Drive mode options

[JPWhite]

Exactly! I cannot understand why they would do something so unusual as adding a steering wheel paddle instead of just letting the driver adjust this in the settings? It's not like they don't already have many, many user adjustable settings and only getting more each year.

I'm looking forward to using paddles to adjust regen on the fly.

Settings are fine, I agree we need them, but changing settings on the fly isn't easy to do, the paddles are that adjustment.

I saw a test drive on YouTube to demo one pedal driving in the Bolt. Once the car was going slowly but still moving the driver was instructed to use a paddle and hold it in position to make the car stop by increasing the regen.

Other cars have regen paddles and the auto journalists are typically favorable toward them.

 

[ssspinball]

There are cars other than the second gen Volt have a regen paddle? As far as I'm aware this is a Chevy-only thing.

If they added a regen setting as Tesla and BMW already have, you could use the paddle as you wish, and I could continue to avoid it. But because there is no setting, only 1 of us will be happy and 1 of us may buy something else. I can't see how this outcome is better for Chevy.

 

[JPWhite]

There are cars other than the second gen Volt have a regen paddle? As far as I'm aware this is a Chevy-only thing.

If they added a regen setting as Tesla and BMW already have, you could use the paddle as you wish, and I could continue to avoid it. But because there is no setting, only 1 of us will be happy and 1 of us may buy something else. I can't see how this outcome is better for Chevy.

The Smart ED has regen paddles.
Outlander PHEV has regen paddles too.
Mercedes B class sports paddle shifters.

VW have used paddles on some of their prototypes. Golf Blue_E was one.

 

[Anonymous]

The Smart ED has regen paddles

As an option. I deliberately didn't get them. The paddles do not operate like the Volt, rather, the paddles switch the car into one of three regen profiles. Max regen, standard regen and restricted regen (coast).

Regardless of these paddles, the Smart ED switches regen profiles via a combined application of the accelerator and brake pedals. When max regen profile is selected, the regen is greater when no brake is applied, but once brake pedal is gently applied, the regen profile already moves to medium or max anyway. Personally, if I got the paddles, I would only select max regen profile immediately and never change it.

Tesla got it right IMHO, and I only wish the next Smart ED ships with aggressive regen as standard.

 

[ssspinball]

The Smart ED has regen paddles.

Just a mode change, as documented above. Not like the Volt.

Outlander PHEV has regen paddles too.

Interesting--This one might be closest to Volt. I read some posts from owners and it was difficult to tell exactly how it works but one thing that stood out was how confusing it was to these owners whether to use the paddle or not (many never used it at all!) and in what situations. There is zero confusion with one pedal driving as it's completely natural feeling.

Mercedes B class sports paddle shifters.

This one is also just a mode change. I've no problem with set-it-and-forget-it mode changes. In fact I thing that is a good solution where everyone wins and is able to use their preferred driving style. My problem is with the Volt style that requires using the paddle every single stop if you want to maximize regen.

 

[SeanNelson]

My problem is with the Volt style that requires using the paddle every single stop if you want to maximize regen.

Well no, it doesn't - just use the brake pedal. It'll use as much regen as you ask it do, and if you need to stop faster than the car is capable of doing using regen alone then it'll blend in the hydraulic brakes as well. Two birds, one stone.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I shift into neutral (by shifting into R above 7MPH) in our Leaf. The downside is having to shift back into D to either accelerate again, or to get regen.
.

Why select R in order to get to neutral?

Simply pull the puck towards you and hold for about 1 sec in a central position and the car shifts into neutral. It can also be done below 7mph which is handy for coasting downhill in nose to tail traffic at very slow speeds.

Holding it in N takes ~2s, and putting in R has no delay. If I am below 7MPH, I just feather the accelerator.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The Smart ED has regen paddles

As an option. I deliberately didn't get them. The paddles do not operate like the Volt, rather, the paddles switch the car into one of three regen profiles. Max regen, standard regen and restricted regen (coast).

Regardless of these paddles, the Smart ED switches regen profiles via a combined application of the accelerator and brake pedals. When max regen profile is selected, the regen is greater when no brake is applied, but once brake pedal is gently applied, the regen profile already moves to medium or max anyway. Personally, if I got the paddles, I would only select max regen profile immediately and never change it.

Tesla got it right IMHO, and I only wish the next Smart ED ships with aggressive regen as standard.

We almost got a Smart ED, and the regen paddles would have been a must have, for me. Coasting is my strong preference, to maximize the range.

I have not driven a Tesla. If it is like the i3, then I could live with it, but if it lacks the easy coasting position on the accelerator, then that would be a deal breaker. And Tesla has no regen on the brake pedal - which is wrong headed, in my opinion.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

Having regen is great, but why do we need to mimic ICE's?

Agree, which is why the i3 (and I believe Tesla) does not mimic ICE at all. It is trivial to coast in an i3 with no shifting needed. It sounds like the Bolt unfortunately was not designed this way and honestly this might be a dealbreaker for me after a test drive.

That being said, regen and much of the mimicking of ICE vehicles is controlled by software, and as such should be adjustable by the user to their preferences.

Exactly! I cannot understand why they would do something so unusual as adding a steering wheel paddle instead of just letting the driver adjust this in the settings? It's not like they don't already have many, many user adjustable settings and only getting more each year.

The VW e-Golf is set up ideally, in my opinion. The i3 is fine, but since it is so different from the way I have learned to ecodrive, I find it annoying.

 

[ssspinball]

My problem is with the Volt style that requires using the paddle every single stop if you want to maximize regen.

Well no, it doesn't - just use the brake pedal. It'll use as much regen as you ask it do, and if you need to stop faster than the car is capable of doing using regen alone then it'll blend in the hydraulic brakes as well. Two birds, one stone.

Very interesting--I did not know this. I would still far prefer one-pedal setup like i3/Tesla as that is the ultimate in simplicity of operation but this is at least better than I had thought previously.