One Pedal Driving, Braking, and Auto Hold

[Mirak]

I've set my car to OPD because it supposedly enhances my efficiency through enhanced regeneration and it also causes me to be a bit more deliberate and hopefully safer when driving. It does take some finesse to avoid stopping too quickly and making my passengers sick or getting rear-ended. And sometimes it doesn't slow me quick enough and I have to apply the mechanical brakes which can be even more jerky. I'll get better with practice.

But I do have a few questions....

1. When my car is decelerating to a stop using OPD, I assume the brake lights come on? I would hope so, but please confirm.

2. Is there any need for me to toggle on "Auto Hold" when using OPD? Or is that redundant? It seems that OPD keeps me at a complete stop with or without Auto Hold, but maybe it's still good to have Auto Hold enabled?

3. Any concern about OPD putting excess strain and wear on the motors? I analogize this, perhaps totally incorrectly, to a debate I had back when I drove a manual transmission. I would shift into neutral when slowing down toward a stop and a friend told me "you should use the transmission to slow down and save your brake pads" to which I responded "I'd rather put more wear on my brake pads than my transmission." I could have been wrong then, and I could be wrong now, but let me know.

Sponsored

 

[generaltso]

1. When my car is decelerating to a stop using OPD, I assume the brake lights come on?

Yes

2. Is there any need for me to toggle on "Auto Hold" when using OPD?

No

3. Any concern about OPD putting excess strain and wear on the motors?

No

 

[benk016]

I've set my car to OPD because it supposedly enhances my efficiency through enhanced regeneration and it also causes me to be a bit more deliberate and hopefully safer when driving. It does take some finesse to avoid stopping too quickly and making my passengers sick or getting rear-ended. And sometimes it doesn't slow me quick enough and I have to apply the mechanical brakes which can be even more jerky. I'll get better with practice.

But I do have a few questions....

1. When my car is decelerating to a stop using OPD, I assume the brake lights come on? I would hope so, but please confirm.

2. Is there any need for me to toggle on "Auto Hold" when using OPD? Or is that redundant? It seems that OPD keeps me at a complete stop with or without Auto Hold, but maybe it's still good to have Auto Hold enabled?

3. Any concern about OPD putting excess strain and wear on the motors? I analogize this, perhaps totally incorrectly, to a debate I had back when I drove a manual transmission. I would shift into neutral when slowing down toward a stop and a friend told me "you should use the transmission to slow down and save your brake pads" to which I responded "I'd rather put more wear on my brake pads than my transmission." I could have been wrong then, and I could be wrong now, but let me know.

1. Yes, if you fully let off the gas pedal the brake lights come on. I think they also come on if you slow down quickly enough but don't fully let off, but not sure on that one.

2. I've never turned on auto-hold. The car will stay stopped with OPD enabled.

3. If it was a concern, they wouldn't have put it in, or made it so readily available to turn on. All electric vehicles do some kind of regerative braking, even if they don't have OPD. Its part of how they get the efficiency.

 

[Maquis]

1) Yes, brake lights work as you would think they would.
2) I don't know for sure, but I agree with you. 1PD holds me at a stop just fine without Auto hold enabled.
3) No concern at all, in my opinion. The motors are designed to provide regen braking, let them do their job. I would say your manual transmission approach was also incorrect. Brake pads function by friction and wear sacrificially as they are used. A mechanical transmission's design life is so much greater than other systems that it will likely outlast the car whether you use engine braking or not.

 

[breeves002]

Others answered...but to your point #2 auto hold will turn on if you hit the brake pedal after you're stopped with 1pd. You can see the little "hold" icon pop up next to the "ready" at the bottom of the IPC.

This is redundant, as 1pd already has you stopped and held. However I haven't tried but if you slipped into neutral it should still hold the brake if the auto hold indicator is on.

 

[generaltso]

Others answered...but to your point #2 auto hold will turn on if you hit the brake pedal after you're stopped with 1pd. You can see the little "hold" icon pop up next to the "ready" at the bottom of the IPC.

Only if you have auto-hold enabled, no?

 

[breeves002]

Only if you have auto-hold enabled, no?

Yes that is correct. It may have helped if I read point #2 in OPs post lol and not just the replies.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

1. Yes the brake lights do come on.

2. It does hold the brake when your foot is off the accelerator pedal ... so using auto-hold (in 1PD mode) is redundant.

3. The motors are designed to do double-duty and *also* work as electric generators. This means the kinetic energy of the car in motion spins the generator to create electricity ... but the resistance generator slows the car. The energy is put back into the battery. The car was designed to do this. It does not hurt the car. It does not harm the transmission.

In a traditional car, the kinetic energy of the car in motion is converted into heat (friction on the brakes) and dissipates into the air ... being completely wasted.

 

[Marcel]

Auto hold is also to prevent rollback on an incline? Or does 1PD that also?

 

[breeves002]

Auto hold is also to prevent rollback on an incline? Or does 1PD that also?

Both will do that. It isn't like Tesla where it will let you roll if you didn't get their auto hold to engage.

Ironically I've had 1pd actually roll the opposite way on a hill. For example if you have a steep down hill where you have to come to a stop it will roll backwards up the hill very briefly then stop completely.

 

[zhackwyatt]

Both will do that. It isn't like Tesla where it will let you roll if you didn't get their auto hold to engage.

Ironically I've had 1pd actually roll the opposite way on a hill. For example if you have a steep down hill where you have to come to a stop it will roll backwards up the hill very briefly then stop completely.

It's supposed to do that too. Auto hold really only makes sense if you want that behavior w/o 1pd.

 

[breeves002]

It's supposed to do that too. Auto hold really only makes sense if you want that behavior w/o 1pd.

The only other situation I can think of is if for some reason you wanted to put it in neutral and have it still hold you in place. I honestly genuinely do not know why you'd want it to do that though. My Lincoln's auto hold would stay on if I put it in neutral so thats the only thing I can think of. In 99.9% of situations auto hold won't get used and/or is just redundant.

Sponsored