Regenerative Braking

[circatee]

To confirm, regenerative braking works when pressing ‘aggressively’ on the brakes, no?

Does it occur any other way?

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[RickMachE]

No. That is the brake pads.

Regenerative braking works when you let off the accelerator. Depending on the drive mode, it can be mild or more aggressive.

When you push on the brake pedal, it uses regenerative braking until you get near the bottom of the push, then it uses the pads.

It is called "blended braking".

 

[MellowJohnny]

What Rick said plus, AFAIK, if you hammer the brakes in a panic stop situation you get essentially full friction brakes. Maybe a quick initial regen, but it will be all friction. Good way to clean the brake pads occasionally, when safe to do so.

The brakes are "fly-by-wire", so in essence it's software deciding what happens, and when. Which is why we've had a few changes (for the better) over the last year to the software responsible for braking. The brake pedal is a bit like a dimmer switch.

 

[BMT1071]

What Rick said plus, AFAIK, if you hammer the brakes in a panic stop situation you get essentially full friction brakes. Maybe a quick initial regen, but it will be all friction. Good way to clean the brake pads occasionally, when safe to do so.

The brakes are "fly-by-wire", so in essence it's software deciding what happens, and when. Which is why we've had a few changes (for the better) over the last year to the software responsible for braking. The brake pedal is a bit like a dimmer switch.

"Fly-by-wire" until you get to the friction brake portion of our show.

 

[MellowJohnny]

"Fly-by-wire" until you get to the friction brake portion of our show.

Still all fly-by-wire, all the way to the electronic hydraulic pump moving the Brembos. Just like an aircraft, it's still a computer interpreting an input and sending electrical signals to the thing doing the work. In this case it's not a hydraulic control surface, but a brake pad.

Same same.

 

[BMT1071]

Still all fly-by-wire, all the way to the electronic hydraulic pump moving the Brembos. Just like an aircraft, it's still a computer interpreting an input and sending electrical signals to the thing doing the work. In this case it's not a hydraulic control surface, but a brake pad.

Same same.

There is a direct mechanical connection between the brake pedal and the master cylinder.

 

[SpaceLeftBlank]

To confirm, regenerative braking works when pressing ‘aggressively’ on the brakes, no?

Does it occur any other way?

I have the "brake coach" setting on, and from what I've seen, the LESS aggressively I brake, the more regeneration it shows. You can see this at work a bit--when you accelerate, the little "lightning bolt" icon under the battery level indicator will be blue, but when you let off the accelerator and "coast" it turns green. Green means the battery is recapturing energy.

 

[generaltso]

You can see this at work a bit--when you accelerate, the little "lightning bolt" icon under the battery level indicator will be blue, but when you let off the accelerator and "coast" it turns green. Green means the battery is recapturing energy.

That power meter only comes on GTs.

 

[AZBill]

There is a direct mechanical connection between the brake pedal and the master cylinder.

Yes, the brakes still need to work if 12V power is lost. Our cars do not have a RAT (Ram Air Turbine) to provide emergency power.

There is likely a solenoid between the master cylinder and the calipers that blocks flow for blended braking, but that defaults to off when power is lost. That is how surge brakes work on trailers, the vehicle reverse light controls the solenoid, so that brakes are not applied when backing up.

 

[dvdboulet]

I haven't purchased a ME (yet) but it is precisely this blended-braking that is one reason I want this particular EV car. That's the way braking works on hybrid vehicles... but for some reason many EV manufacturers ONLY provide regen braking with 1-pedal drive modes. That's just silly... as if a hybrid can be smart enough to "brake by wire" and use regen where possible, so should an EV. I'm glad Ford has done this. I'll also say I just test-drove an ME the other day and the blended braking was outstanding: meaning that it was "invisible" from a driver-experience perspective. On my Prius there is a "mush" phase and then a "harsh" phase as the car switches from regen-to-friction braking. With the ME... it was smooth as silk the entire way and I never was able to tell when the switch over occurred. Well done Ford.

 

[generaltso]

I haven't purchased a ME (yet) but it is precisely this blended-braking that is one reason I want this particular EV car.

As far as I know, almost all EV brands have blended braking. Tesla and Rivian are two notable exceptions.

 

[dvdboulet]

As far as I know, almost all EV brands have blended braking. Tesla and Rivian are two notable exceptions.

Good to know. While that not may be "many manufacturers", since Tesla is one of those, it would be true to say "many EVs". Thanks!

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