> it doesn't slow down much when I release the accelerator.
This is mostly personal preference. I’d preferentially have auto-regenerative-braking entirely disabled - I’ve already internalized a driving style with efficient coasting where auto-regen wastes more energy.
I was a big coasting driver before having an EV. I will admit I miss it slightly for how it feels. However, I don't find this to be genuine. Regenerative braking wastes more energy? That doesn't really add up if you're doing it correctly.
Also, for every one of us coasting drivers there are many, many, many others that accelerate all the way to the light and slam on the breaks. I see it constantly and remember because it almost always slows down traffic.
Not regen braking per se, but the lack of ability to coast. Often it's optimally efficient to coast without any acceleration or braking before you brake.
i.e. Braking turns your kinetic energy into heat energy. Regenerative braking brings that penalty down by a lot (70%, or whatever), but efficiency-wise, you're still best off to minimize braking. (Insofar as minimizing braking isn't offset by travelling at a less efficient speed.)
To be clear, I'm not opposed to regenerative braking - I just don't like single-pedal driving.
Yes, it feels wasteful compared to my previous driving, in specific circumstances. I drove a manual transmission and made it a goal to not touch the brakes at all for red lights (given acceptable traffic conditions - sometimes people would just be annoyed or confused if I did it every time). I'd see the light from far back, understand its timing, and how many cars were stopped behind it and gauge when I should disengage the clutch and coast. It frequently worked out that I was arriving at the stopped car in front of me just as they were starting to move forward. It feels particularly satisfying not to lose all your momentum just to have to accelerate again from a dead stop.
Overall, however, regenerative braking probably is better given the conditions don't always allow for this game.
I think this is a solvable problem with a control alteration. There should be a zone right at the start of pushing down the accelerator pedal that is "don't brake without brake input, but don't accelerate"
For sure! I basically went directly from manual transmission to EV, so I was already accustomed to using the drivetrain to slow the vehicle when not accelerating. For me, one-pedal EV driving feels like a natural progression from the manual lifestyle.
This is mostly personal preference. I’d preferentially have auto-regenerative-braking entirely disabled - I’ve already internalized a driving style with efficient coasting where auto-regen wastes more energy.