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One Pedal Driving - did it get more aggressive?

10K views 43 replies 20 participants last post by  SeattleCat 
#1 ·
Hello friends!

We were very fortunate to pick up our XC40 yesterday and are working our way through all other configurations. However, we quickly noticed that the One Pedal Driving seems much more aggressive than it did on the models (yes more than one) that we test drove.

Ours has the heat pump, that is the only difference to the models that we test drove.

Has anyone else noticed a change since the software updates?
Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Hello friends!

We were very fortunate to pick up our XC40 yesterday and are working our way through all other configurations. However, we quickly noticed that the One Pedal Driving seems much more aggressive than it did on the models (yes more than one) that we test drove.

Ours has the heat pump, that is the only difference to the models that we test drove.

Has anyone else noticed a change since the software updates?
Thanks!
No change since the software update. But I’ll say it’s easy to get used to it. Just be careful switching to another car. How quick you can forget a “normal“ car.
 
#3 ·
A reviewer ( cannot remember which ) said you can set the aggressiveness of the one pedal. Not sure if this is true but ...

I did notice when I test drove a P8 last week that it was more aggressive than when I test drove one a month before ( different p8 though ).

I have also noticed that most reviewers say that you only regen in one pedal which as far as I know is not true and that the break pedal blends regen and pads.

I loved one pedal. Cannot wait for my car to make the last 35 miles from the port so I can use it all :)
 
#9 ·
I'm a senior and quickly gave up on the OPD. It not only doesn't feel normal, it requires you to keep pressing on the pedal all the time. I do a lot of coasting up to stop lights, etc. My glute would get real tired real fast with OPD. The car does regen with the normal mode. You can switch to that in Settings. Just look at the gauge on the right side of the drive's display. It shows direction and amount of current from the battery. When the color swishes down, it's regenerating, when going up, it's taking power. Even when braking it's mostly just regenerating, not using the brake pads.
 
#12 ·
Efficiency should be the same, OPD or not.
I'm not so sure about that, and would love to hear from someone who either has real expertise or knowledge on this topic (which would NOT be me-my nerdiness mostly covers history). My general recall based on high school physics would be that any time you try to convert energy (like applying regen brakes), you are going to end up using up some of that energy. The ideal from an efficiency perspective would be that once you get moving as much of that energy as possible goes into moving the vehicle forward. So use your brakes as little as possible and you allow things like wind resistance and friction (axle, wheels, tires on road) to slow you down as much as possible. I would THINK (but don't KNOW) that the ideal would be to use two pedal, but you would need to drive very self-consciously and make sure to lay off the accelerator as far ahead of a stop as possible and apply the brake lightly and gradually. Of course, it's more than possible that OPD would be the same (or maybe even better?) for a driver who is not obsessive. I'm really very curious about this - briefly tried looking the topic up a few months back and didn't find anything. Anyone have anything to add?
 
#42 ·
I was very skeptical about OPD when the dealer told me about it. But in less than a day I got used to it. It’s like driving a golf cart with a **** of a lot more horsepower. I have a feeling I am going to get more speeding tickets in the car – I haven’t had one in over 10 years, but this car just goes.
 
#16 ·
I was playing with the one-pedal-drive today in stop-and-go freeway traffic. It does take some getting used to because of how aggressively it brakes, but if you are real gentle on letting off of the accelerator it doesn't jerk you around. Not sure yet that I want to use it. But, I have a question: in OPD, if you let off the accelerator completely and the car brakes dramatically - do the brake lights come on? If not, what warns the car behind you that you are rapidly decelleratiing?
 
#17 ·
From what I have read the break light comes on any time the OPD is decelerating you which makes sense.

I think if someone redesigned all cars now they would have a sensor which detects deceleration and deployed the break lights.
 
#19 ·
Speaking from experience from our i3s, the brake lights only come on once a certain g in deceleration is achieved. It's not a huge amount, but if you blend regen with a bit of throttle to coast down to a lower speed you don't get them lighting up. I would assume the volvo has a similar system. In essence it makes people not think you only just passed your test and are always on the brakes!!
 
#20 ·
When I first heard about one pedal I thought how cool then I realized that we already had one pedal when driving slowly in say an indoor car park using the break and an automatic ICE’s natural urge to accelerate.

How is the same slow driving experience with one pedal? As it is the exact opposite of how it used to be is it as safe?

A shame there is not a one pedal (using the break pedal) slow speed mode to simulate the old way of doing it.
 
#21 ·
I find OPD great for parking lots, city driving, and even the highway.

Parking lots take some getting used to, because you no longer rely on the car moving without touching the accelerator. Putting the car in reverse your car will just sit there instead of backing up on its own. Feathering the throttle takes a little bit of getting used to, but honestly after a day of doing it, it's so natural already. I find it's less stress on my feet/ankle, as I used to get sore ankles after long stints of driving and constantly pivoting between brake and gas.

As for the physics aspect, whether your use OPD or two pedals doesn't change how much energy the car is using for the same driving style. You can coast on both, and coasting in both cases requires a little bit of energy if you're going in a straight line. The only difference is with OPD you're actively pressing the throttle down, but without it the car is generating that energy for you when you lift off so it 'feels' like ICE cars. No different than if you put your cruise on 100 and took your foot off the pedal.
 
#22 ·
I find OPD great for parking lots, city driving, and even the highway.

Parking lots take some getting used to, because you no longer rely on the car moving without touching the accelerator. Putting the car in reverse your car will just sit there instead of backing up on its own. Feathering the throttle takes a little bit of getting used to, but honestly after a day of doing it, it's so natural already. I find it's less stress on my feet/ankle, as I used to get sore ankles after long stints of driving and constantly pivoting between brake and gas.

As for the physics aspect, whether your use OPD or two pedals doesn't change how much energy the car is using for the same driving style. You can coast on both, and coasting in both cases requires a little bit of energy if you're going in a straight line. The only difference is with OPD you're actively pressing the throttle down, but without it the car is generating that energy for you when you lift off so it 'feels' like ICE cars. No different than if you put your cruise on 100 and took your foot off the pedal.
Does anyone know if you can switch from OPD to the regular mode while the car is moving or do you have to stop the vehicle? I think my very hilly neighborhood in the foothills west of Denver will be ideal for OPD but pretty much everywhere I go once I leave the neighborhood requires at least an exit or two on the interstate where Volvo does not recommend OPD.
 
#26 ·
I am so excited about adaptive cruise control. It is part of the energy saving equation. I will not be using it when I am in a “zippy” mode but when playing how small a number can I get the use per hour down to it will be my friend.

and yes you can change pedal mode whilst driving :) I changed it 4 or 5 times in my test drive. Even after 2 test drives I fell in love with one pedal. Now we are fully vaccinated I re started going to the gym (after a year of hiding) and the ankles are definitely looking forward to one pedal mode as that rotation to hit break pedal ouchies :p.
 
#27 ·
A huge generalization, but Americans are really bad drivers, and getting worse over time by my observations (Colorado driving mostly). I'm convinced that one of the factors aside from texting/phone distractions is that more and more you don't really have to drive and be engaged in it. Automatic transmissions, cruise control, etc. So I'm not a fan of more automation.
 
#31 ·
Perhaps this should be in the off-topic section, but I have often wondered about this. Assuming that drivers are actually better elsewhere, Germany for example, perhaps it is that we do not adhere to most of the standards of driving that we were taught in drivers ed. Everybody does his own thing here, because we are independent-minded Americans (not that it is always bad). For example, passing on the right and going slow in the left lane. The rule actually exists against that behavior, but when has anybody been pulled over for it?
 
#28 ·
If you make the assumption that the drivers are bad then surely more automation is a great thing let alone a good thing. If some idiot is not paying attention as they are looking at their phone when I have to do an emergency stop due to an obstruction in the road then I want that person to have adaptive cruise control on so their car automatically breaks to a halt vs plows me.

I always drive in a hyper alert state. I always will. It did not change when I went from manual to automatic it will not change when I use Adaptive cruise control it will just be more efficient. Automation with the option for manual over ride is not only a good thing but it is the thing that is here and coming.
 
#29 ·
One pedal drive is just like driving a lawn tractor with Hydrostatic drive - push the go pedal and it goes - release the go pedal and the vehicle will slow to a stop fairly quickly so the best is to gradually release pressure on the go pedal so the vehicle slows the way you want it too.
 
#33 ·
Perhaps I’m getting used to OPD, but I’ve found it to be less aggressive than I expected. Unlike the MME, I believe the P8 does not feather in mechanical braking when using OPD until ”hard braking”. There are occasions when OPD does not apply enough braking force to stop (before a collision) and I have to apply the brake. I understand that the amount of regen is dependent on factors like SoC, speed (I.e., momentum), etc. TSLA has 3 settings for regen. It would be nice if the P8 had more settings for OPD than on/off.
 
#35 ·
Interesting. I found my P8 to be slightly more aggressive than my wife's Tesla Model 3. Some people might find even more aggressive regeneration to be difficult. VW doesn't have OPD at all, which is what directed me to the Volvo. I agree that choice is good, though.
 
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