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Understanding How Tesla's Shifting Works, Its Protective Protocols, and Neutral
- Thread starter ACRei
- Start date
rpiotro
Active Member
Gauss pedal? I thought I settled this. In F1 they call it the torque demand pedal. Who would be a better authority?
"Gauss" pedal is a fun name (sounds like "gas"!), but of course Gauss is not the SI unit in question, it's (ta-da!) "Tesla" (really).Gauss pedal? I thought I settled this. In F1 they call it the torque demand pedal. Who would be a better authority?
"Torque Demand Pedal" sounds like it was invented by one of those people who thinks saying "affirmative" instead of "yes" makes them sound smart.
Mario Veras
Member
No. You can’t consume more fuel in N than when you’re idle. Same as if the vehicle was stopped. In gear, you feel the vehicle trying to slow itself down so you’re wasting more fuel that way because the transmission forces the RPM to go up a bit. So with the RPM going up, more gas is used. This varies across different vehicles. So N saves gas.
Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
The assumption is that someone coasting in Neutral is otherwise driving properly, which may require riding the brakes. And fuel consumption is mostly based on torque demand, not rpm, so there’s indeed a likelihood that staying in gear would save gas.
This isn’t the place for fossil car discussions but the relevant tangent is that some EV owners mistakenly believe that disabling regen by way of Neutral or other means would provide more efficient coasting.
This isn’t the place for fossil car discussions but the relevant tangent is that some EV owners mistakenly believe that disabling regen by way of Neutral or other means would provide more efficient coasting.
Not if the ICEV has deceleration fuel cut-off, in which case going down the hill in neutral requires fuel use to keep the engine idling while going down in gear allows the engine to be driven by the wheels without any fuel use.
Mario Veras
Member
This is why I said, it varies across vehicles. For instance, if it’s a hybrid, then driving downhill in N would cause the engine to shut off, but it is a bad idea because then you don’t get any regen braking. Although, a hybrid will always shut off the engine in a downhill whether you’re in D or N.
rpiotro
Active Member
Is the transmission being lubricated when coasting in neutral on modern ICE cars? There has not been rear mounted pumps on automatic transmissions in more than 50 years.
I actually did get a push start on my '59 Chevy with a powerglide transmission. Had to get it up to about 30 MPH before the rear pump made enough pressure to engage the transmission.
so yeah, this does work. oftenuseless though, because its more intuitive to directly control when/where the car stops before changing direction of travel.
kinda like in a manual transmission its possible to gear the car forward while its rolling backwards, and engage the clutch to simultaneously slow it down and reverse its direction. its possible and ive done it very occasionally, but it does not feel natural
I don't think it's a joke. It happens to me too in some parking lots, trying to switch between Drive and Reverse (or vice-versa) and the car screams at me without doing the change. By instinct I press the accelerator and it doesn't do what I want. I must be at 6mph when that happens I guess as I'm not going that fast... but you get used to this being normal and it screws you up when it doesn't to it. Borderline dangerous to NOT switch gears when I ask it to and rely on that change.
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Mario Veras
Member
BigNick
Infamous Fat Sweaty Guy
With 2023.12.1 and up, there is an option to enable gear-change chimes. Might be annoying but it is informative.
LadyOnikara
Member
I like calling the brake pedal "the stoppy thing". (To steal from the Star Wars Muppet Show episode.)
This is a subject that is incredibly difficult for those who still think in ICE. As a couple of people have noted, there is no 'shifting' as known in ICE. Of course there is regenerative braking in most BEV models so one rarely needs to use brakes either. What our logic says is 'shifting' is software changing from one direction to another, no 'shifting' happens either. That is also why 'neutral' does not exist as it does in ICE, 'neutral' just stops power to the motors.
That is also why 'shifting' from 'D' to 'R' is limited in speed to protect drivers, not the car, the motors really do not care.
This is really analogous to turning 'on' or 'off' a light switch. There is no ignition, it is simply equivalent to a light switch, so in a Tesla the switch turns on by proximity and turns off by lack of proximity.
Over and over, many of us really do not realize how incredibly simple the concepts are. We've spent most of our lives, long or short, igniting flammable fluids which need complex devices to yield motive force. BEV's are simple in comparison! No wonder oil and gas industries, traditional OEMs and labor unions don't like BEVs. There very simplicity reduces job count.
Corollary; traditional OEM thought are all about ICE. That is why the Porsche Taycan actually has a transmission, even though there is zero need for those except for ICE, and why they have fake sounds and no regenerative braking. They really want their buyers to think a BEV is just another ICE.
So, there is no 'shifting' at all.; doesn't happen. The Tesla is just like a multi speed home ventilating fan. Changing the speeds just sending more or less electrical power, it's a light switch equipped with a dimmer.
Most of us have many traditional ICE thoughts. It's very hard to break lifetime habits.
That is also why 'shifting' from 'D' to 'R' is limited in speed to protect drivers, not the car, the motors really do not care.
This is really analogous to turning 'on' or 'off' a light switch. There is no ignition, it is simply equivalent to a light switch, so in a Tesla the switch turns on by proximity and turns off by lack of proximity.
Over and over, many of us really do not realize how incredibly simple the concepts are. We've spent most of our lives, long or short, igniting flammable fluids which need complex devices to yield motive force. BEV's are simple in comparison! No wonder oil and gas industries, traditional OEMs and labor unions don't like BEVs. There very simplicity reduces job count.
Corollary; traditional OEM thought are all about ICE. That is why the Porsche Taycan actually has a transmission, even though there is zero need for those except for ICE, and why they have fake sounds and no regenerative braking. They really want their buyers to think a BEV is just another ICE.
So, there is no 'shifting' at all.; doesn't happen. The Tesla is just like a multi speed home ventilating fan. Changing the speeds just sending more or less electrical power, it's a light switch equipped with a dimmer.
Most of us have many traditional ICE thoughts. It's very hard to break lifetime habits.
My guess is that it is also a protection thing. Shifting from D to R at higher speeds is going to put a lot of stress on the motor, as the rotor will be moving in one direction while the magnetic field is trying to drive it in the other. That will generate LOTS of heat and mechanical stress, which is probably not good for the motor long term.
Also, Neutral is a distinct setting, since a motor (depending on the type) can only freely turn when there is no current path across the windings. Try manually turning their shaft of a small motor .. it will freely turn. Then use a wire to short the two motor drive terminals, and try again .. it will resist rotation quite effectively.
Tiger
Active Member
I believe the instruction on screen is "Press brake while switching gear" to complete the maneuver?
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