Custom Drive Mode - Pedal Force What's the difference?

[siteguru]

A random link from a search:

how does regen braking work at DuckDuckGo

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duckduckgo.com

 

[DixieTGS]

You might want to give the article on "how stuff works" a miss:

How Regenerative Braking Works

Vehicles equipped with regenerative braking systems are able to recapture some of the vehicle's kinetic energy and convert it into electricity. This electricity is then used to charge the car's batteries. How is this possible?

auto.howstuffworks.com

I gave up early in the article after it explained that it works by the motor running backwards and that it might induce momentary panic due to the brake pedal behaving differently. I don't know if it is a lack of understanding or just a poor choice of words but it's not good either way. ?

 

[GlobalHealer69]

Hey guys - quick one...

In custom drive mode, we have 3 options:

1) Horse Power - eco + normal + sport
2) Steering - light + normal + heavy
3) Pedal Force - comfort + normal + sport

View attachment 29236

And I have 2 questions from this...

1) what's the difference between comfort, normal and sport for Pedal Force?

I've tested them... But I don't feel any difference.

Am I missing something?

2) Horse Power - Sport is what I use because I've noticed that if I use ECO and I need to quickly pass another car on my front... It doesn't speed up quickly even if I step hard on the gas pedal.

But if I use sport... Oh my cat - this car warps!

My question is... Related to that icon near regenerative level - where it says X number % Power

I've noticed if I step on the gas lightly it stays between 1 to 10% power and pushes forward comfortably most of the times.

If I stay in that range - doesn’t it count as ECO mode to save mileage?

I know the range "kms left" drops 20 km from eco to normal, and another 20 km from normal to sport - just by switching driving mode, not actual moving the car. So these I guess are estimates.

But if I don't speed up all the time and drive slowly... It has to save mileage right? Even if it's set on sport?

I'm wondering if this "number % power" metric is really like the maximum WATTS the battery is using to push the electric motor harder to spin the wheels.

The harder it pushes, the more energy it consumes.

Maybe having sport enables the top limit to be used (but I've never seen it over 60% by the way, maybe I can step the pedal deeper but hasn't been needed so far)

Any insights on this?

The manual is very vague... And I can't find videos on this.

View attachment 29243

And that's it lol

MY 2023 MG4 ER Trophy model has an additional 'SNOW' which gives a more gentler, anti-slip/skid acceleration and no 'regenerative braking', I guess for the same reason.

 

[atariman]

I don't think it's been mentioned that with the battery at or near 100% (SR), there is no regen braking, so the brake pedal requires more force. I always switch to sport mode which gives much better braking until regen starts as the battery runs down. I don't understand why the braking power is not at maximum all the time like any ICE car.

 

[tsedge]

I don't think it's been mentioned that with the battery at or near 100% (SR), there is no regen braking, so the brake pedal requires more force. I always switch to sport mode which gives much better braking until regen starts as the battery runs down. I don't understand why the braking power is not at maximum all the time like any ICE car.

The available braking power is the same in every mode, it is just how far you have to push to get it that changes.

In an ICE car the braking system is usually simpler, so there is a direct relationship between you pressing the pedal and the hydraulic fluid operating the brakes.

With EVs, it is an indirect system, you press the pedal, the computer reads how far you are pushing and decides to blend regen with opening valves to change the brake fluid pressure - so we get to choose how sharp the brakes "feel" and it turns out people have different preferences.

Note that the system is designed to failsafe to a bypass which connects the pedal more directly to the hydraulic system. It is not "brake-by-wire" but a blended system.

 

[wattmatters]

There are times where a change in brake pedal response can be helpful, such as parking in a tight spot, or when you wish to come to a very smooth stop for the comfort of passengers. Likewise in Normal mode the car has enough power to move the car slowly and smoothly under light braking to assist parking, while in Sport mode it can be a bit jerky.

 

[DixieTGS]

Likewise in Normal mode the car has enough power to move the car slowly and smoothly under light braking to assist parking.

A bit off topic I know but when the car was new, slow movement was very jerky. Thanks to the forum I cleaned the brakes and it's like a different car.?.

 

[atariman]

The available braking power is the same in every mode, it is just how far you have to push to get it that changes.

In an ICE car the braking system is usually simpler, so there is a direct relationship between you pressing the pedal and the hydraulic fluid operating the brakes.

With EVs, it is an indirect system, you press the pedal, the computer reads how far you are pushing and decides to blend regen with opening valves to change the brake fluid pressure - so we get to choose how sharp the brakes "feel" and it turns out people have different preferences.

Note that the system is designed to failsafe to a bypass which connects the pedal more directly to the hydraulic system. It is not "brake-by-wire" but a blended system.

That's not my experience. The brakes are sharper and more powerful in sport mode, and my argument is why aren't they like that at all times in all modes. I can understand throttle response being selectable, but not the brakes.

 

[tsedge]

That's not my experience. The brakes are sharper and more powerful in sport mode, and my argument is why aren't they like that at all times in all modes. I can understand throttle response being selectable, but not the brakes.

They feel sharper yes, but the same maximum braking force is available if you push hard enough. That's how it works.

 

[MG4JP]

A bit off topic I know but when the car was new, slow movement was very jerky. Thanks to the forum I cleaned the brakes and it's like a different car.?.

Sorry, but what do you mean by "cleaning" the brakes?

 

[DixieTGS]

If you're using higher levels of regen or OPD and not trying to drive fast you may end up with the disk brakes rarely being used at all, and so the surface tends to rust much more quickly than on an ICE car. For my car this was probably made worse by it sitting in a car park for 7 months before it was delivered.

So to keep the disks in good condition they just need to be used a bit now and then. Some of the methods people have mentioned on the forum are:

Setting regen to 1 and do some firm braking.
Reversing and then braking. No regen in reverse so it works at slow speed and may help the rear disks more than going forwards.
Slipping it in to neutral while moving and braking. Probably not recommended by MG etc - use at your own risk.

All of the above are more effective going down hill.

You should be able to use the search function on the forum to find more info if needed.

 

[MG4JP]

If you're using higher levels of regen or OPD and not trying to drive fast you may end up with the disk brakes rarely being used at all, and so the surface tends to rust much more quickly than on an ICE car. For my car this was probably made worse by it sitting in a car park for 7 months before it was delivered.

So to keep the disks in good condition they just need to be used a bit now and then. Some of the methods people have mentioned on the forum are:

Setting regen to 1 and do some firm braking.
Reversing and then braking. No regen in reverse so it works at slow speed and may help the rear disks more than going forwards.
Slipping it in to neutral while moving and braking. Probably not recommended by MG etc - use at your own risk.

All of the above are more effective going down hill.

You should be able to use the search function on the forum to find more info if needed.

What's funny is that I've been doing that cleaning process for almost 8 years now (starting with an Opel/Vauxhall Ampera), but for some reason I did not make the connection with what you were referring to.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to answer me.

 

[wattmatters]

That's not my experience. The brakes are sharper and more powerful in sport mode, and my argument is why aren't they like that at all times in all modes.

Brake feel varies significantly from car to car, sometimes people prefer one feel over another. If you are doing some spirited driving you may want a faster response. Brake response at 130+ km/h is a little different to 60 km/h.

Given the car has a default setting every time you get in, then I'm not seeing the issue when it comes to consistency.

The fact a driver has a choice is no bad thing.

The sport mode for instance is not so great for enabling "chauffeur stops" at traffic lights.