[KSchneider]

Curious if anyone who understands the physics can say something about how effective the Solterra regen braking will be. This article <Regenerative braking: how it works and is it worth it in small EVs?> says a Tesla S might get 32%. The S weights a bit more than the Solterra and I believe the Solterra regen system is different.

 

[Damon D.]

Curious if anyone who understands the physics can say something about how effective the Solterra regen braking will be. This article <Regenerative braking: how it works and is it worth it in small EVs?> says a Tesla S might get 32%. The S weights a bit more than the Solterra and I believe the Solterra regen system is different.

Yeah, the nerd aspect in me is looking forward to testing the regen paddles to see how well they work - glad that the Solterra has them unlike the BZ4X to at least have the potential to utilize them as effectively as possible. As the article notes it logically seems that city driving and downhill stretches are really the only areas where it will have any impact but it seems my days of trying to always be hyper vigilant in infrequently braking for driving efficiency in cities/high traffic will be eased somewhat.

 

[StevenH]

Yeah, the nerd aspect in me is looking forward to testing the regen paddles to see how well they work - glad that the Solterra has them unlike the BZ4X to at least have the potential to utilize them as effectively as possible. As the article notes it logically seems that city driving and downhill stretches are really the only areas where it will have any impact but it seems my days of trying to always be hyper vigilant in infrequently braking for driving efficiency in cities/high traffic will be eased somewhat.

From what I've seen in reviews, the paddle shifters don't max out the Regen any more than S-Pedal. So, it seems to mainly be helpful for lowering the Regen for passengers to not get jerked around. When I'm by myself, I'll probably stay in S-Pedal mode.

 

[Damon D.]

From what I've seen in reviews, the paddle shifters don't max out the Regen any more than S-Pedal. So, it seems to mainly be helpful for lowering the Regen for passengers to not get jerked around. When I'm by myself, I'll probably stay in S-Pedal mode.

Yeah, S-Pedal mode is either the fifth, most regen mode or direct link to the fourth, paddle accessible mode and although it still seems fairly mild probably is best to limit selecting to when driving by yourself to lessen the annoying head toss from passengers not always expecting the regen braking and ease on the lesser, paddle modes with passengers.

 

[bobleon39540]

No reference to Regen, in the manual, while in cruise control or adaptive cruise control.

 

[Damon D.]

No reference to Regen, in the manual, while in cruise control or adaptive cruise control.

Though cruise control is not amongst the situations listed that would automatically deactivate Regen braking power setting. P.59 Getting Started Guide.

Obviously pedal braking, which also uses regen braking (to exactly what extent and when friction braking starts coming into play?) would automatically cancel cruise control but automatic braking in adaptive cruise control would almost certainly be in regen mode just like pedal braking. I wonder if one could be in cruise control and be going down a grade where tapping a regen paddle to a stronger setting would work to keep you at the set cruise speed and not cancel it while gaining a little bit of a charge?

 

[bobleon39540]

Though cruise control is not amongst the situations listed that would automatically deactivate Regen braking power setting. P.59 Getting Started Guide.

Obviously pedal braking, which also uses regen braking (to exactly what extent and when friction braking starts coming into play?) would automatically cancel cruise control but I wonder if one could be in cruise control and be going down a grade where tapping a regen paddle to a stronger setting would work to keep you at the set cruise speed and not cancel it while gaining a little bit of a charge?

One taps the button to up the speed 5 mph/tap. If you do that twice and when speed is reached you tap the -5mph the cruise control brakes the car, bringing the speed down. I did not cancel cruise control, did the car use Regen to slow the car down.

 

[442]

I wonder if one could be in cruise control and be going down a grade where tapping a regen paddle to a stronger setting would work to keep you at the set cruise speed and not cancel it while gaining a little bit of a charge?

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what the computer is doing. Even on my other Subaru's it's obvious the computer can use the transmission (with the cruise control set) to reduce speed as much or more than I can with the paddles, which equates to exactly what you're saying.

 

[Muskoka_Detour]

I had my current Camry Hybrid since late 2006 so I have in my mind how that regen is working. I'll need to test drive the car to see how the Solterra's regen works compares to the Camry.

 

[R P]

Was looking at the manual to see how the regen settings work. All I could find was the paddles setting -/+, but these are only temporary until you take the car out of D. My Kona EV worked the same way with the paddles. But you could also set 3 regen settings for each drive mode. That was permanent until you changed the setting again. I mostly drove in ECO mode and had it set for level 3 which is the strongest regen level, That made for very responsive and nimble one pedal driving. Worked great. Only time you touched the brake pedal was when you came to a complete stop and didn't want it to creep forward. It also had a Hold on Stop option, but I never used that. I liked the security feeling of having my foot on the brake pedal when stopped.

It appears there are no settings by drive mode with the Solterra. So the paddles have to be set each time you go driving. However, there is an S Pedal mode which is supposed to have a stronger regen level, but no settings as to how strong you want it. So will have to see on the test ride how this works.

I hate to be touting Hyundai here, but in general, and reading the Solterra manual, Hyundai seems to be way more advanced and sophisticated than the Solterra with the driver assist features. I found that also when comparing my Kona to my son's Tesla M3. It was pretty basic, and not a lot of settings for exactly how you want regen to work, and same with the autopilot cruise control. The Tesla was particularly bad in stop and go freeway traffic (basically useless), as it wouldn't brake until the last second (making you very nervous) and then lag on take-off letting people cut you off. Even my Crosstrek worked better than that. The Hyundai had a bunch of settings for how aggressive or mild you wanted to be, not just distance to car in front. Worked very well in freeway traffic, and you felt safe and confident with it.

 

[CTValleySubaruGuy]

I really don't think you can tell much about the way a car drives without actually driving it. The Hyundai may have more option, but that really doesn't rule out the Solterra from having a setting that suits you. I'm not sold on the idea of one pedal driving, either. I generally like my vehicle to roll along at a constant speed unless I tell it otherwise, without having to be constantly on and off the accelerator.

I can see myself doing what one reviewer did -- engage it for about 30mseconds, say, "Yeah, not a fan" and never use it again.

 

[R P]

I really don't think you can tell much about the way a car drives without actually driving it. The Hyundai may have more option, but that really doesn't rule out the Solterra from having a setting that suits you. I'm not sold on the idea of one pedal driving, either. I generally like my vehicle to roll along at a constant speed unless I tell it otherwise, without having to be constantly on and off the accelerator.

I can see myself doing what one reviewer did -- engage it for about 30mseconds, say, "Yeah, not a fan" and never use it again.

Yeah, looking forward to the test ride, and hope the S Pedal has strong enough regen. Once you are used to it (very quickly) it is hard go back. When we had the Kona, the Crosstrek became our 2nd car and didn't drive it anymore than we had to. But it always felt strange that when letting off the throttle it would coast and coast and coast. My wife felt the same.

Where 1 pedal driving really helped was in city driving with quick lane changes and in and out of round abouts. An EV has instant and very strong torque at any speed, and makes for very nimble driving. I couldn't help but smile sometimes when I pulled into the right lane at a red light next to a sports car. They didn't have a chance. By the time their turbo spooled up and engine revved, I was easily past the parked car in my lane ahead, and often took them a block to catch up. I don't drive like that all the time of course, haha, but I don't mind showing up an ICE sports car sometimes.

 

[JayEM]

I'm not sold on the idea of one pedal driving, either. I generally like my vehicle to roll along at a constant speed unless I tell it otherwise, without having to be constantly on and off the accelerator.

I can see myself doing what one reviewer did -- engage it for about 30mseconds, say, "Yeah, not a fan" and never use it again.

The thing is, with one-pedal driving, your foot seldom comes off the accelerator, unless you're actually coming to a stop. It's more of a "speed control pedal" - increase pressure to increase speed, reduce pressure to reduce it. It becomes second nature once you've driven it for a day or two. One of the things I didn't like about the ID.4 was too little regen, even in B mode. I hope the Solterra is more like the i3 and less like the ID.4 in this regard.

 

[Snow Drift]

I would never buy an EV without OPD. It is the best part of the experience and provides complete control over the car at all times. You can keep the car at a constant speed by just leaving your foot in a neutral position, not on or off power. It is very easy to do.

And then as soon as you need a response, you can instantly GO or SLOW. It is especially useful on downhill winding roads where you don't need to ride the brakes, just reduce pressure when you need it, then go back on power.

S-Pedal is like a Tesla in Creep mode (like an Automatic). OPD until a few MPH, then you must apply the brakes.

 

[CTValleySubaruGuy]

I'll suspend judgment on OPD until I actually do it, but while I hear what you're saying, I'm still not sold on the concept. My lawn tractor drives like that, as do golf carts, and it's really annoying. Now granted, I would expect a car to implement the system with a little more finesse, but still.

 

[JayEM]

Really not a realistic comparison!

 

[Snow Drift]

I'll suspend judgment on OPD until I actually do it, but while I hear what you're saying, I'm still not sold on the concept. My lawn tractor drives like that, as do golf carts, and it's really annoying. Now granted, I would expect a car to implement the system with a little more finesse, but still.

Just go test drive a Tesla.

 

[CTValleySubaruGuy]

Just go test drive a Tesla.

Yeah, no thanks. Tesla is such a total fail in the driver / vehicle interface area that any other redeeming qualities they may have are non-starters for me.

Besides, while I'm sure you're thinking that I don't know what I'm missing, I'm just not seeing it. Why bother with a feature that I just plain don't want. Maybe if you spend most of your time in stop-start traffic it might be useful, but I don't. Most of the time, I'm rolling along at a decent speed, which enables me to take my foot off the accelerator if I want to and keep rolling

 

[Snow Drift]

Yeah, no thanks. Tesla is such a total fail in the driver / vehicle interface area that any other redeeming qualities they may have are non-starters for me.

Besides, while I'm sure you're thinking that I don't know what I'm missing, I'm just not seeing it. Why bother with a feature that I just plain don't want. Maybe if you spend most of your time in stop-start traffic it might be useful, but I don't. Most of the time, I'm rolling along at a decent speed, which enables me to take my foot off the accelerator if I want to and keep rolling

First, if you won't try it, you really can't make an informed decision. Second, Tesla makes incredible cars with a great interface. If you try it, you will see.

OPD is better in all conditions. Around town, highway, winding road, etc. It gives you more control, and also provides a more relaxed experience. You can leave your foot at a neutral position and just continue on w/o accelerating. You can also wait longer to slow since you don't need to coast and then brake.

 

[JayEM]

Yeah, no thanks. Tesla is such a total fail in the driver / vehicle interface area that any other redeeming qualities they may have are non-starters for me.

Besides, while I'm sure you're thinking that I don't know what I'm missing, I'm just not seeing it. Why bother with a feature that I just plain don't want. Maybe if you spend most of your time in stop-start traffic it might be useful, but I don't. Most of the time, I'm rolling along at a decent speed, which enables me to take my foot off the accelerator if I want to and keep rolling

It doesn't have to be a Tesla. For me, after driving a (non-Tesla) EV with decent regen for almost 6 years, having to use the brake pedal to slow down is "a feature that I just plain don't want".