D or L ??
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Links? I'd be interested in reading this.
When I took delivery of my Gen2, I started off full time "L" driving. Even after getting used to it... with my commute 75 miles round trip, almost all highway... I found that driving in D to be easier/better, highway driving in general is going to sap far more energy in and of itself.
I was super excited about the regen paddle, and it's nice to have it as an option, but once you get down to brass tacks I found it to be just an addon/fluff.
The real value to me is being able to just jump in and drive it like every other car on the planet
And hate to burst that smug sounding bubble... but the "right way" to drive the car is however the owner sees fit. D/L/paddle/etc, as long as you get from A to B and have a smile on your face that's all that matters.
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try holding the throttle real steady then switch betw the 2,,watch the kw's go up in drive on the same terrian.only time that drive doesn't is on flat,really flat terrain.
I drive L all the time now and even in 37-40° outside temps,I'm still getting 43.4miles out of her.Plus I leave in the dark and come home in the dark.
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L is better than D anytime the algorithm on the brake pedal decides to use friction brakes that you could have avoided by using L instead.
When people say "D" is better, it's because they are making an assumption that L means they can't coast or can't do it well in L. I coast in L all the time, having learned where to feather the pedal to.
L is better at reducing brake usage, and if people don't needlessly slow down with it, it will always be more efficient than D.
Of course, as others noted, this horse has been beaten to death before.
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If you give a Bolt EV to the average driver that knows nothing about hyper-mile techniques then most likely they will be more efficient in L.
If you give a Bolt EV to a driver that knows about conservation of momentum and hyper-mile techniques then driving in D and with some use of neutral will be more efficient.
I used to believe as strongly as ClarksonCote did above and I used to drive exclusively in L for over a year and thought that simply feathering the pedal to regualte regen would be as efficient. I switched to D and employed some hyper-mile techniques and saw a very noticeable improvement in efficiency.
If you give a Bolt EV to a driver that knows about conservation of momentum and hyper-mile techniques then driving in D and with some use of neutral will be more efficient.
I used to believe as strongly as ClarksonCote did above and I used to drive exclusively in L for over a year and thought that simply feathering the pedal to regualte regen would be as efficient. I switched to D and employed some hyper-mile techniques and saw a very noticeable improvement in efficiency.
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Well I do find "L" convenient when going down a 4 mile, 8% grade with 25mph switchbacks (route 33 through Shenandoah National Park).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg8jnZvOls0
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I use L in the mountains and D everywhere else. L or D is a matter of preference on streets and rural roads, I tend to use D and the Regen paddles for braking on streets and rural roads but L is fine there also, and maybe prefereable from a technical point of view. The place where D definitely feels better is on highways where you don't want to slow down suddenly when you take your foot off of the accelerator.
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I think you're referring to the MT article... http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chev...7-chevrolet-bolt-ev-vs-2016-tesla-model-s-60/
They were comparing the Bolt to the Model S, but it wasn't clear from their wording if they understood the fact that regenerative braking works fundamentally differently in the Bolt vs a Tesla.
Teslas get 100% of their regen simply by lifting off of the accelerator pedal. The brake pedal ONLY engages the friction brake pads and does not increase regen. So the amount of regen in a Tesla is proportionate to how strong the deceleration is when you lift off the accelerator. But in the Bolt (and Volt), pressing the break pedal increases regen significantly before blending in the brake pads.
From the article, it seems like they might not understand this fact. If that's the case, it's easy to see why they might think that "L" is clearly superior. (There are other arguments about why L is marginally better than D, mostly explained in the posts above.)
I have smoother braking and driving and still be much more efficient while in D instead of L. I noticed that with the aggressive braking of L, I often waste a lot of miles because it is slowing when not supposed to. I have tried L for one week, and found out I attain less mileage. I like the D while coasting to a stop, in order to achieve the same efficiency while in L, you will have to guide the accelerator, which is not comfortable for long stretches before stopping. I actually use combination of ACC, D and the paddle. I achieved better efficiency and at a smoother ride.
The major reason for my slightly higher mileage in D vs L is that coasting to a stop is more efficient than regenerative braking. The efficiency of regenerative braking is about 50%.
Also be mindful that when driving in L, you drive weird compared to other cars. You could easily get rear ended as your brake lights doesn't engage. Some members got a ticket for slowing down without their brake lights glowing when driving in L. For safety reasons, I have stopped using L especially during the rainy days in medium traffic. I'd rather hit the paddle, when someone is following me and I have to slow down to a stop rather than have the L regenerate for me.
Remember, in D and pressing the brake pedal the car uses regen first before applying friction brakes, so D and L are basically the same for efficiency if you drive similarly. L is for people who prefer to use 1 pedal driving and D is for those who want it to drive smoothly without much effort and drive like a modern automatic.
Any possible efficiency difference doesn't matter much to me. Driving in L is fun sometimes, but I like to drive in D most of the time because it matches the way my other car drives. It is convenient for both to operate the same way. My driving reflexes stay tuned to operate either one equally well, or a rental car, etc. I don't want to lose the reflex of moving my foot to the brake pedal to slow down. I think that could be a safety issue.
Plus there is the issue in Gen 1 where the brake lights stay off. I think that also could reduce safety in some situations even though I understand the regulatory basis for it working that way.
On hilly terrain, I like how L allows the cruise control to hold the speed accurately instead of going faster downhill.
Plus there is the issue in Gen 1 where the brake lights stay off. I think that also could reduce safety in some situations even though I understand the regulatory basis for it working that way.
On hilly terrain, I like how L allows the cruise control to hold the speed accurately instead of going faster downhill.
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To elaborate on my previous answer. Use L anyplace that you would normally be riding your brake, i.e. going down a mountain road or a street in San Francisco. In an old fashion ICE car you would be burning up your brakes but in the Volt all you have to do is take your foot off of the accelerator and you slow down, if you want to slow it more use the Regen paddle, on the most extreme grades you might have to touch the brake pedal a little bit but usually you can do it all with regen.
Don't use L any place where you are driving at a steady speed and you want to coast occasionally, i.e. a highway. I use the regen paddles on highway off ramps and resort to the brake pedal only if that's not sufficient.
On roads or streets it's six of one or half a dozen of the other in D vs L. I find the regen paddle good enough for most stops with a little gentle braking on the brake pedal. However I mostly drive on rural roads where intersections ar farther apart then they would be in a city. In a city where intersections are only a block apart I could see where L might be preferable.
Don't use L any place where you are driving at a steady speed and you want to coast occasionally, i.e. a highway. I use the regen paddles on highway off ramps and resort to the brake pedal only if that's not sufficient.
On roads or streets it's six of one or half a dozen of the other in D vs L. I find the regen paddle good enough for most stops with a little gentle braking on the brake pedal. However I mostly drive on rural roads where intersections ar farther apart then they would be in a city. In a city where intersections are only a block apart I could see where L might be preferable.
The MT article is long and is followed by lots of interesting comments (which I love to read) that include comments by the MT staff in which they found L to be more economical in an admittedly unscientific test. "My Way" is not "Best Way" BTW.
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That's because the pedal is "mapped" differently in L vs D. It doesn't mean one is more or less efficient.
That wouldn't make any sense anyway. Where would that extra power be wasted? (Hint: nowhere.)
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