First 9 Miles Driving Home From Dealer: Regrets? First Impressions: Things I Dislike, Not Sure What To Like.

[RayzorBEV]

Hmmm, My Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertuck will all come to a complete stop and engage hold if I lift my foot off the accelerator. No, they don't come to an immediate, throw the passengers forward stop, it's pretty much a normal, low G, stop.

Yeah, I have a Cyberbeast, a refreshed Model 3 Performance, a Model X Plaid, a R1T QM and a R1S QM, the Teslas all regen similarly and can come to a complete stop at low speed but at higher speed, you'll have to use brakes for a complete stop. The Rivian when set at high regen offer more slowing down power at higher speed. You just need to drive them back to back to appreciate what their differences are

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[Stuck4ger]

For the life of me I cannot figure out why some on this forum have such different views on what their Tesla does or can do.

 

[SCTesla]

For the life of me I cannot figure out why some on this forum have such different views is what their Tesla does or can do.

Older Teslas have different options and design. All Tesla since bout Jan 2021 have similar options outside of the legacy Model S/X models.

 

[Woodrick]

Yeah, I have a Cyberbeast, a refreshed Model 3 Performance, a Model X Plaid, a R1T QM and a R1S QM, the Teslas all regen similarly and can come to a complete stop at low speed but at higher speed, you'll have to use brakes for a complete stop. The Rivian when set at high regen offer more slowing down power at higher speed. You just need to drive them back to back to appreciate what their differences are

Are you really saying that if you let your foot off the accelerator, the vehicle will keep going forever?

Wait a sec, I thought that the setting was removed, but do you have rolling stop set? If so, that's why. (and it really has nothing to do with high speeds)

 

[Stuck4ger]

Older Teslas have different options and design. All Tesla since bout Jan 2021 have similar options outside of the legacy Model S/X models.

Yeah but what about such disparities between CT owners?!

 

[SCTesla]

Yeah but what about such disparities between CT owners?!

I don't think there are any. Rivian has much stronger regen. CT you need brakes at times because it's so large.

 

[TeslaFANa]

If you have an iphone don't use the chargers, they will cook your phone. Have to plug in power like it is 2004

And if you have a stick-on ring magnet like I do on my pixel it will heat up the magnet so much it'll burn your fingers, could even be a fire hazard in my opinion.

 

[Tringa2]

... it feels like it decelerates and stops faster than any of our Model 3s

We have a '21 Model Y Dual Motor and I think its regen is stronger than our AWD CT. I *like* the stronger regen and one pedal driving, so I'm hoping there will be a way to increase it on the CT.

... I don't think any EV can come to a complete stop without blending in a small amount of friction brakes once the speed reaches ~3 mph or so. Just a limitation of the motors at very slow speeds.

This is generally true, but I have several lightweight EV's (bikes, etc.) I've put together using BLDC (brushless DC) motors which are smaller (but otherwise similar to motors to those that Tesla uses) which will regen to a complete stop -- and hold that. It requires a 'direct drive' (non-geared) configuration coupled with a controller is which is programmed to backfeed a small amount of electricity into the motor at very low speeds. This allows the vehicle to be controlled to a dead stop and held without mechanical brakes.

The small amount of energy used for this approach is typically more than offset by the regen amount during normal use. It should be noted that all of these lighter weight vehicles *still* have mechanical braking systems for emergency use, and they must remain functional. So it boils down to an engineering choice vs a "physics is the law" kind of thing.

Tesla may have opted not to use the regen to a dead stop approach because -- as you noted -- the physical brakes do in fact benefit from occasional use, just to keep the rotors clean and the calipers from rusting shut.

 

[Cybertruck2024]

I agree here, as someone who has driven a number of EVs. As I've owned my CT for a few months, I've decided I like about 80% of what it does more than I liked my Lightning. The regen braking is one of the things Lightning did better though, it was more firm and confident feeling than the CT... ohhh and I miss that frunk so much!

 

[HaulingAss]

We have a '21 Model Y Dual Motor and I think its regen is stronger than our AWD CT. I *like* the stronger regen and one pedal driving, so I'm hoping there will be a way to increase it on the CT.



This is generally true, but I have several lightweight EV's (bikes, etc.) I've put together using BLDC (brushless DC) motors which are smaller (but otherwise similar to motors to those that Tesla uses) which will regen to a complete stop -- and hold that. It requires a 'direct drive' (non-geared) configuration coupled with a controller is which is programmed to backfeed a small amount of electricity into the motor at very low speeds. This allows the vehicle to be controlled to a dead stop and held without mechanical brakes.

The small amount of energy used for this approach is typically more than offset by the regen amount during normal use. It should be noted that all of these lighter weight vehicles *still* have mechanical braking systems for emergency use, and they must remain functional. So it boils down to an engineering choice vs a "physics is the law" kind of thing.

Tesla may have opted not to use the regen to a dead stop approach because -- as you noted -- the physical brakes do in fact benefit from occasional use, just to keep the rotors clean and the calipers from rusting shut.

Tesla is loathe to use battery power to come to a complete stop when the friction brakes are already there. And, no, the energy consumed is not really "offset" by the energy gained from regen braking because that energy is normally a net positive. Using it to brake the last little bit is far less efficient than regen braking followed by friction brakes (when at speeds so slow that electromagnetic braking would actually consume battery energy).

Most people don't understand how important efficiency is for the overall performance, range, price and handling of the vehicle. Which is one reason why Tesla can offer buyers so much more value without losing tens of thousands of dollars on every sale.

Poor efficiency compounds itself, because you need a heavier battery to achieve the same range. And then you need heavier tires, shocks and brakes to compensate for the heavier battery. And then you need more battery to compensate for the heavier-duty tires, brakes and shocks. And so on. Small gains in efficiency compound too, and make the vehicle more affordable, lighter, better handling, etc.

For those reasons I'm confident that Tesla does not spend battery power on braking. They only use electromagnetic braking when it's regenerative in nature (adds charge to the battery) or is neutral (neither charges or discharges the battery).

 

[pscalifornia]

First Tesla for me and my first time driving any EV and/or a Truck of any kind. Picked up mine yesterday and here is my first "9 miles impression".
Compared to my BMW 5 series, the road noise is excessive. Nowhere close to BMW in terms of luxury, fit, finishes, zippiness etc. The doors feel hollow to close; rattling noise around the steering column when over potholes. Comparable ride quality to my Lexus RXH though; just a little bit more road noise likely because of the tires and the fact it is a truck and not a family SUV.
Tech was something very hard to get used to for the first drive. Lane changes got me confused - should I look at the screen or the side mirror or the blind spot monitor?? I am used to rear view mirror + side mirror w/ blind spot on the side mirror..this will definetly take time to get used to. Steer by wire - amazing !! Sound system - out of this world. Range - not sure as it seems the usable range is 20-80% which only ~180 miles vs 350 miles on my gas cars. Regen braking - it's just alright - not a fan of the sudden slowdown unlike a smooth slowdown like in my rxh.
It is just a very different vehicle and experience - techy but not as luxurious. No regrets at all overall. I think I would still go for my BMW keys as a first choice and this would be the second car.

 

[HaulingAss]

First Tesla for me and my first time driving any EV and/or a Truck of any kind. Picked up mine yesterday and here is my first "9 miles impression".
Compared to my BMW 5 series, the road noise is excessive. Nowhere close to BMW in terms of luxury, fit, finishes, zippiness etc. The doors feel hollow to close; rattling noise around the steering column when over potholes. Comparable ride quality to my Lexus RXH though; just a little bit more road noise likely because of the tires and the fact it is a truck and not a family SUV.
Tech was something very hard to get used to for the first drive. Lane changes got me confused - should I look at the screen or the side mirror or the blind spot monitor?? I am used to rear view mirror + side mirror w/ blind spot on the side mirror..this will definetly take time to get used to. Steer by wire - amazing !! Sound system - out of this world. Range - not sure as it seems the usable range is 20-80% which only ~180 miles vs 350 miles on my gas cars. Regen braking - it's just alright - not a fan of the sudden slowdown unlike a smooth slowdown like in my rxh.
It is just a very different vehicle and experience - techy but not as luxurious. No regrets at all overall. I think I would still go for my BMW keys as a first choice and this would be the second car.

It looks like you are a person very accustomed to doing everything a certain way and you don't like change. That's OK, it's pretty common. You should always drive what you like.

BTW, you shouldn't have any rattles over potholes. I would make a service ticket to get that fixed. Or just sell it and get this oddball out of your life! Nobody ever said the Cybertruck was for everyone, especially those set in their ways who have never needed a full-sized pickup before.

 

[HaulingAss]

I don't think there are any. Rivian has much stronger regen. CT you need brakes at times because it's so large.

All EVs need friction brakes at times, that's why they have them. But I would suggest that if you regularly need to use friction brakes in the Cybertruck, you should look at how you're driving. You don't even need very good awareness or anticipation to only need to use friction brakes in an emergency.

I suspect my brake pads will last over 100,000 miles, just like in all of our other Tesla.

 

[HaulingAss]

For the life of me I cannot figure out why some on this forum have such different views on what their Tesla does or can do.

Because there are people spreading complete BS.

Specifically, the idea that a Tesla can't regen at high speeds is just ridiculous and incorrect. This can be easily confirmed by looking at the accel/regen graph always displayed at either the top left of the screen or in the left margin of the screen. Regen will always kick in when the accelerator pedal is released at any speed, on every Tesla, regardless of how you configure it. On many Tesla, you can configure the regen to be stronger or weaker, but it is always there (until your reach 3 or 4 mph).

On icy roads every Tesla will reduce regen after detecting tire slippage, but I've never seen it go away completely, even in icy conditions.

 

[pscalifornia]

It looks like you are a person very accustomed to doing everything a certain way and you don't like change. That's OK, it's pretty common. You should always drive what you like.

BTW, you shouldn't have any rattles over potholes. I would make a service ticket to get that fixed. Or just sell it and get this oddball out of your life! Nobody ever said the Cybertruck was for everyone, especially those set in their ways who have never needed a full-sized pickup before.

lol.. keep your judgment to yourself, please. If I need an opinion I'll ask!

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