Regenerative braking - revisited

[Dark-Fx]

or maybe just more self aware?

How do you prevent the bucking when you hit bumps? Maybe you aren’t driving in sport?

I don't have that problem at all in either of my vehicles. Sport or not. My foot is not being pushed into or away from the accelerator. Maybe people are driving with their foot too high up on the throttle or something?

There was only one single spot on my commute in sport+lowest+stiff early on that would do it if I wasn't paying attention. I could mitigate it otherwise, but Rivian has since eliminated that behavior from my truck in software updates (consecutive big seams in the pavement spaced out just right to make the truck porpoise seriously bad in sport+lowest)

I drive very differently when I have passengers and am much more careful about how rapidly I change how much I am pressing down or pulling off the throttle. It's probably the biggest contributor to people saying their passengers get carsick, they are just making changes too fast.

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[COdogman]

Unless you have a manual transmission or put your auto in neutral you aren’t exactly coasting. Whatever gear you were in slows you down either a lot or a little if you just lift off the accelerator.

One pedal driving is honestly one of my favorite things about my Rivian. By the time I got home on delivery day I felt like I had it mastered. I can’t imagine not having it now!

 

[Zoidz]

I agree on the motion sickness issues. I have an adult daughter that suffers from it, and she really dislikes riding in the Rivian. But then she isn't a fan of the way I drive period, so that is a contributor too.

 

[md2023]

It's not about getting use to it. It's about gaining more range on the highway driving.

High energy recover does not equal high energy efficiency.

Edit: added more

I've been driving Tesla for almost 6 yrs and Rivian for 2 months. I can feather the throttle and moderate the amount of regen but it always on.

Try backing up slowly out of your garage or driveway. How about moving up just few inches? The ability to roll is underrated at all speeds.

That's fair for your preferences, but it is/was about getting used to it for me in terms of drive preferences. I slowly pull in and back out of an extremely tight garage daily and prefer (to my wife's car without it) it now that I am used to it. Like I said, I think it's a matter of taste.
I sympathize with others re: motion sickness. As I got better at controlling the pedal it improved for my wife. Hope it does for you and yours as well.

 

[R1Tom]

That is how she says I drive! She grew up with me driving her around to sports, etc... always in manual transmission cars. I learned how to manage those shifts to almost impercievable levels....to avoid the rath of a grade school daughter.

 

[Thedude]

If you ride motorcycles, ATVs or snowmobiles then the Rivian one pedal should come naturally. Just like with those machines you modulate the throttle constantly to maintain, decrease or increase speed and really only let off the throttle fully when you want to come to a complete stop quickly.

 

[MidnightRivian]

If you know how to drive a manual, one pedal driving is extremely easy to get use to.

Learn to feather the gas like you did with the clutch and you will have a smooth driving experience with your Rivian.

I love one pedal driving and have no problem at all with high regen or standard regen on the R1S.

I love high regen with sport / lowest setting. It's a blast to drive her hard and let her loose.

 

[Iamwiz82]

The brake regen was the first thing I noticed when test driving the truck. Now jumping in my Tesla after a few days and I forget how weak Tesla is comparatively. I like how Rivian has implemented it, personally.

 

[jjwolf120]

The question I would ask is how many of the people who don't like the regenerative breaking have driven a manual transmission extensively? I think driving the Rivian is very similar to driving with a manual transmission. It took me a very short time to adjust.

 

[usulio]

I love one-pedal driving. But not all the time.

• I do have the problem of bumpy roads causing a bumpy right foot causing a bumpy ride causing a bumpy right foot...
• "Idling" and controlling speed with just the brake is nice sometimes including garages, parking lots, some off road situations
• We should be able to turn off regen in snowy situations.

I wonder if the person is right who said the hardware might not allow for completely turning off regen. I don't understand enough about how it works but it seems like if the axle is just spinning free, that will be generating current in the motor which would cause a braking force.

 

[zefram47]

The only way I'd be even remotely okay with this is if they added a hardware paddle to get full regen like Chevy did with the Bolt. But having had an EV that blended regen onto the brake pedal I can say I *hate* that mode of driving. All Rivian really needs to do is tweak the throttle mapping or better yet give us a few different profiles to choose from while still giving access to the maximum amount of regen. The way they've done it you can hit the brake pedal and know 100% it will behave the same way *every* time because it's only the friction brakes. My MINI Cooper SE behaved the same way and I loved it.

 

[zefram47]

The question I would ask is how many of the people who don't like the regenerative breaking have driven a manual transmission extensively? I think driving the Rivian is very similar to driving with a manual transmission. It took me a very short time to adjust.

This. My second vehicle is a manual and it takes very little mental energy to switch between the two.

 

[RayzorBEV]

After 2 Teslas, a Polestar and 3 Rivian, I like how Rivian implemented their regens the most. It just feels the most like true 1 pedal driving most of the time. I also noticed a difference in regen feel depending on wheel sizes. I've driven 20's, 21's and 22's and the 22's regen feels the most like Teslas which I don't particularly like.

 

[Riv303]

I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the excellent driving experience the Riv provides during extended, or multiple alternating, hill descents. Depending on the degree of incline and road variables, the regen settings make it superbly enjoyable whether looking to just relax and cruise down long inclines, or effortlessly attack switchbacks. The mileage regen is an added extra bonus. I can’t imagine having an EV where you’d have to feather the brake constantly like an ICE to get the same effect… I have to believe the engineers had this scenario in mind when designing as they did.

 

[usulio]

I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the excellent driving experience the Riv provides during extended, or multiple alternating, hill descents. Depending on the degree of incline and road variables, the regen settings make it superbly enjoyable whether looking to just relax and cruise down long inclines, or effortlessly attack switchbacks. The mileage regen is an added extra bonus. I can’t imagine having an EV where you’d have to feather the brake constantly like an ICE to get the same effect… I have to believe the engineers had this scenario in mind when designing as they did.

Yeah in that scenario the Rivian one pedal driving is absolutely fantastic. Just not in every scenario.

The way they've done it you can hit the brake pedal and know 100% it will behave the same way *every* time because it's only the friction brakes.

Well not really because it depends how much regen is also being applied at the time. This matters since the main time I use the friction brakes is when limited regen is on and the limiter is always a different level each time.

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