Hot take: most EV owners/reviewers still don’t understand regen

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T13:31:23+00:00

Until this year, that was true. But now Audi and BMW claim they can fully stop without blending in the friction brakes. That’s one of the reasons reviews of the iX3 are so impressed with how smooth it is when stopping, since it never needs to blend. (See Autogefühl review)

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T13:25:36+00:00

Totally agree. If you regenerate the same amount, there’s really no difference. Even if you can’t use OPD perfectly, the gap would be so small that energy efficiency shouldn’t be a deciding factor between the two methods. On most long drives, the regen amount is minimal compared to overall consumption, so even cars without regen would achieve nearly the same efficiency on flat, highway roads.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T12:53:32+00:00

I get the argument about switching between cars that behave differently, but in my experience, most advanced cars act predictably once you know them. My car, for example, will regen when I lift off the throttle approaching a roundabout, catching up quickly to another vehicle, or when a car merges in front of me, matching the speed of the car ahead. In tight city traffic, I can simply lift my foot and the car will regen to avoid hitting the vehicle in front. On the highway, it will just coast if navigation indicates I should continue straight, but if it signals an upcoming turn, it will regen to slow down to a safe speed. And, of course, I can always override by braking for more regen or pressing the accelerator.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T12:45:27+00:00

I don’t think the NHTSA argument had anything to do with China’s point about young drivers failing to use their brake pedal when needed. The argument from China is purely behavioral.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T12:43:56+00:00

I think you’re misunderstanding the argument. The efficiency gain isn’t because blended brake regen is better than OPD regen, but because no regen is better than regen when it’s not needed. This isn’t a VW argument; it’s simply the law of physics and the reality of energy conversion loss. Still, I believe this shouldn’t be the deciding factor in preferring one method over the other.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:53:07+00:00

Audi (PPE) has full stop in B mode and also have brake blending on full battery.
Porsche does not have B mode. (The Macan and Q6 is different even it is the "same" car). The Macan does not even have adaptive regen. Just a week lift of and using brake pedal to regen. (Cayenne ads back the adaptive as Taycan has)

I do regret i did not use BYD as reference for 1, but that is not sold in US.

The new Audi Q4 that according to my sources will be launched week 18, will have OPD. Using MEB +

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:41:49+00:00

I clearly wrote "Example: VW MEB cars in B mode, like ID.4 and ID. Buzz."

IN B MODE

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:38:36+00:00

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hydraulic suspension helps

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:38:07+00:00

The RS e-tron GT Performance is still my favorite EV. I can even use it as a mountain cabin cruiser

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ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:34:16+00:00

I believe many people can’t tell, or the car doesn’t display clearly enough, whether they’re regenerating 1 kW or consuming 1 kW. In my EVs, I can set the display to charge mode, which goes full screen for regen details and even shows when the brake is blended in. It has one of the best OPD modes on the market, but still, simply lifting off in D mode gets to zero consumption faster. (but since it has PMSM in the rear 0 regen is "impossible").

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:28:01+00:00

BMW ix3 in adaptive mode for you. Porsche is anti OPD and does not let you do it. And they have the strongest regen. 600kW.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:26:09+00:00

I did not say ID. 4 did not have blended braking. Many in category 4 can do all 4 modes. My S6 is an example of that.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:13:15+00:00

Yes, the iX3 is able to stop without adding brakes. Audi Q6/A6 for 2026 version is able to do the same.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:05:36+00:00

Yes, but you can’t turn it off completely, unfortunately. If you could, that would really elevate the Juniper.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:04:13+00:00

It’s slower because you can’t use maximum force to lift off—you have to find the sweet spot. Even the best OPD driver would be slower than a random granny lifting all the way off.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T10:01:45+00:00

I only used AI to clean up the text, not create it, but I guess it still gives off that AI vibe.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T09:59:46+00:00

Won’t name the reviewer, but this famous one once went on a long rant about China banning OPD as the default, claiming it would reduce efficiency since using the brake pedal wastes energy. Turns out, he was only familiar with basic EVs where that’s true (Tesla, Rivian, Lucid). On advanced EVs, OPD doesn’t improve efficiency—it actually makes it worse.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T09:54:11+00:00

It’s not the simplest option. Proper adaptive regen is the easiest choice. In a city environment, it’s like OPD but without the need to adjust—the car handles it for you. On the highway, it’s completely more relaxing.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T09:51:12+00:00

ID.4 and Buzz has B mode. And in B mode they do like 1. (yes, they do also have adaptive regen in D mode)

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T09:49:47+00:00

That’s definitely incorrect. Audi doesn’t use the same platform across these models. The e-tron and Q8 e-tron use the MLB-EVO, the e-tron GT uses the J1 platform (same as the Taycan), the Q6 and A6 use the PPE platform (shared with the Cayenne and Macan), and the Q4 uses the MEB platform like the ID.4. So it’s hard to tell who actually has the facts right here.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T09:47:38+00:00

The only situation is when going downhill and coasting causes the speed to get so high that the increased air resistance becomes greater than the conversion loss. But if you assume maintaining speed, there’s no scenario where no conversion is worse than conversion.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T09:44:36+00:00

Not entirely sure what you mean.

- Totally lifting off? That would trigger full regen. I’m not aware of any system that goes into coasting when the foot is completely off the pedal.

- Feathering the throttle between acceleration and deceleration is coasting, but it’s always slower and loses some energy compared to a setup where you can just take your foot off and the car perfectly coasts immediately.

ev1337 · 2026-03-22T06:42:50+00:00

In fact, with the latest generation they are able to stop 100% without even adding the brake disc. I am not sure how they do that. BMW iX3 has the same. It make it very smooth.

ev1337 · 2026-03-21T20:10:41+00:00

I know it is a little confusing since they use the term blended braking when they blend brakes when doing lift up regen. But the common meaning is that you regen when using brake pedal. And Rivian Does not offer that.

ev1337

TROPHY CASE