Tesla removes regenerative braking strength option

[jsmay311]

So with no option to set vehicle regenerative braking to "low", how is an owner supposed to burnish the brakes after installing new brake pads/rotors Do It Yourself - Model 3

Are they going to add this option to the service menu or are we going to have to visit a Tesla service center to have this performed?

The most effective approach would probably be to put the car in Neutral. Doing so deactivates all regen.

From the manual:

“Neutral

Push the drive stalk up or down to the first position and hold it there for more than 1 second to shift into Neutral. Neutral allows Model 3 to roll freely when you are not pressing the brake pedal.

NOTE: You must press the brake pedal to shift out of Neutral if driving slower than approximately 5 mph (8 km/h).”

 

[mlong5905]

With a RWD SR+, I have a "snow mode" profile saved with regen set to low. If the car were AWD, I probably wouldn't change it, but having the stopping force in the rear vs the front did not feel great the first few times, I hit a slick spot and instinctively raised my foot fully off the accelerator.

Regen set to standard in the winter even w awd is very dangerous. It should be set to low and use brake pedal for light braking to stop. Regen in standard is too much motor braking and will cause car to slide. Same here w a snow mode profile set up. Makes it easy to change all settings at once.

 

[PACEMD]

I would say precisely the opposite. The last thing I want on snow and ice is low regen. Increases the chance of a slide. The truth, however, is that neither is inherently more dangerous or better under such conditions. You can control breaking with regen at standard and little use of the break or regen at low and more breaking. Not better or worse, just different techniques. I prefer the regen at standard.

 

[smartypnz]

Ok... the last two weeks, I get in the car (90% charge rate in the morning 278 miles) and it says regen not available.
OK, I get it.
But now I get in the car 189 miles and same thing... How low does the battery level have to be that regen won't harm?
Car will be 3 years old in 2 weeks - never happened before.
100% is 311, last time fully charged - about a month ago.

 

[mlong5905]

Ok... the last two weeks, I get in the car (90% charge rate in the morning 278 miles) and it says regen not available.
OK, I get it.
But now I get in the car 189 miles and same thing... How low does the battery level have to be that regen won't harm?
Car will be 3 years old in 2 weeks - never happened before.
100% is 311, last time fully charged - about a month ago.

My temp here in chicago is around 35-40 degrees right now and I drive 40 miles to work.
My regen at these temps is never 100%. I always have 5-6 dots on the left side of regen/power bar.
Best thing to do is pre condition the car while still plugged in or go to the navigation settings and tell the car you are
going to a supercharger so it warm the battery.

I have the Ingenext bonus module installed on my car and one of the features is "pre condition battery" which you can simply turn on
and off on demand to help warm the battery while driving. Of course this uses more energy..

 

[Dangerous Fish]

So without going back thru all the posts, has it been proved that low regen is missing on new Model 3s?
Or is it a change to something on the Model S only?

 

[mlong5905]

So without going back thru all the posts, has it been proved that low regen is missing on new Model 3s?
Or is it a change to something on the Model S only?

Fake news.
Someone post a pic if Im wrong.

 

[SigNC]

Ok... the last two weeks, I get in the car (90% charge rate in the morning 278 miles) and it says regen not available.
OK, I get it.
But now I get in the car 189 miles and same thing... How low does the battery level have to be that regen won't harm?
Car will be 3 years old in 2 weeks - never happened before.
100% is 311, last time fully charged - about a month ago.

It's a factor of how much power your battery can take. If the battery is fully charged and warm it can take none. If it's less than fully charged and warm it can take a little bit. If you use warm as a baseline, the cooler the battery is the less of that baseline it can take in energy or regen. So the higher your SOC the lower regen you can take, and the cooler the battery is the smaller the percentage of that rate it can take as well.

TL;dr your battery was likely pretty cold even though your SOC wasn't near full. If you really want regen, you can preheat the car which will also preheat the battery although one could argue this is a waste of electricity as you'll never get back the power you put into the battery via the increase regen BUT it does make a lot of sense if you are headed to fast charge the car soon.

 

[jjrandorin]

Ok... the last two weeks, I get in the car (90% charge rate in the morning 278 miles) and it says regen not available.
OK, I get it.
But now I get in the car 189 miles and same thing... How low does the battery level have to be that regen won't harm?
Car will be 3 years old in 2 weeks - never happened before.
100% is 311, last time fully charged - about a month ago.

Thats likely temperature (and yes it gets cold enough in california to limit the regen due to the battery being cold, even if you park in a fully drywalled garage with insulated garage doors that never goes below 50 degrees... like I do).

 

[jsmay311]

So without going back thru all the posts, has it been proved that low regen is missing on new Model 3s?
Or is it a change to something on the Model S only?

Fake news.
Someone post a pic if Im wrong.

I can't directly address the Model 3, but multiple new Model Y owners confirmed it in the thread linked below, including one who posted a pic of the Driving settings screen.

I would imagine that if it's gone on the Y, it's also gone on the 3. (But I suppose it's possible that Tesla would make an exception with the Model 3 since it's the only vehicle you can still get with RWD. Doubtful, but possible.)

Thread discussing no low regen option on new Modey Y's:
No regenerative braking option in my car

Photo from a new Model Y:

 

[mlong5905]

Thank you for posting a photo.
Fake news turns to real news

 

[Blue Express]

I still have regenerative braking in my 2018 M3 LR RWD. I have the latest version: 2020.48.10.

 

[jsmay311]

I still have regenerative braking in my 2018 M3 LR RWD. I have the latest version: 2020.48.10.

I don't think anyone is saying the "low" regen setting is being removed from older cars that already had it. They're just saying that it's not being included on new cars out of the factory.

 

[jjrandorin]

Thank you for posting a photo.
Fake news turns to real news

Real news for model Y, real news for model S, I have yet to see an existing Model 3 owner post pictures that show it gone, while I posted pictures in this thread of my car where it still exists in one of the latest firmwares that isnt the FSD preview.

So... like most things Tesla "YMMV"

 

[valaeyron]

2020 M3 SR+ (Oct 2020 delivery) here on fw 2020.48.10. Still have regen options.

 

[Electroman]

You can get better range by NOT using regen or brakes so much.

EDIT: Since some people decided to disagree since they may not understand physics, let me rephrase and expand my above original comment

Brakes < Regen < Coasting

From a strictly technical standpoint, if you coast to a stop, this is the most efficient. Also, coasting down a hill and burning off the gained speed(from gravity) going back up the next incline, this is also the most efficient. From an energy efficiency standpoint using regen is ALWAYS worse than just coasting, and using brakes is ALWAYS the worst option.

Regen is a great thing for the final few feet(could be a hundred-ish) when coming to a stop. It is also great for sudden slowdowns due to traffic conditions. Maximizing your coasting is best.

This is correct. On a flat terrain I can maximize range by maximizing coasting and avoiding regen or brakes as much as possible except to come to a final stop.

But there are scenarios where you simply cannot coast or avoid braking, like a downhill and you need to come to a stop at bottom. In those cases instead of physical braking, regen helps put some energy back. Or a long downhill ride from a mountain, where regen helps where otherwise you would have to use the brakes.

 

[JCtx]

Why remove regen options from 2021 cars? What's the logic? Without a transmission, you need at least 2 options, to be able to 'engine brake', or 'free-wheel'. For former saves brakes on steep downhill roads, and recharges the battery pack. The latter enhances range. Looks like Tesla went into cost-cutting mode big time, not only with this, but removing chrome trim.

 

[Vespa]

There seem to be some misconceptions here about the efficiency benefits of coasting.

First, you can always "coast", regardless of the regen setting. Just hold the pedal in whatever position makes that happen. Unless the car is doing something stupid with the motor to produce heat without torque (which it's not) your power usage will be the same regardless of the mode selection.

Second, if you coast too slow or too fast you might end up using more power than you would have with a constant speed regen (nevermind the traffic hazard). A slow coast spends more time consuming accessory power (lights, climate, etc.) so there will always be some speed, below which your energy usage per mile will be greater than regen. Coasting too fast is much worse because friction losses increase with the velocity *squared* so although the kinetic/potential energy conversion is 100% efficient, the aero/mechanical friction losses increase so rapidly with speed that they can easily outweigh the electro/mechanical conversion losses you might have had from a constant speed regen.

TLDR; Just drive like a normal person and don't overanalyze these things.

 

[OrthoSurg]

For example if I'm passing a pedestrian crossing, and I have a green, the pedestrian has a red. I don't want to slow down and prepare to stop, but I would normally move my foot to the brake to be ready in case the pedestrian is an idiot.

Yeah, happened to me sometimes
Now I just regen anyway to a reduced speed so if the pedestrian is an idiot he will be hit less hard by the time I reach the brake pedal.
My driving when I am alone in the car has completely changed from my ICE super efficient coast as much as possible to lights driving.
Now I accelerate more rapidly on 3 lanes roads with nobody and reduce speed to below speed limit when approaching intersections in case of someone being dumb. Of course I never do that when someone is following me closely. I follow the flow of the traffic in that case.

 

[tlm4200]

Why did Tesla eliminate the low setting for regenerative braking? Standard regen braking in the 2021 Model 3 is very aggressive. I understand you have to get used to it and you'll like it and all that. NOT the point! If, like most families, there are two cars, one of which is an ICE SUV, the person who more routinely drives the Tesla will be in trouble when he drives the kids to soccer in the SUV, expecting the thing to slow down sharply when he releases the gas pedal. I'm guessing he will lose a full second of braking while he figures out he's not in the Tesla. Meanwhile, he plows into the back of that SUV full of kids in front of him. What am I not seeing? Is this not a safety issue?