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BMW ActiveE review makes it sound as if BMW invented assertive regen braking

26K views 10 replies 11 participants last post by  Kacey Green 
#1 ·
Here is a new review of the BMW ActiveE by Bradley Berman in the New York Times. The reviewer is a Leaf owner and makes some comparisons. The accompanying photos show a couple of interesting shots, one of the front seat back resting against the front of the rear seat showing that the car is really only a 2 seat vehicle. Another showing the minimal trunk space. A third showing a "stop safely now" type of error message on the dashboard. There are some other photos of the car exterior and its special graphics touting its electric drive system.

The comments on the aggressive regen are certainly not news to the legions of Volt and hybrid drivers who routinely drive in L. It sounds as if the BMW regen is more aggressive than the regen on his Leaf because he seems too marvel at the ability to perform "one foot driving". I wish that the manufacturers could agree on a standard methodology to indicate the degree of regenerative braking that you are selecting when you pick a "gear". Even better would be the ability to choose the amount of regen braking within a certain range. Here is the URL and a quote.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/automobiles/taking-a-spin-in-an-electric-bmw-activee.html?_r=1&hpw

"The most remarkable feature carried over from the Mini E to the ActiveE is the very assertive regenerative braking, which applies strong deceleration as soon as you lift your foot off the accelerator. I drove the ActiveE down Marin Avenue, the steepest street in the Berkeley hills. Without my touching either pedal, the ActiveE slowly glided down the incline to 20 m.p.h. and eased to a crawl — as if in an ultralow “granny gear.” Imagine that same sub-first-gear feel applied on flat roads as soon as you lift your foot, bringing the car from 40 m.p.h. to a stop in about four seconds."
 
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#2 ·
#3 ·
The great thing is that having BMW in the EV space both validates the space and moves it forward. One funny thing is that I know a guy who said he wanted to get one because it would be "a rocket". He seemed rather disappointed when I pointed out that the Volt and even the Leaf would be faster. Nameplates do matter! :p
 
#4 ·
“To one degree or another, you’ll see plugs cascade throughout the entire BMW line,” said Mr. Steinberg, the company’s electric vehicle manager.

Resistance is futile, we are the Borg.
 
#6 · (Edited)
M conversion car has a 4 position rotary switch for just that, the AC motor controller with this feature is a 10 year old design.

Plus it has a brake light output that can either turn on the standard brake lights, or, as I am currently working on, light up a secondary light. Mine will say "REGEN BRAKING" in 2" LED's when I'm done.
 
#7 ·
I'm very happy with GM's approach here - they made a car that drives like most others, but gave us an easy way to change to one pedal driving. Choices = good. :) Now if I could just have hold mode, and ideally combine it with sport when I want...
 
#8 ·
Do brake lights light up when the ActiveE's in regen mode?

If strong regen capabiity is going to be a feature of EVs, some sort of warning indicator is going to have to be mandantory, otherwise there's going to be a lot of EVs with smashed in rear bumpers along with the usual lawsuits.
 
#9 ·
It's been discussed a fair amount. But there is actually an accepted standard deceleration rate that warrants some sort of warning light. And the Volt's L mode doesn't even really come very close. So maybe at some point that can be revisited. But there's already a standard that everyone abides by. And, as far as I know, no one violates. Of course it pays to be aware of what's going on behind you. And give someone a warning brake tap if you're worried.
 
#10 ·
I as a former slot racer, I smile every time the discussion of regen braking comes up because slot cars have been using it for more than 50 years. And, yes, there are slot car (and electric radio control car) controllers that can adjust the level of regen braking.

What I'm wondering is if GM will ever offer a software upgrade that can boost the level of regenerative braking. That said, I'm not so sure that allowing the driver to adjust the level of regen would be a good thing. In other words, it would be a non-driver adjustable level of increased regen that could only be installed, or uninstalled, by dealer techs.
 
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