CA DMV failing Tesla car for behind the wheel drive test

[bjrosen]

She should use the friction brake during the test. Even on a Tesla regen braking doesn't work all of the time, it doesn't work with a cold battery, it doesn't work if they battery is too full, it isn't good enough for emergency braking. If she rents a car it's not going to have regen braking, friction brakes will be around for many decades.

As for creep mode, that's how I took my drivers test in 1973. I was so nervous that I did the whole test on idle. It was in Chicago and at the time they did the driver's test in a parking lot so I was able to pass the test without ever pressing the gas pedal. I passed but if I had failed it would only have cost me $10 to the instructor to pass, that's how everything was done in Chicago.

 

[Tam]

...She should use the friction brake during the test...

So how do suggest doing that with the very aggressive Tesla regen? While driving at 50 MPH and approaching a stop sign, taking off the accelerator would trigger a regen that drastically slows the car down and if she should use the friction brake as suggested, the car would stop way before reaching the stop sign.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Well as long as she is being failed, then put that puppy in Ludacris mode and give that examiner the scare of their life

 

[Silicon Desert]

OP, here, I will be glad to approve your daughter and give her a driver's license. Clearly she knows how to drive if she figured out the regen.

 

[Need]

I think creep is only effective at a very slow speed like under 5 MPH. Anything speed higher than that, the regen still kicks in to drastically slow the car down until a very slow speed of creep.

Creep lowered the regen braking a LOT even at higher speed comparing to Hold mode. It is not as free rolling as a normal ICE car, but anyone riding in the car other than the driver would not be able to notice the deceleration much when the driver letting go of the accelerator when you are on Creep mode.

 

[brur]

It seems the examiner was unhappy with the rapid deceleration typical with regen-braking.
Daughter explained this, but nonetheless, ride was too harsh for comfort.
She did not fail because of "auto-braking", even though that was the reason given.
She failed because the ride was too rough.

Try again with 100% battery so there is no regen-braking.
Or better, lightly taper foot from accelerator to negate the regen-braking effect when coasting / slowing down.

Rather like driving an ICE car in second gear.. if you simply remove your foot from the gas, the car rapidly decelerates.
But if you drag your foot off, you can smoothen the ride.

Driving smoothly will allow her to pass the test.
Alternatively you can try complaining to the supervisor, but you already have a taste of how that is likely to go.

seems unlikely, I'm sure the student driver is capable of feathering the throttle to subdue the regen braking effect. If not they need a bit more teaching

 

[techzelle]

seems unlikely, I'm sure the student driver is capable of feathering the throttle to subdue the regen braking effect. If not they need a bit more teaching

It is either ride was too unnatural due to regen-braking, foot was not on brake pedal at a stop light, or both.

I can see the examiner freaking out when they notice no foot on the brakes at a stop light.
Have daughter either put foot on brake, or turn on creep mode to force putting foot on brake at stop lights.

 

[Need]

It is either ride was too unnatural due to regen-braking, foot was not on brake pedal at a stop light, or both.

I can see the examiner freaking out when they notice no foot on the brakes at a stop light.
Have daughter either put foot on brake, or turn on creep mode to force putting foot on brake at stop lights.

Exactly. And even on creep mode, do not use brake hold at the light and take off the foot. Pretty much you just to have reverse all new technology and take the test using the old ones. That's also why they made you do "hand signals" for the test... they still do that right?

Someone mentioned above about no gear stalk and yolk wheel for the new MS. While they might just fail you on that alone, it is almost certain that they will fail you if you use a cybertruck for the test. It has no side mirrors right?

 

[techzelle]

Exactly. And even on creep mode, do not use brake hold at the light and take off the foot. Pretty much you just to have reverse all new technology and take the test using the old ones. That's also why they made you do "hand signals" for the test... they still do that right?

Someone mentioned above about no gear stalk and yolk wheel for the new MS. While they might just fail you on that alone, it is almost certain that they will fail you if you use a cybertruck for the test. It has no side mirrors right?

Hand signals? lol, I remember those from back in the day. Now days, we don't use hand signals... only hand gestures.

Well, the root cause is that the daughter is too spoiled. I mean, driving a Tesla???

Go have her take the driving test in a Toyota Corolla or Ford Focus, like the rest of the world.

 

[Let's Drive]

I took my daughter this morning for her behind the wheel drive test at the DMV office in our Model 3. She was failed for "Mechanical Failure". According to the examiner, because of the regenerative braking which she was calling "auto braking". She was failed just because it was a Tesla and has regenerative braking. According to the examiner the car is braking by itself and therefore my daughter was failed for "Mechanical Failure". I got into a heated argument explaining that all electric cars have regenerative braking .....it is not "auto braking". This is ridiculous has anyone else run into this issue. This is idiotic....

Gonna have to agree with your argument. "Auto-braking" is a specific emergency feature and comes with an alert to warn the driver of a pending collision with an actual object (and other actions, depending on the car). Regen braking is controlled by the amount of lift on the throttle, no different than the amount of depression on the friction brakes (in both cases, you're still in control of the vehicle's momentum). It's possible your daughter didn't control the lift enough (?), if I had to play devils advocate, but assuming she stopped within distance, who knows.

Now if she failed your daughter because she didn't demonstrate any ability to use the friction brakes, I suppose there's more argument to be had there, but sounds more like outdated testing methodology at conflict with modern car tech (unsurprising), and you're caught in the transition. Sorry to hear.

 

[danoon]

The CA DMV failed my kid for their driving test because of regenerative breaking. They said they want to see him move his foot to the break peddle and kept refering to regenerative breaking as an automatic assistance. Since I can't turn off regenerative breaking, I guess this means Teslas are illegal for driving tests?

I saw people mention charging to 100% to get regenerative breaking to turn off before the test, but this is just a hack. I wish the DMV or Tesla would have stated that Tesla's can't be used.

 

[Gor-Gor]

Couldn't you simply turn on creep instead of hold?

 

[MikeyTezknight]

Put it on LOW and CREEP. The car becomes like an ICE car

 

[danoon]

She said she felt the car slow down going around a corner without his foot moving to the break. Their reasoning was that he should be prepared to drive a car without that assistance. She kept saying how her 2016 Jeep didn't do that. I think this is just a case where the law is behind technology. In California they won't sell gas cars in 2035 so I imagine by then everyone will be used to regenerative breaking.

 

[msanborn08]

Seriously? When I had the many standard (stick shift) cars, I hardly ever used the brake at all other then at a stop light. I understand that Tesla's are a little above and beyond that, but car control is still car control.

 

[linux-works]

by that reasoning, do they INSIST that everyone learn and take the test on a stickshift car?

that's insane. I bet if you push on them enough, they'll give in. that's so absurd even they must realize it.

no rule about 'cars being helpful'. what the hell does that even MEAN?

 

[Gor-Gor]

no rule about 'cars being helpful'. what the hell does that even MEAN?

It means whatever subjective reasoning the instructor wants it to mean. Instead, they should list the law if it is even applicable in this case.

 

[Johnny Vector]

Arggh, I can't take it. Brake. The word is brake.

 

[danoon]

Yeah, we were pretty upset, we even talked to the manager. The thing is, we have a gas car too and we would have used that if we knew it was going to be an issue. I just wish we knew ahead of time.

 

[Gor-Gor]

Yeah, we were pretty upset, we even talked to the manager. The thing is, we have a gas car too and we would have used that if we knew it was going to be an issue. I just wish we knew ahead of time.

Ask for the applicable law that they are citing, if they can't then it's complete bulshit.