Electric and hybrid cars are changing the prospect of the automotive industries with energy-efficient and environment friendly driving. One-pedal driving in electric cars is often advertised as a key selling point for these vehicles as it uses the regenerative braking technology to charge the batteries and decelerate the car simultaneously.
When we apply conventional brakes in a regular vehicle, the mechanical force slows down the car. Braking usually results in friction and produces heat as a form of energy. Where such energy is wasted in traditional cars, electric motors can use this energy to serve another purpose. Therefore, in addition to other electric car companies, Tesla One-pedal driving is becoming quite popular.
One-pedal Driving
One-pedal driving means exactly what the name says, instead of using the brake pedal, you rely on the throttle pedal to drive and stop the car. Of course, in case of emergency, using hydraulic brake pedals becomes a necessity. In most cases, vehicles are equipped with controls to activate or deactivate single pedal driving as per user desire.
To understand how One-pedal driving works, let’s delve a bit into regenerative braking.
Regenerative Braking
One of the major benefits of hybrid cars as well as electric vehicles, the goal of regenerative braking to extend the battery life of these vehicles. The powertrain of such vehicles feature one or more electric motors that use electric energy from the battery to accelerate.
Apart from driving the wheels, these electric motors can be reversed to act as generators. In a regenerative braking system, when you remove pressure from the throttle pedal or apply brakes, the ECU cuts off the power from the electric motor. This activates the motor generators to use the rotation of the drive shaft to generate energy.
This conversion of kinetic energy to electric energy is stored back to battery packs, hence the term regenerative braking. Additionally, as the motors become generators to create energy, the motor’s magnetic resistance creates a braking force to slow down the vehicle.
This led to popularity of One-pedal driving as application of brakes is not required under regular conditions.
One-pedal Driving and Conventional Braking
The conventional brakes work regularly when One-pedal driving is active. As the deceleration is gradual, you might need regular brakes to stop the car in case of emergency. During One-pedal driving, when the car decelerates, it activates the rear brake lights to warn the other cars at the rear.
Regenerative braking may take some time to get used to. It feels just like shifting to lower gear in a manual transmission car to reduce speed. However, the gradual pace of deceleration to stop is usually smooth enough for drivers to become comfortable easily.
Various manufacturers offer options to adjust the power of regenerative braking. This allows users to set the aggressiveness of deceleration based on their comfortability.
There is debate about the capability of One-pedal driving in dealing with slippery roads. Since the regenerative braking is usually applied to two front wheels, on wet or slippery roads, the ECU can detect wheel slip to use all four wheels to apply brakes.
Benefits of One-pedal Driving
Getting used to One-pedal driving may take time but it has various benefits. Since you won’t be using vehicle brakes, it reduces the maintenance and replacement cost of braking components. Additionally brake pads will last a lot longer than a conventional vehicle.
Additionally, the driving style will also suit the people who are not yet able to brake smoothly. Inexperienced drivers can cause jerks when applying brakes. Whereas braking with One pedal driving feels smoother as it gradually brings wheels to halt.
In scenarios like traffic jams or a long drive, One pedal driving can come in handy as it is far more convenient. Conventional driving requires moving your foot around to control throttle and brakes whereas less movement is required with single pedal driving. Now that you know the difference between One-pedal and conventional driving, also check out the comparison between hybrid vs electric cars for better understanding.
To experience the convenience of One pedal cars, explore used cars for sale to find some good deals on electric cars. Check out these popular models for single pedal driving:
However, if One-pedaling is not necessarily a priority for you, check out this wide collection of used cars in the UAE to find what you are looking for.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blogs for more information on car parts, market trends and automotive technology.
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