EV car driving phenomenon

[Scaf]

Has anyone else noticed how EV’s behave / drive on the road ?

I first noticed it as a passenger in Uber’s, as they try to maintain a constant speed and the driver is on and off the throttle you, get a rocking sensation as the regeneration kicks in slowing them and then they have to apply the throttle again, whereas in petrol diesel the engine breaking is nowhere near as severe.

Then if you are following an EV in town they appear to “hesitate” or slow down for no reason, again I am guessing this is the driver just lifting off and regeneration kicking in.

On long down hill stretches I see brake lights coming on when they are not slowing down, but have simply lifted off, to coast down the hill.

 

[P R]

Yes.. its to do with the regenerative braking as you mention. Our Merc (EQA) has different settings for regen, anything from 1 pedal operation to zero regen. I have it on auto. Its weird and brakes for various things without input (including speed limit signs, approaching bends, junctions or other cars). I did wonder what people think following!

 

[Ewan]

May be due to features such as "radar following" of the car in front?

Certainly never experienced any rocking sensation in our EV Audis, nor is it difficult to keep a steady/constant speed. In fact, quite the contrary. There are no gears, so it's completely smooth power delivery at all times.

That said, I can only speak for the two Audi's we've had. It could well be different in other EV cars. And as mentioned, it could be to do with the regen system/options.

Final thought, could the rocking sensation you feel in Ubers be because you take them late in the evening, after a few beers, maybe....

 

[zagatoes30]

Must admit I have noticed lots of strange brake lights from TVs at place you wouldn't expect people to be braking. Never thought it might be the regen or some other system kicking in - I had just assumed there was a muppet driving

 

[CatmanV2]

Certainly never experienced any rocking sensation in our EV Audis, nor is it difficult to keep a steady/constant speed

Yes. But you can drive...

C

 

[CatmanV2]

Must admit I have noticed lots of strange brake lights from TVs at place you wouldn't expect people to be braking. Never thought it might be the regen or some other system kicking in - I had just assumed there was a muppet driving

Occam's razor at its finest

C

 

[mjheathcote]

Must admit I have noticed lots of strange brake lights from TVs at place you wouldn't expect people to be braking. Never thought it might be the regen or some other system kicking in - I had just assumed there was a muppet driving

The Mrs audi 'knows' when to regen brake and not to regen brake. You can be driving up to a roundabout and it heavy regen brakes so much so that you don't have to brake. I think the brake lights come on automatically at a certain g force when regen takes place.
The whole car is either stopping or tugging at the steering wheel when you drive it.
Quite different from my own cars that have nowt!

 

[bigbob]

This has ruined my weekend as I always thought cars braking at strange times meant the drivers were just lousy but now they have an excuse. I always try to not use the brakes when I’m on A/B roads, using anticipation, looking several cars ahead and coasting instead. Might explain why I don’t buy brakes very often.

The other explanation is how people are taught to drive. Instructors don’t teach coasting anymore. You have to have your right foot on the throttle or the brake at all times. At least that’s how it feels when my kids keep accelerating up to the car in front and then jump on the brakes when I would have just come off the throttle earlier.

 

[iron5]

Maserati has assigned such functions to the two "shift paddles" in the Folgore. For example, the left-hand paddle shifter can be used to adjust the braking intensity when the accelerator pedal is released.

 

[zagatoes30]

This has ruined my weekend as I always thought cars braking at strange times meant the drivers were just lousy but now they have an excuse. I always try to not use the brakes when I’m on A/B roads, using anticipation, looking several cars ahead and coasting instead. Might explain why I don’t buy brakes very often.

This is how was taught to drive, a rarely use brakes in normal A-B roads driving and Motorways here are so less congested you can do the same there. Read the road ahead and anticipate what is going on, my girls often use to play count the brakes lights in front between Dads brakes it was not unusual for them to get to 20 or over.

Youngsters do seem to be all or nothing , accelerate or brake but thinking back that might have been me too I would often hang on the rear end of the car in front just looking for that opportunity that my 65bhp Escort could be pushed into an overtake

 

[DLax69]

Ever driven a golf cart...? These are just even more expensive golf carts.

 

[Doohickey]

I’ve just got a Polestar and the regen braking does take some getting used to. It is however pretty easy to modulate it although I find myself pulling up shorter than anticipated at junctions etc. The more you lift off the better the range becomes so you do slow down a bit earlier than you would in an ICE car. You have to switch the regen off to get any coasting which defeats the object.

However, I’m pretty sure some people just have no idea how to drive them properly - I followed someone in a Mini electric whose brake lights kept coming on and I’m sure it was because they were lifting off like you would in a normal car.

 

[Scaf]

I’ve just got a Polestar and the regen braking does take some getting used to. It is however pretty easy to modulate it although I find myself pulling up shorter than anticipated at junctions etc. The more you lift off the better the range becomes so you do slow down a bit earlier than you would in an ICE car. You have to switch the regen off to get any coasting which defeats the object.

However, I’m pretty sure some people just have no idea how to drive them properly - I followed someone in a Mini electric whose brake lights kept coming on and I’m sure it was because they were lifting off like you would in a normal car.

I am sure it’s just a question of the drivers getting the right setting for their car but fro my so know which he cars say it’s a different technique to “normal” cars.

 

[Ewan]

Maserati has assigned such functions to the two "shift paddles" in the Folgore. For example, the left-hand paddle shifter can be used to adjust the braking intensity when the accelerator pedal is released.

That is fairly standard across EVs. You can set the regen, or/and use the paddles to override it.

 

[Ewan]

The Mrs audi 'knows' when to regen brake and not to regen brake. You can be driving up to a roundabout and it heavy regen brakes so much so that you don't have to brake. I think the brake lights come on automatically at a certain g force when regen takes place.
The whole car is either stopping or tugging at the steering wheel when you drive it.
Quite different from my own cars that have nowt!

In case you didn’t know, you can disable the automatic steering (otherwise known as the annoying tugging) by pressing the button on the end of the left hand stalk. On our first E-Tron, pressing for one second did it. In our new one you have to hold it in for about three seconds. (And you have to do it every journey - you can’t turn it off permanently, unfortunately.)

 

[P R]

Maserati has assigned such functions to the two "shift paddles" in the Folgore. For example, the left-hand paddle shifter can be used to adjust the braking intensity when the accelerator pedal is released.

Our merc is the same

Sent from my SM-S906B using Tapatalk

 

[drellis]

I do the regen braking, however I did fear I wind people up as when you come off the motor you regen brake alot earlier than you usually would, which means car behind has to brake earlier

 

[Delmonte]

This all sounds really sh**. And I'm just glad I'll never have anything to do with it.

 

[davy83]

I think from behind it probably does look like you are on the brakes all the time because where in an ICE car you use engine braking to slow down to some degree and this does not trigger the brake lights, in an EV the brake lights come on whenever you do any regen braking which is often as mild as slowing down an ICE car on the engine.
I have an EQC which has flappy paddles that allow you to turn the regen up and down to suit the road conditions and its quite good, its some thing to give you a little bit of driver engagement at least

 

[Scaf]

I think from behind it probably does look like you are on the brakes all the time because where in an ICE car you use engine braking to slow down to some degree and this does not trigger the brake lights, in an EV the brake lights come on whenever you do any regen braking which is often as mild as slowing down an ICE car on the engine.
I have an EQC which has flappy paddles that allow you to turn the regen up and down to suit the road conditions and its quite good, its some thing to give you a little bit of driver engagement at least

It’s just something we need to get used to but it’s a bit mad, on a down hill stretch of the M1 (slight decline) brake lights on for not reason as RV drives lift off to maintain speed limit, initial reaction of other drivers - brake brake brake…..