When do the brake lights come on?

[Mightybhwk]

Hi,

Probably a silly question....

Don't have my Y yet, only test drove one, but when doing one pedal driving when do the brake lights come on?

Do they come on when you let up on the accelerator pedal or only when you physically press the brake pedal?

Enquiring minds want to know...

Thanks,
Randy

 

[TheNeck]

when you let go of the accelerator pedal the brake light comes on.

 

[Mightybhwk]

Thanks! I assumed that was the case. When I test drove and let go of the accelerator for the first time (to coast) it slowed down pretty fast (IMO) Was concerned it wouldn't get the attention of the person behind me. Got used to slightly letting up to slow down. Can't wait to try it full time.

 

[Zoomit]

when you let go of the accelerator pedal the brake light comes on.

The brake lights are triggered by deceleration rate or use of the brake pedal, not just the position of the accelerator pedal. So it depends on whether the car is headed uphill or downhill, as well as the accelerator pedal position. Generally, they light-up around 0.1g, whereas max regen deceleration in Tesla's is 0.3g. (Foot to the floor emergency braking can be over 1.0g.)

 

[Feathermerchan]

In addition, when the car is 'holding' that is when it has come to a complete stop when you are using autopilot or one pedal driving.
The avatar on the screen also displays brake lights in real time. The center mounted brake light on the avatar is easiest to see.

 

[quadroplexor]

“Brake lights” is really a dated term these days. I like the 0.1g explanation above seems to align with my experience looking at the car lights on the display.

 

[frankvb]

“Brake lights” is really a dated term these days.

Agreed. And when driving a manual car (and even with some automatic transmissions) you can do quite a bit of engine braking by downshifting without the brake lights going on. The amount of engine braking depends a lot on the engine type though.

 

[Feathermerchan]

You can do engine braking with an automatic about as well as a manual these days. Amount of braking also depends on slope and vehicle weight.

 

[jummer]

I was actually wondering about this today as I have only had the car under a week and have been 'one pedal driving' - I finally noticed that the car image on the screen lights up the 'brake lights' as Feathermerchan said when I decelerate or hold - it was definitely comforting.

 

[DanDi58]

When I drove the Polestar 2 last week I specifically asked about this. The response was that if the car is decelerating at a rate that might be quicker than 'normal', the brake lights will come on. They don't automatically light up when you remove your foot from the accelerator. Sounds like the same is true for the Tesla (and, as noted, they should be visible on the avatar).

 

[acoburn73]

Reviving an old thread as it was the only one that came up with a search about brake lights and avatar visualization (yes, I'm new around here, but been reading for 2+ years).

Just picked up our second Tesla, a '21 Model Y LR (we bought our first Model S a few years ago). Have noticed variation in the brake light visualization in the avatar during both regen, hold and even brake pedaling. Sometimes it's on, sometimes it flickers on then off, and many times it never shows on the avatar. Wondering if this is a service concern before I put in a ticket, or normal for the Y? Our MS is clearly on or off and never displays this behavior.

 

[acoburn73]

Disregard my above inquiry. Found an entire couple of threads on this same topic. Apparently, editing or deleting posts is not something new members can do until they have a certain post count...