In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) logged 758 complaints about Teslas suddenly decelerating for no reason on American highways (NHTSA ODI, 2022).
Drivers describe their vehicles “slamming the brakes” out of nowhere, with one shaken owner telling reporters, “It just slammed the brakes”.
These aren’t isolated glitches. U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis recently gave the green light to a class-action lawsuit, citing allegations that Tesla knowingly withheld warnings about this dangerous defect.
Hey man I love a manual transmission as much as the next hipster…but I rented a Mustang EV last year and got to experience single-pedal mode and it’s fucking glorious.
I’ve always been confused about the braking in single pedal vehicles. Like let off the gas and the brakes start, but what if you need to brake harder?
I don’t know how the hell it works either.
I imagine since it’s an electric vehicle, the motors either have electricity or they don’t…so when they don’t, if there’s no clutch mechanism disengaging the wheel, it would probably “engine-brake” naturally. Engine-braking, as I understand it, is basically how regenerative braking works anyway.
Combine that with a CVT and it can make a pretty smooth deceleration.
Combine that with distance sensors in the front and it’ll keep you from accidentally slamming into something.
I guess my problem is I don’t trust sensors 100% of the time. If it engine brakes when I let off gas, great, but I want the option of braking myself to still exist.
Obviously there’s still a brake pedal. I don’t think they are actually going to get rid of it any time soon.
In single-pedal mode you can still slam on your brakes.
It’s just…optional.
Idk someone was telling me there’s a Saturn with just one pedal the other day. If its just a “mode” then ok.
There’s still a Saturn?
Buy yourself a go-kart.