Rolling, coasting?

[maiki]

Once again, I am a Tesla newbie, just having got my first one (Model 3) two days ago, so will have lots of questions.

It is also the first time I had any car with regenerative braking. Very new to me. Hard to get used to.

For instance, going downhill. Normally, depending on where and how steep, I would take my foot off the gas pedal and just coast downhill. Doesn't work on the Tesla. One has to keep one's foot on the accelerator pedal all the time. For one thing, I wonder how that saves energy, for with coasting downhill gravity would be doing the work, rather than the engine?

Also, sometimes if I wanted to slow down a bit, but not quickly, just taking the foot off the gas without using the brake would slow it down sufficiently for a bit, and save the brakes. But again, with RB one has to have the foot on the accelerator all the time, or it comes to a stop.

I see there is a setting called ROLL. Does that turn off RB, and allow the car to coast like a normal car? If so though, if one came to a downhill slope while driving, one could not mess with the menus on the screen to change that setting. Is there a quick way to go to ROLL, and later go back?

Thank you in advance.

 

[RobDickinson]

The accelerator isnt a binary pedal.

Press more = acceleration
Press less/none = regen

Somewhere in the middle = coasting

Theres an energy bar by the speed display that shows if you are using or recovering energy, if thats not showing anything you are coasting

 

[PDX-Y]

For instance, going downhill. Normally, depending on where and how steep, I would take my foot off the gas pedal and just coast downhill. Doesn't work on the Tesla. One has to keep one's foot on the accelerator pedal all the time. For one thing, I wonder how that saves energy, for with coasting downhill gravity would be doing the work, rather than the engine?

Gravity is doing the work. The difference is, all that energy that gravity is providing that would be too much work, that you normally are turning into heat in the brakes (or, for those who were taught correctly, the engine cooling system), is going back into the battery! It's magic. Going down a big hill in an EV literally increases the amount of charge in the battery. The only energy that gets "lost" is the resistive losses in the electrical system.

Also, sometimes if I wanted to slow down a bit, but not quickly, just taking the foot off the gas without using the brake would slow it down sufficiently for a bit, and save the brakes. But again, with RB one has to have the foot on the accelerator all the time, or it comes to a stop.

Just reduce the pressure on the accelerator. Take your foot "off the gas" just a little bit.

Single pedal driving takes about a week to get into your muscle memory, and then you'll love it, I promise.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

The only times energy is wasted are when you press the brake pedal or when the cruise control needs to decelerate more rapidly than regen would allow. Otherwise the car does everything possible to conserve energy, regardless of your pedal position. So driving downhill with your foot on the pedal will use exactly the same amount of energy as coasting in neutral.

There are no regen settings available for 2021+ models. The roll/creep settings are just for the behavior below 5mph where it does actually use the brakes, though not enough to affect efficiency.

This song (cranked up to 11 of course) will help you get in the mood for some rollin'

 

[MountainRatMat]

Without getting too technical here is an easy way to think about it.

Accelerator pedal - Use this as much as possible for speed control, don't worry, you will get used to it after driving the car a bit. So much so that an ICE car will feel outdated whenever you drive one.
Brake pedal - Use only when additional braking is needed or in emergencies. Wasted energy to heat when brake pedal is used so car is just slightly less efficient.

Enjoy the new car, after a few thousand miles you will love every aspect of it.

 

[jjrandorin]

Once again, I am a Tesla newbie, just having got my first one (Model 3) two days ago, so will have lots of questions.

It is also the first time I had any car with regenerative braking. Very new to me. Hard to get used to.

For instance, going downhill. Normally, depending on where and how steep, I would take my foot off the gas pedal and just coast downhill. Doesn't work on the Tesla. One has to keep one's foot on the accelerator pedal all the time. For one thing, I wonder how that saves energy, for with coasting downhill gravity would be doing the work, rather than the engine?

Also, sometimes if I wanted to slow down a bit, but not quickly, just taking the foot off the gas without using the brake would slow it down sufficiently for a bit, and save the brakes. But again, with RB one has to have the foot on the accelerator all the time, or it comes to a stop.

I see there is a setting called ROLL. Does that turn off RB, and allow the car to coast like a normal car? If so though, if one came to a downhill slope while driving, one could not mess with the menus on the screen to change that setting. Is there a quick way to go to ROLL, and later go back?

Thank you in advance.

if you know how to drive a manual transmission car (a stick) then you can just think of it like that, and you should quickly adjust. If you dont, from your description, you are a person who likely "pulsed" the accelerator. A LOOOOTTTTT of people do that, and dont even realize they do, until they drive an EV and say "why cant I take my foot of the pedal and coast?"

By pulsing the pedal I mean you likely drive like this with the accelerator pedal:


Puuuuuuuuuuusssssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal.......relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast..............pppppppuuuuuusssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal..........relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast.

People that are used to driving a manual transmission vehicle normally dont do this, because they are used to engine braking. You will need to unlearn that "puuussssshhhhhhhhhh...............relax...................puuuuuushhhhhhhh.....relax" style of driving, or driving your model 3 will drive you crazy (and anyone else that rides with you, as you will constantly be accelerating then braking"

Concentrate on driving with a constant pressure on the pedal, and modulate it "a little" to accelerate, and let off "a little" to brake. taking your foot completely off the accelerator = braking.... even going down hill, so in your model 3 you will be "pushing on the gas" even down hill to some extent, to maintain the speed you want to go.

You get used to it... much faster if you can "drive a stick", slower if you cant, but you will get used to it.

I think this was said already, but regen braking is good for re capturing some of the energy wasted in an ICE car back into the battery, but even better is modulating the accelerator and using "regen braking" as little as you can as well. I am not saying that you should be using the brakes, because those are the least efficient. I am saying that you should be modulating the accelerator slightly so that you are going the speed you want to go, and that you let off the pedal gradually to slow down or come to a stop.

The only time you actually take your foot "all the way off the pedal" is when you are at a complete stop, or when you are trying to slow down "quickly".

 

[maiki]

if you know how to drive a manual transmission car (a stick) then you can just think of it like that, and you should quickly adjust. If you dont, from your description, you are a person who likely "pulsed" the accelerator. A LOOOOTTTTT of people do that, and dont even realize they do, until they drive an EV and say "why cant I take my foot of the pedal and coast?"

By pulsing the pedal I mean you likely drive like this with the accelerator pedal:


Puuuuuuuuuuusssssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal.......relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast..............pppppppuuuuuusssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal..........relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast.

People that are used to driving a manual transmission vehicle normally dont do this, because they are used to engine braking. You will need to unlearn that "puuussssshhhhhhhhhh...............relax...................puuuuuushhhhhhhh.....relax" style of driving, or driving your model 3 will drive you crazy (and anyone else that rides with you, as you will constantly be accelerating then braking"

Concentrate on driving with a constant pressure on the pedal, and modulate it "a little" to accelerate, and let off "a little" to brake. taking your foot completely off the accelerator = braking.... even going down hill, so in your model 3 you will be "pushing on the gas" even down hill to some extent, to maintain the speed you want to go.

You get used to it... much faster if you can "drive a stick", slower if you cant, but you will get used to it.

I think this was said already, but regen braking is good for re capturing some of the energy wasted in an ICE car back into the battery, but even better is modulating the accelerator and using "regen braking" as little as you can as well. I am not saying that you should be using the brakes, because those are the least efficient. I am saying that you should be modulating the accelerator slightly so that you are going the speed you want to go, and that you let off the pedal gradually to slow down or come to a stop.

The only time you actually take your foot "all the way off the pedal" is when you are at a complete stop, or when you are trying to slow down "quickly".

Actually I drove stick shifts for most of my driving career. Only my most recent car (last three years, recently totaled in an accident) was automatic. So I guess more used to automatic now, but much more experience driving stick, manual transmission.

 

[maiki]

Then what are the settins for : roll, creep, I forget the other one?

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

That's for the behavior below 5mph and "Hold" will be the only setting you want.

The pdf manual is great for stuff like this because you can just hit CTRL-F and search for whatever term to quickly find the description. It's a good manual and easy to read.

 

[RobDickinson]

Then what are the settins for : roll, creep, I forget the other one?

Roll, creep and hold.

These are to do with how the car handles speeds below 5kph

Roll will roll like a traditional auto car. You need to use the brake pedal to fully stop otherwise the car will carry on.

Creep will slow down to an almost stop then unpowered roll, again you need to use the brake pedal

Hold will bring the car to a complete stop for actual full 1 pedal driving. use this. The others are just historic bullshit.

 

[jjrandorin]

Actually I drove stick shifts for most of my driving career. Only my most recent car (last three years, recently totaled in an accident) was automatic. So I guess more used to automatic now, but much more experience driving stick, manual transmission.

Tell yourself that you are driving in like 2nd or 3rd gear in a manual transmission car. You should adjust very quickly. It took me less than 1 day, but this was in 2018 and I hadnt driving a stick at that point in 10 years (but the first 4 cars I had in my life were manual transmission vehicles, and you never really forget it.. its like riding a bike).

Then what are the settins for : roll, creep, I forget the other one?

Thats probably best explained in the tesla manual. There is one in your tesla account online in the electronic glovebox. I googled the model 3 manual to give you a screenshot of that page / explanation, but the manual in your tesla account may or may not be a slightly newer version:

(yes, I do realize that in effect I am saying "RTM" but hopefully in a more polite way, along with an excerpt from the manual to show the explanation requested)

 

[Kimmi]

Thinking of the Accelerator pedal as a rheostat will help, at least it did for my wife.

 

[Occhis]

Creep works more lite an ICE car with auto trans than the other 2 options

 

[dmurphy]

if you know how to drive a manual transmission car (a stick) then you can just think of it like that, and you should quickly adjust. If you dont, from your description, you are a person who likely "pulsed" the accelerator. A LOOOOTTTTT of people do that, and dont even realize they do, until they drive an EV and say "why cant I take my foot of the pedal and coast?"

By pulsing the pedal I mean you likely drive like this with the accelerator pedal:


Puuuuuuuuuuusssssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal.......relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast..............pppppppuuuuuusssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal..........relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast.

This guy, right here!

Never noticed I did that, but I did.

Now, I don't. Smooth as butter acceleration and deceleration. Unless phantom braking kicks in, when all hell breaks loose.

 

[maiki]

Roll, creep and hold.

These are to do with how the car handles speeds below 5kph

Roll will roll like a traditional auto car. You need to use the brake pedal to fully stop otherwise the car will carry on.

Creep will slow down to an almost stop then unpowered roll, again you need to use the brake pedal

Hold will bring the car to a complete stop for actual full 1 pedal driving. use this. The others are just historic bullshit.

Does that mean that with it set to Roll, one can coast down a hill without the foot on the accelerator? But the only way one can do that is with the screen?

 

[jjrandorin]

Does that mean that with it set to Roll, one can coast down a hill without the foot on the accelerator? But the only way one can do that is with the screen?

No, you will not be able to coast down a hill without your foot on the accelerator in any mode unless you actually shift your car to neutral. You are stuck in thinking of the car like an ICE vehicle. Driving downhill in a tesla is like coasting downhill in an ICE... with a tanker truck filling your tank behind you as you roll downhill.

There isnt any reason to try to defeat the regen by coasting, simply modulate the pedal (press it less) when going downhill, and you will both go down hill and put energy in your tank (battery).

 

[Gasaraki]

The accelerator isnt a binary pedal.

Press more = acceleration
Press less/none = regen

Somewhere in the middle = coasting

Theres an energy bar by the speed display that shows if you are using or recovering energy, if thats not showing anything you are coasting

Exactly. If you don't want as much regen, just keep your feet on the accelerator a little. The green bar should drop indicating that the regen is weak or nonexistent.

 

[Gasaraki]

if you know how to drive a manual transmission car (a stick) then you can just think of it like that, and you should quickly adjust. If you dont, from your description, you are a person who likely "pulsed" the accelerator. A LOOOOTTTTT of people do that, and dont even realize they do, until they drive an EV and say "why cant I take my foot of the pedal and coast?"

By pulsing the pedal I mean you likely drive like this with the accelerator pedal:


Puuuuuuuuuuusssssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal.......relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast..............pppppppuuuuuusssssshhhhhhhhhh pedal..........relax and take foot completely off pedal and coast.

People that are used to driving a manual transmission vehicle normally dont do this, because they are used to engine braking. You will need to unlearn that "puuussssshhhhhhhhhh...............relax...................puuuuuushhhhhhhh.....relax" style of driving, or driving your model 3 will drive you crazy (and anyone else that rides with you, as you will constantly be accelerating then braking"

Concentrate on driving with a constant pressure on the pedal, and modulate it "a little" to accelerate, and let off "a little" to brake. taking your foot completely off the accelerator = braking.... even going down hill, so in your model 3 you will be "pushing on the gas" even down hill to some extent, to maintain the speed you want to go.

You get used to it... much faster if you can "drive a stick", slower if you cant, but you will get used to it.

I think this was said already, but regen braking is good for re capturing some of the energy wasted in an ICE car back into the battery, but even better is modulating the accelerator and using "regen braking" as little as you can as well. I am not saying that you should be using the brakes, because those are the least efficient. I am saying that you should be modulating the accelerator slightly so that you are going the speed you want to go, and that you let off the pedal gradually to slow down or come to a stop.

The only time you actually take your foot "all the way off the pedal" is when you are at a complete stop, or when you are trying to slow down "quickly".

JJ, it's like we are the same person.

 

[bupkis]

No, you will not be able to coast down a hill without your foot on the accelerator in any mode unless you actually shift your car to neutral. You are stuck in thinking of the car like an ICE vehicle. Driving downhill in a tesla is like coasting downhill in an ICE... with a tanker truck filling your tank behind you as you roll downhill.

There isnt any reason to try to defeat the regen by coasting, simply modulate the pedal (press it less) when going downhill, and you will both go down hill and put energy in your tank (battery).

I disagree with this. The difficulty/near impossibility of coasting in a Tesla is a flaw. Tesla’s one-pedal driving was an innovation that has since been superseded, notably by VW group cars.

Here‘s my thinking. Because both acceleration (or using the accelerator to keep a constant speed) and regen are not 100% efficient, forward momentum is extremely valuable in an electric car. The ability to coast--neither directing power to the wheels nor regenerating power from them—is extremely important, basically allowing the car to continue moving forward without using any energy for the purpose. However, while coasting you'll want regen to be applied where needed. Cars like VW simply automate that process: the car sees other cars and cyclists in front, it knows the current and upcoming speed limits and the road layout and it applies regen as needed in the situation. If, for example, you're coasting at a speed that will lead you to run into the car in front of you or that will be too fast for the roundabout you're approaching, regen will automatically be applied to keep your car at a safe distance from the car in front or to be able to go through the roundabout. It will take off just the speed that is needed and not more. Whereas with one-pedal driving, you're constantly overshooting in both directions (applying too much juice, scrubbing off too much speed). It is also much more relaxing to be able to coast rather than constantly having to have your foot either pushing the accelerator or easing up on it.

in these cars, it’s like this:

accelerator depressed: car accelerates or maintains speed
foot off accelerator: car coasts with intelligent regen based on sensors, road layout, etc.
brake depressed: car adds additional regen and, eventually applies brake

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

@bupkis The Tesla consumes or regens as much power as needed for your chosen speed. If no power is needed nor available for your conditions it will neither consume nor regen. In other words it “coasts” automatically at every possible opportunity.

If you want the car to automatically adjust its speed according to traffic, you might find the cruise control to be a better solution.