Just got my first Tesla yesterday. Love the regenerative braking because in city driving it means I barely use my brake however I was concerned sitting in highway rush hour that it might be a safety issue that I don’t need to step on the brakes since the person behind me won’t see the brake lights and know you slow down. Has anyone else been concerned about this? Sorry if it’s discussed elsewhere and I missed it…
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Is Regenerative braking a safety issue?
- Thread starter espress09
- Start date
When regen braking is slowing the vehicle, the brake lights come on and stay on at a full stop. You can see this in the vehicle image on the visualization.
Welcome. The brake lights actually come on with regen. Plus its user configurable (in terms of intensity) from off (and depending on whether you opt for hold, creep, roll, etc, the car can behave like an ICE slushbox equipped car) to low (mild regen) to normal (1 pedal driving once you get used to it).
What you will learn in short order is that for EVs its not the presence of regen thats a safety issue... but the LACK of it (due to cold, inconsistent config, or quirks of a particular make/model - such as the VW ID4 which has zero regen).
Tesla has done a fair bit to make ambient temp and very high SoC regen behavior far more consistent with the recent addition of blended brakes (a toggle on many/most Model 3/Ys). That is the main safety concern if regen is present.
What you will learn in short order is that for EVs its not the presence of regen thats a safety issue... but the LACK of it (due to cold, inconsistent config, or quirks of a particular make/model - such as the VW ID4 which has zero regen).
Tesla has done a fair bit to make ambient temp and very high SoC regen behavior far more consistent with the recent addition of blended brakes (a toggle on many/most Model 3/Ys). That is the main safety concern if regen is present.
No, because the brake lights come on when you regen brake. In fact, in my opinion the complete opposite of what you are suggesting might be an issue, is the actual issue. For a typical tesla driver, especially a new one, their brake lights come on ALL THE TIME, constantly flicking on and off as they try to figure out how to regen brake.
In fact, I think they come on so much that drivers behind teslas either get annoyed as if they are getting "brake checked" or, they learn to ignore tesla brake lights flashing at them all the time (thus not paying attention as much to them).
The safety issue with regen is that for most people the regular braking system is not getting enough use, leading to a degradation of the transfer layer on rotors and likely resulting in subpar performance in case of emergency braking.
This sounds very much like a theory, not something driven by data or fact. Do you have a reference that the "transfer layer on rotors" degrades due to minimal use?
You'd think if this was a well known and real phenomenon, Tesla would put it in the manual with the other brake stuff they already have such as this::
Plus, if you use AP at all, it
UncleCreepy
Member
I barely ever use the friction brakes and never had any issues when I did need them. Just because you never press the brake pedal doesn't mean they will never engage (read the manual). Plus, as of one of the more recent updates, the car can be programmed to use the friction brakes if regen is reduced or unavailable. Even if that wasn't the case, I don't see how this would be a safety issue. If the car doesn't slow down as expected, just use the brake. I've done that ever since I got my first Tesla in 2018, I always keep regenerative braking at maximum and never had an issue, not even on slippery roads.
This is something that just works well that Tesla hasn't killed with yet another stupid update. Not yet anyways.
This is something that just works well that Tesla hasn't killed with yet another stupid update. Not yet anyways.
You guys must not have enough relatives that drive like grandmas, who complain that I did something to their brakes after I drive their cars and re-bed their pads to make sure I don't rear-end someone.This sounds very much like a theory, not something driven by data or fact. Do you have a reference that the "transfer layer on rotors" degrades due to minimal use?
You'd think if this was a well known and real phenomenon, Tesla would put it in the manual with the other brake stuff they already have such as this::
Plus, if you use AP at all, itslams onburnishes the brakes for you
As with anything RGB takes time to get use to. Especially for a driver new to the EV game. It would be nice if Tesla offered workshops for owners to learn about their cars especially when new features are offered or introduced. I also have a BMW and they have BYOV (bring your own vehicle) open houses and driving events that do just that.
This is the company that does their very best to never have you talk to a human, and has released all of the Full Self Driving beta without a single manual on how to use it. Tesla spending any kind of energy on customer training or education just looks like a waste of money to them. They're supply constrained, why would they?
This the kind of stuff "legacy" manufacturers do as they are dying /s
Occhis
Member
If you look your car on the left side of the screen, when you let off the go pedal you can see exactly when the brake lights come on and go off. In creep mode they will go off when you slow to about 5 mph, at which time you must apply the brake pedal to come to a full stop. In hold mode, or if you are in TACC and behind another car, brake lights will stay on all the way to full stop.
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