NOT HAPPY with brake lamps in L mode.

[flamaest]

I confirmed what we already know that the brake lights will turn on during deceleration in L mode, but will turn off once the car reaches a stop, but I must be one of only a few people concerned with this.

Just last weekend, I was at a stoplight which had just turned green, but I had not yet started to move forward and noticed someone came at me screeching their tires because they realized too late I was actually not moving (yet). All this happened in less than 2 seconds.

The car behind me must have thought I was rolling forward because my brake light were off, given that I was one-pedal driving.

I quickly sped up to avoid a potential accident, but I can see how someone could get rear-ended because of the brake light turning off when the cars stops all the way; or in heavy stop and go traffic.

 

[user 387]

Uh, just step on the brake when you are stopped. There is no regen penalty for that.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I've been riding electric scooters for 15+ years, and it wouldn't occur to me to just not use the brakes, especially in traffic, even with heavy regen. Some driving habits need to stay the same!

 

[phil0909]

Some driving habits need to stay the same!

Or, they could change if the car properly supported it - thru reliably stopping the car with regen, and leaving the brake light lit as appropriate.

 

[dandrewk]

I have zero concerns here, and do not want Chevy to change anything.

I don't know about anyone else, but I have a lifetime of driving where keeping your foot on the brake at a stop light/stop sign is required. It's beyond me why anyone would think EVs are any different.

Perhaps you should drive in D mode instead of using L mode to come to a complete stop.

 

[flamaest]

Perhaps, yes. However, Chevy clearly sells this as one-pedal-driving which means one pedal. Not two pedals.

 

[dan2112]

I drive in L almost all the time and I make sure to hit the brake when fully stopped. Just habit when I learned to drive many moons ago - always have your foot on the brake. Would I like the brake light on the whole way to stop - yes. Do I think it's a problem - not really but I understand the concern. I don't know what other one-footed driving cars (i3 and Tesla) do when the car come to a complete stop while one-footing.

 

[phil0909]

It's beyond me why anyone would think EVs are any different.

Then you really need to get out more. This is extremely close-minded.

EVs are actually different, in many ways. Is it really inconceivable that they could differ in one more way?"

 

[Anonymous]

Some driving habits need to stay the same!

Or, they could change if the car properly supported it - thru reliably stopping the car with regen, and leaving the brake light lit as appropriate.

It is very simple: if you are stopped and the brake lights are lit, you are telling the world that your foot is on the brake. Anything else is misleading!

 

[SeanNelson]

I drive in L almost all the time and I make sure to hit the brake when fully stopped. Just habit when I learned to drive many moons ago - always have your foot on the brake.

It's important to do this not only to light up the brake lights, but also to keep your muscle memory for the brakes intact. If you never, ever hit the brake pedal then what's going to happen when you really need to?

 

[EldRick]

In any ICE car with manual transmission, the brake lights may not be on when stopped anyway, if the driver is foolish enough not to keep a foot on the brake when stopped.
Think about this - do you really want to roll out into the middle of an intersection if someone hits you from behind while you are waiting at an intersection?
Not using the brake pedal when stopped is simply st**id!

 

[SparkE]

In any ICE car with manual transmission, the brake lights may not be on when stopped anyway, if the driver is foolish enough not to keep a foot on the brake when stopped.
Think about this - do you really want to roll out into the middle of an intersection if someone hits you from behind while you are waiting at an intersection?
Not using the brake pedal when stopped is simply st**id!

I *have* been hit from behind when stopped at a light. Of course my foot was on the brake, or I would have ended up in the intersection and T-boned at about 40 mph by the cross-traffic. I was driving a '66 VW bus at the time, and would most likely have been seriously hurt.

 

[phil0909]

I don't have strong feelings on this issue, one way or the other. I suppose the best design would be an automated version of the "hold" feature that's been available for years on Mercedes, and I think other makes. I.e., if you stop in L, the Bolt would automatically apply brakes and illuminate the brake lights, until you depress the accelerator. I infer that's the type of solution our OP would favor. Apparently some pretty competent auto makers (and their attorneys) have also concluded that the world doesn't come to an end just because you can sit at a stop light without pressing the brake pedal for the duration.

So, the Bolt approach seems less than perfect, but I can't really get excited about the dangers involved. It's difficult to envision how the absence of brake light illumination leads to any significant risk of high-speed collisions. Very rare 5-mph fender benders? Sure - there's an idiot driver born every minute. But real danger to a passenger, driver, or pedestrian? I'm not seeing it.

Since I got the Bolt, I have generally driven one-footed, and usually have not braked at stop lights or in stopped traffic. No accidents so far...

 

[Wookie]

I would say L mode would probably not hold you very well, should you be rear-ended.

Solution seems obvious to me. Foot on brakes when stopped.

1 - Brake lights stay on.
2 - You won't get pushed into the path of travel of the dump truck becoming a pancake.

 

[EldRick]

and #3 - Your reactions will remain trained for the occasional times when you have to drive a non-EV, so you and others won't die because you thought the car would stop when you lifted off the accelerator and frantically tapped the back of the steering wheel.

 

[phil0909]

Solution seems obvious to me. Foot on brakes when stopped.

That solution is obvious to everyone. There's also another, more automated solution that has been adopted by Mercedes, Volvo, Kia, Porsche, Subaru, and others. The car puts its virtual foot on the brakes when stopped.

 

[phil0909]

and #3 - Your reactions will remain trained for the occasional times when you have to drive a non-EV, so you and others won't die because you thought the car would stop when you lifted off the accelerator and frantically tapped the back of the steering wheel.

Eldrick, I recommend you should not drive a standard transmission, just in case you occasionally have to drive an automatic. Your reactions will not be trained, and you might kill someone while frantically stomping on a clutch that isn't there.

Also, it would be safer if you don't drive an automatic. You know, just in case someday you have to drive a stick.

Cars change, and so do their controls and safety requirements. You can insist on continuing to drive like it's the 1950's, but progress marches on.

 

[IMAdolt]

Solution seems obvious to me. Foot on brakes when stopped.

That solution is obvious to everyone. There's also another, more automated solution that has been adopted by Mercedes, Volvo, Kia, Porsche, Subaru, and others. The car puts its virtual foot on the brakes when stopped.

It doesn't seem like the OP is complaining that the car needs an automated brake feature, either he/she want's the brake lights lit up when the brakes are not applied (which is horse **** and dangerous) or incorrectly believes the brakes are being applied but not lit up, if that's a feature of the car fine, or if someone want's to complain about it not being a feature the car should have OK fine, but to tell the world you're braking when you're not makes no sense.

The car forcing you to apply the brakes to stay safe in the absence of an automated braking system is a good thing.

 

[dandrewk]

It's beyond me why anyone would think EVs are any different.

Then you really need to get out more. This is extremely close-minded.

EVs are actually different, in many ways. Is it really inconceivable that they could differ in one more way?"

Keeping with the topic and not falling into your condescending straw man mode, safe car operation has ALWAYS required keeping foot on brake pedal while stopped. -IN THIS RESPECT- (yelling so you can actually hear what I'm saying), ICE and EV cars are NO different.

And sorry, I don't see the need for an automaker to hold our hands every step of the way. At some point, it's up to the driver to operate the car safely.

 

[SeanNelson]

Eldrick, I recommend you should not drive a standard transmission, just in case you occasionally have to drive an automatic.

There's a big difference between driving a car that doesn't even have a pedal vs. one that has a pedal that you need to use in an emergency which, by driving in a particular manner, you train yourself not to use.

If automatics had a third pedal that you only had to use for emergency braking because the regular brake pedal didn't provide enough stopping power then I think those automatics would be involved in significantly more accidents.