# One pedal driving



## JML (Jul 26, 2018)

In all the reviews and discussions of Tesla cars people talk about one pedal driving and disabling creep for a true one pedal driving experience. I always imagined this meant that regen would slow the car to a complete stop, where the brakes or resistance in the motor would then hold the car still until the throttle was pressed again. Perhaps the Leaf or some other car works like that and I assumed the Model 3 would, too. Mine does not. I still need to use the brakes to bring the car to a complete stop. Is that how it's supposed to be?

I guess the other way of saying all of that is, I can modulate the throttle and use regen to slow down, but at about 10-5 MPH regen stops working and I need to use the brakes to come to a complete stop. Is that all that's meant by one pedal driving? The car is set to normal regen, and creep is disabled. Is this how everyone's Model 3 works?

If that's how it's supposed to work, then it doesn't seem too much different than my old method of downshifting a manual and using engine braking to slow down. Of course, with way less rev matching, and a relaxed left foot.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

That's normal. You can also do that in low regen mode to save your brakes for when you actually want to stop.


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## Love (Sep 13, 2017)

JML said:


> In all the reviews and discussions of Tesla cars people talk about one pedal driving and disabling creep for a true one pedal driving experience. I always imagined this meant that regen would slow the car to a complete stop, where the brakes or resistance in the motor would then hold the car still until the throttle was pressed again. Perhaps the Leaf or some other car works like that and I assumed the Model 3 would, too. Mine does not. I still need to use the brakes to bring the car to a complete stop. Is that how it's supposed to be?
> 
> I guess the other way of saying all of that is, I can modulate the throttle and use regen to slow down, but at about 10-5 MPH regen stops working and I need to use the brakes to come to a complete stop. Is that all that's meant by one pedal driving? The car is set to normal regen, and creep is disabled. Is this how everyone's Model 3 works?
> 
> If that's how it's supposed to work, then it doesn't seem too much different than my old method of downshifting a manual and using engine braking to slow down. Of course, with way less rev matching, and a relaxed left foot.


You might be experiencing the limited regen due to temperatures. One thing is for sure, I use the brakes way more in the winter and really hate it when my regen is limited. I've grown so used to one pedal driving that doing without it is an adjustment. For example, on roads I frequent, I know exactly when to left off off the accelerator or disengage TACC to slow enough for the upcoming turn based on full regen, but with the cold temps I find I'm having to use the brakes even trying to time it way earlier (without cars behind me of course).


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Adding to this subject, I usually use low-regen mode. It's a nice balance, in city traffic, between allowing some coasting, and still getting enough regen close to stops to barely use the brakes at all.


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## JML (Jul 26, 2018)

Lovesword said:


> You might be experiencing the limited regen due to temperatures. One thing is for sure, I use the brakes way more in the winter and really hate it when my regen is limited. I've grown so used to one pedal driving that doing without it is an adjustment. For example, on roads I frequent, I know exactly when to left off off the accelerator or disengage TACC to slow enough for the upcoming turn based on full regen, but with the cold temps I find I'm having to use the brakes even trying to time it way earlier (without cars behind me of course).


I know exactly what you mean about the cold limited regen, and it is annoying. That isn't what I meant, though. Even when full regen is available, I still have to use the brakes below about 10 MPH to fully stop the car. I might be able to slow completely on regen to about 6 MPH, and then the car is pretty much coasting, and I need to use the brakes to come to a stop. If that's what is meant by one pedal driving, then that's fine; it's just a name, but isn't exactly what I expected.


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## JML (Jul 26, 2018)

JasonF said:


> Adding to this subject, I usually use low-regen mode. It's a nice balance, in city traffic, between allowing some coasting, and still getting enough regen close to stops to barely use the brakes at all.


Maybe other people's idea of "barely use the brakes" is different from mine. [Humble Brag] In my last car, I went over 125,000 miles on the original brakes, and they were still fine when I sold it, so my driving style isn't the type to be on the brakes too much, anyway. Of course, I use the brakes much more in my non-Tesla car with an automatic transmission than I do in the Tesla.


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## kort677 (Sep 17, 2018)

one pedal driving is a just a skill that needs time to get just right. sometimes full regen can be very harsh trying less regen will increase brake usage.


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## Love (Sep 13, 2017)

JML said:


> I know exactly what you mean about the cold limited regen, and it is annoying. That isn't what I meant, though. Even when full regen is available, I still have to use the brakes below about 10 MPH to fully stop the car. I might be able to slow completely on regen to about 6 MPH, and then the car is pretty much coasting, and I need to use the brakes to come to a stop. If that's what is meant by one pedal driving, then that's fine; it's just a name, but isn't exactly what I expected.


Ah ok, yep I believe I still have to use my brakes to do a full stop too even with full regen. Thank you for the follow up/answer to my reply.


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## JML (Jul 26, 2018)

kort677 said:


> one pedal driving is a just a skill that needs time to get just right. sometimes full regen can be very harsh trying less regen will increase brake usage.


Yeah, for me though, the initial slow down on regen didn't take that long to smooth out. Just lift less. My trouble was that I'd stop past the point I intended, because regen disappears somewhere below 10 MPH. It took a bit of learning to get used to when I had to switch to the brakes to continue slowing down. For reasons, my wife was unable to drive the car for the first six weeks or so we had it. Once she did start driving it, I noticed she went through the exact same learning pattern---she was fine with regen from say 45 to 5, and then the car would roll past the intended stop point, and she'd get on the brakes abruptly at that point, the same as I did.


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## kort677 (Sep 17, 2018)

JML said:


> Yeah, for me though, the initial slow down on regen didn't take that long to smooth out. Just lift less. My trouble was that I'd stop past the point I intended, because regen disappears somewhere below 10 MPH. It took a bit of learning to get used to when I had to switch to the brakes to continue slowing down. For reasons, my wife was unable to drive the car for the first six weeks or so we had it. Once she did start driving it, I noticed she went through the exact same learning pattern---she was fine with regen from say 45 to 5, and then the car would roll past the intended stop point, and she'd get on the brakes abruptly at that point, the same as I did.


roll past the intended stop point? simple fix, use the brake! for me the toughest thing is that the regen slows the car too much and I need to give it a "push" to get it to the stopped traffic


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## roguenode (May 31, 2017)

It's not true one-pedal like the Bolt when on max regen for example. You do need to press the brake for the last bit or at least let it very slowly come to a stop. That reminds me I've been meaning to see if track mode's increased regen resulted in true one-pedal driving.

Edit: Track mode's increased regen does not result in one-pedal driving.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

JML said:


> In all the reviews and discussions of Tesla cars people talk about one pedal driving and disabling creep for a true one pedal driving experience. I always imagined this meant that regen would slow the car to a complete stop, where the brakes or resistance in the motor would then hold the car still until the throttle was pressed again. Perhaps the Leaf or some other car works like that and I assumed the Model 3 would, too. Mine does not. I still need to use the brakes to bring the car to a complete stop. Is that how it's supposed to be?
> 
> I guess the other way of saying all of that is, I can modulate the throttle and use regen to slow down, but at about 10-5 MPH regen stops working and I need to use the brakes to come to a complete stop. Is that all that's meant by one pedal driving? The car is set to normal regen, and creep is disabled. Is this how everyone's Model 3 works?
> 
> If that's how it's supposed to work, then it doesn't seem too much different than my old method of downshifting a manual and using engine braking to slow down. Of course, with way less rev matching, and a relaxed left foot.


You should not consider Tesla's accelerator function a one-pedal experience. It may come close, but it isn't one pedal.

The 2018 Leaf does indeed provide one-pedal functionality in that it will apply the brakes and come to a full stop. The brakes are only needed if accelerated braking is required. The Leaf will stop, even on a downhill, it functions very much like the Tesla does on autopilot.


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## JML (Jul 26, 2018)

Ed Woodrick said:


> You should not consider Tesla's accelerator function a one-pedal experience. It may come close, but it isn't one pedal.
> 
> The 2018 Leaf does indeed provide one-pedal functionality in that it will apply the brakes and come to a full stop. The brakes are only needed if accelerated braking is required. The Leaf will stop, even on a downhill, it functions very much like the Tesla does on autopilot.


Thanks, this is the answer I was trying to get at. After seeing yet another review of the Model 3 highlighting one pedal driving, I was seriously wondering if something was wrong with my car, because I can't actually one pedal drive it. I can two or zero pedal drive it, because I still need the brake for that last little bit.

When explaining it to people, I always describe it as feeling like a manual that's always in first gear. A bit of throttle makes it accelerate hard, and lifting makes it slow down hard.


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## Kizzy (Jul 25, 2016)

It can be called one pedal driving on a Tesla if you don't need to come to a complete stop. 

I think one justification for this behavior (not using regen/one pedal driving to zero) I've seen is to enforce use of the brakes to keep the discs from rusting (is regen to zero actually possible?). The other is that blending friction brakes with regen has sometimes been inconsistent with other car makers.


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## masto (Nov 11, 2018)

JML said:


> Thanks, this is the answer I was trying to get at. After seeing yet another review of the Model 3 highlighting one pedal driving, I was seriously wondering if something was wrong with my car, because I can't actually one pedal drive it. I can two or zero pedal drive it, because I still need the brake for that last little bit.


This initially struck me as odd because my previous experience with hybrids and EVs was to have regen and friction brakes combined by the computer. But after a while I've gotten used to it and the Tesla approach is starting to make sense from the standpoint that unless I apply the brake pedal, the brakes are not being applied. Or to look at it another way, I'm more aware of how much regen I'm getting based on how the car slows down when letting off the accelerator.

I think most other cars have introduced technology while trying to keep it as invisible as possible (as an early adopter, I often had to explain "yes, it has a battery, but you drive it just like a normal car"). Tesla is more willing to be unconventional, which may be off-putting to some but a lot of people buying these cars right now want to feel like they're in something special and futuristic.


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