaged, which does maybe 25% regen when taking you foot completely off the accelerator. That way I can still drive the traditional 2-pedal way, but with a little assist.

I don't think I want to get used to using 1PD for nearly all braking. In part because I still drive my Escape at times too, and don't want to get too used to 1PD and dull my reaction time for the brake pedal.
 
 




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