Oh, regen would be awesome with a lever where the open spot is - the stick shift spot
similar to the RIMAC BMW
The lever-activated regen is great. I love to drive the e-M3, especially because of this feature. It is not only great for city and open-road driving, but it gives completely new possibilities for drift-maniacs like myself. However, the problem is that this solution can't be homologated (at least in Europe). The authorities are very strict about safety-relevant features of the vehicle so a car manufacturer must design the car around the existing rules. The authorities are not very open minded for new ideas so don't expect too much from EVs - the technology can do a lot, but the OEMs can't use the potential because of the legislation.
We are testing 4 different regen set-ups:
1. Lever (0-100% = 0-100 kW of braking power). This is my favorite.
2. Regen activated by braking (on/off) - installed in a mule with a gearbox. The ECU shifts the braking torque based on speed and gear, and also has a ramp-up and ramp-down of torque for a smoother feel. I really don't like this set-up. The BMW Active-E regen works like this. I have never driven one - I wonder how the regen feels in that car. Probably it brakes with less torque than our mule but even when we reduce the torque it feels strange.
3. Regen activated by braking - regen increases with more force applied to the brake pedal - works similar to a normal brake (the driver doesn't feel the difference). When the regen reaches 100%, the mechanical brakes step-in. This is installed in a 800 kW, AWD prototype. The driver can adjust the regen from 0 to 800 kW so the friction brakes are not needed except at the racetrack.
4. Accelerator activated regen - similar to Tesla's. Not my favorite but it works smooth.
The e-M3 has RWD so we can't regenerate as much as with an AWD car. Still, I usually regenerate 25-40%. Thanks to the hand-operated lever I am sure that no friction brakes are used, except when I want it. It is hard to regenerate that much with option 2. and 4. I know - it sounds strange to brake with a hand-operated lever but everyone who tested the car loved that feature. It really feels natural.
If someone happens to be in Croatia for vacation, I will be more than happy to allow a test-drive in our prototypes.
Btw. I want to make a video on this topic (different kinds of regen) for a while now but I simply don't have the time for it. I'll do my best to find some time in the coming weeks.
Sorry for the Off Topic. :redface: