Interesting ergonomic issue:
Building Energy Efficiency Research Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - PNNL
This weekend I test drove a Tesla. My thoughts on the experience. So Tesla made the decision to simplify the regen system by having the brake pedal only actuates the friction brakes, it doesn't do any regen/brake blending that many other hybrid, PHEV, and EVs do. As a result, regen can only be triggered using the accelerator pedal. As a consequence, efficient regen relies on the car being configured for max regen and using 1-pedal driving. Thus if you want to drive a newer Tesla, get used to single-pedal driving. My thoughts. 1. How has DMVs reacted to this very different car behavior as it applies to the driving test? I would subtract points to a candidate for not covering the brake when going through an intersection or other high crash risk situations. 2. I think people who get used to 1-pedal driving will forget the muscle memory of moving their foot over to the brake pedal to perform emergency braking when needed. Or not even develop this habit in the case of new drivers starting out with a Tesla. I think this is a safety problem, 1-pedal driving creates a group of drivers that don't cover the brake when approaching a potentially dangerous situation. Worse are drivers who get used to using full self driving. After the habit is built, will these drivers stay attentive enough to take over in an emergency situation? I'm thinking not. Thoughts on this?