Question from a guy driving Manual transmission for 15 years

[ahhlun]

Question from a guy having driven Manual transmission for 15 years.
I am debating whether to buy a CPO model S, and I rented a model S from Turo to try out.

I am having 2 problems with the regen braking aspect of the Tesla


1) My right feet feels so tired trying to modulate the amount of regen applied (in order to avoid jerkiness)
2) My wife and I both feels like my drive is way smoother when I drive manual than when I am driving the model S.


I would have thought such a technologically advanced car would actually making driving less tiring and smoother.

I tried TACC and thought that is also kind of jerky.
Maybe I just need a few days to learn to use the pedal.
But when I am driving my manual transmission car, when I know I am coming to a stop, I put my car in Neutral and let the car coast to a stop smoothly.

 

[SO16]

Question from a guy having driven Manual transmission for 15 years.
I am debating whether to buy a CPO model S, and I rented a model S from Turo to try out.

I am having 2 problems with the regen braking aspect of the Tesla


1) My right feet feels so tired trying to modulate the amount of regen applied (in order to avoid jerkiness)
2) My wife and I both feels like my drive is way smoother when I drive manual than when I am driving the model S.


I would have thought such a technologically advanced car would actually making driving less tiring and smoother.

I tried TACC and thought that is also kind of jerky.
Maybe I just need a few days to learn to use the pedal.
But when I am driving my manual transmission car, when I know I am coming to a stop, I put my car in Neutral and let the car coast to a stop smoothly.

once you get used to one pedal driving, you’ll never want to go back. It will become second nature. Besides, if you really don’t like it, you can set regen to low.

 

[Watts_Up]

When you engage Autopilot, you can control the speed using the right button on the sterring wheel,
which is very practical when in traffic jam.

When coming from a manual transmission car, you should also test if you like the creep mode or not.

Without the creep mode, the car is like in neutral (like when you press on the clutch)
so the car might roll by itself if you are in an inclined road, while in D or R without pressing the accelerator.

 

[Kuhz]

You get used to it in a few days. It’s very smooth once you get the hang of it.

 

[ilyak]

As a long-time stick driver, you are probably pretty good a feathering the clutch with your left foot. It will take a few days, but you’ll get just as good as feathering the accelerator with your right one.

 

[SSedan]

If the regen is jerky just lift off the pedal slower, you will get the hang or it.

 

[Fobble]

You shouldn't worry about the regen jerkiness. In a few days, your instinct will know how far away to lift of your foot, and by how much to lighten the foot press.
Once you get used to EV regen, you will find tapping on the brake on an ICE car every time just to slow down is deeply annoying.

 

[Simon_Emes]

Change between my stick car and a Model s almost daily and got used to it quickly.

You can limit regen so it is more like neutral when you get off the right pedal.

 

[JayJ]

My MS is the first non manual transmission car I’ve had in more than 30 years. I absolutely love it. But modulating the throttle with regen braking does take a bit to get used to. I looked at it as a fun challenge to learn to be as smooth with one pedal as I used to be with three. Now it’s second nature and I barely recognize I’m doing it just like clutching and shifting used to be.
Give it a chance and enjoy it.

 

[djinn1]

Drove a stick for 30 years before buying my first Tesla (2012) - thought I would miss what I thought of as driving the car (as opposed to it driving me). That concern lasted about 10 seconds. Never looked back, and my enjoyment grows with every mile. It’s a different kind of driving to be sure, but I find that long trips using Tessie 2’s AP1 driving assist leave me feeling much more energetic, and indeed awake and alert. and when I am feeling a bit frisky, I just make sure it’s clear in front (and no wife in passenger seat) and then floor it.

just do it

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Maybe try driving in Low for a while so the regen isn't as strong, so you get used to the pedal feel on acceleration, then switch back to normal strong regen and get used to that.

 

[David.85D]

Just jump in. Guy at work went from a WRX (stick) to P3D. His driving was jerky for about a week. It’s just different. You will easily get used to it.

 

[aesculus]

Just piling on here: We have two trucks and a sports car that are all sticks in our livery. Now that my right foot has been trained for regen driving an automatic car is actually jerky. In a few weeks you will become a master at when and how to set the pedal so you have a perfectly smooth stop that gets you down to 4-5 mph just at the right place.

 

[Tam]

...regen...

I too drove manual transmission for decades and loved the ability to let the car coast on its own so I could do hypermiling. But my goal was more like to hypermile and not smoothness.

When I switched to Tesla, I have had no problem with the G-force the pull me back with regen because it's a form of "hypermile" and not smoothness.

I actually like the G-force feeling more because I feel I got more control and immediate feedback and I now want one-pedal driving without the need for brake pedal.

To simulate gasoline car's behavior, your regen can be set as "low" instead of "standard".

That can also happen when your battery is at full charge or near full charge or when it's freezing outside.

So, back to your wish, with a combination of regen degraded down to "standard" setting and relearning to regulate your feet.

 

[agtdDelirium]

Not that you need more advice since the above posts pretty clearly sum up that regen braking is just something that you will get used to and then you will never look back. For my entire 35+ years of driving, I have never owned an automatic transmission as my personal vehicle. If it didn't have a clutch and a gear shift on the floor, I was not interested. I special ordered a Volvo from Sweeden once because the US dealer couldn't get me a standard. Going to the Model S with a lack of gears was a concern for me. I thought I would miss one of the joys of driving. But I could not pass up the feeling when driving an electric vehicle. The instant torque and power of an electric motor are addicting; no more turbo lag, or irritation waiting for the downshifting of an automatic transmission in a passing situation. The regenerative braking is a huge bonus, and I wish Tesla would dial it up even more. Wait until you drive a winding mountain road at 12,000 feet and have no power loss from altitude during the climb, passing vehicles at will while hearing their engines whining at high revs. And then you never touch the brake on the descent. Priceless...

 

[Hugh Mannity]

I’ve driven nothing but manual for 30 years and switching to EV was a non issue. I really miss having a manual tranny but after switching to EV like a lot of us ICE cars are dead to me now.

Having said that I have an old car with 3 in the tree; wow how many here don’t know what that is! My plan is to electrify this car by bolting some type of motor solution to the existing bell housing. So technically the car will be an EV but will also retain the manual tranny! Haha. I probably won’t need to shift it much though? Probably end up leaving it in high gear all the time? Not sure.

 

[David.85D]

Having said that I have an old car with 3 in the tree; wow how many here don’t know what that is!

Drove a “65 Ford econoline truck for several years at an early job. 3 on the tree! Been there!

 

[Watts_Up]

... I have an old car with 3 in the tree; wow how many here don’t know what that is! My plan is to electrify this car
by bolting some type of motor solution to the existing bell housing. So technically the car will be an EV
but will also retain the manual tranny! Haha. I probably won’t need to shift it much though?
Probably end up leaving it in high gear all the time? Not sure.

Interesting project. You might be interesed looking at the following video:

Building The World's First True TESLA Pickup Truck! (Greg Goes Electric)​

 

[Magellan55]

First cold weather here last week limited my regen, and wow I really missed it! i came from a long line of manual tranny cars. Like someone posted above, I once had to special order a Saab 95 wagon with stick because they didn't import any to the US. Now, I can go for hours driving one pedal with no issues, and if my foot gets tired on a long drive, Autopilot can take over.

What's funny is, some of the new EV entrants claim that coasting saves energy over having regen tied to the accelerator, but those same companies can't make a car nearly as efficient as a Tesla! So much for the validity of their opinion.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Going from one technology to another always takes a bit of time.

Driving a stick, you are used to fully taking your foot off the gas every time you shift. Up/down...Up/Down...Up/Down over and over again.

You will quickly learn to modulate your torque with your right foot. Super easy and intuitive after just a few miles.

You can start with mild regeneration, get used to that and then use full regen. Latest setting is full one pedal driving where you rarely need to shift your foot to the brake at all.

We use autopilot to remove that fatigue from driving in traffic or long distances, but it will take a while for a new EV driver to release control to the computer, but once done it is enlightening and freeing.

Will take you a bit to get as good at one pedal driving as you are now with 15 years of 3 pedal driving..

Maximum torque at Zero RPM is transformational. No longer slip your clutch. Driving becomes more intuitive.