brake mode = brake light?

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Yogi62

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
186
Location
Boston
In a 2013 in brake mode, if you are slowing down by using regen braking, does it light the brake lights even if you don't hit the brake pedal? Driving a 2012 I am a bit worried that cars behind me aren't aware how much I might be slowing down/by just lifting off the throttle in Eco mode.

Thanks!
 
I don't have a 2013, but the brake lights do not come on in my 2011 unless you actually push the brake pedal. Unless they reworked the regen function radically for 2013, you have nothing to worry about with slowing down when lifting off the throttle. The braking effect in the Leaf from regen is not any stronger than the engine compression braking that takes place in an ICE car on throttle lift. Anyone behind you should be able to react to such minor deceleration without any signal, just as they do for an ICE car.

TT
 
Agreed. My manual BMWs actually had stronger compression braking than the Leaf has regen braking...

ttweed said:
I don't have a 2013, but the brake lights do not come on in my 2011 unless you actually push the brake pedal. Unless they reworked the regen function radically for 2013, you have nothing to worry about with slowing down when lifting off the throttle. The braking effect in the Leaf from regen is not any stronger than the engine compression braking that takes place in an ICE car on throttle lift. Anyone behind you should be able to react to such minor deceleration without any signal, just as they do for an ICE car.
 
I find that I'm more aware of my surroundings when I'm driving a car with a manual transmission or my LEAF. Occasionally I tap the breaks if I'm worried that the car behind me isn't paying close enough attention. Usually I don't find it to be a problem, though.
 
I was thinking that when you take your foot off go pedal it should light the first set of lights and as car slows down the lights would grow up or down depending on regen. I read that the BMW does this.
 
The BMW EV has far more aggressive regen that the Leaf, even the 2013, so it probably makes more sense in their case.

Geraldk said:
I was thinking that when you take your foot off go pedal it should light the first set of lights and as car slows down the lights would grow up or down depending on regen. I read that the BMW does this.
 
13MY B-mode is like downshifting an ICE powered car with a tranny. The brake lights do not come on.
 
I drove a 2013 this weekend and was actually surprised at how little additional regen there was in B... I had expected a bigger difference.

kovalb said:
13MY B-mode is like downshifting an ICE powered car with a tranny. The brake lights do not come on.
 
TomT said:
I drove a 2013 this weekend and was actually surprised at how little additional regen there was in B... I had expected a bigger difference.

kovalb said:
13MY B-mode is like downshifting an ICE powered car with a tranny. The brake lights do not come on.

How did it compare to the ECO mode on the '11-12 cars? Still little or no regen at high SOCs? The Leaf is the only EV I've ever driven that so obnoxiously limits regen at high SOCs. Try taking a Chevy Volt with a full charge and throw it in "B" mode.. now THAT is regen.. Even at low SOCs the Leaf regen is kindof wimpy.
As far as the brake lights, all the AC Propulsion cars have incredible regen and at higher levels, the brake light does come on and a light on the dashboard lights up to let the driver know. Not sure if the Mini-E has the same setup.
 
The car I got to drive for about an hour had a SOC of 70 percent when I received it so, unfortunately, I had no way of evaluating regen at higher SOCs...

GregH said:
How did it compare to the ECO mode on the '11-12 cars? Still little or no regen at high SOCs? The Leaf is the only EV I've ever driven that so obnoxiously limits regen at high SOCs.
 
GregH said:
The Leaf is the only EV I've ever driven that so obnoxiously limits regen at high SOCs. Try taking a Chevy Volt with a full charge and throw it in "B" mode.. now THAT is regen.. Even at low SOCs the Leaf regen is kindof wimpy.

The Volt is a hybrid and uses engine braking when the battery is full. The LEAF makes as much use of its battery capacity as it reasonably can which does not leave room for dumping regen energy into it at 100% SOC.

The 13MY B-mode does increase regen over what we are all used to with ECO-mode. I would prefer it be even higher, but at least it is easy to control. I find the regen in the Mini E and Mitsubishi B-mode to be difficult to control.
 
kovalb said:
The LEAF makes as much use of its battery capacity as it reasonably can which does not leave room for dumping regen energy into it at 100% SOC.

Respectfully disagree... Leaf only charges to 4.1V/cell, 95% by its own estimation. Surely it could take a few seconds of surge for some strong regen at "full"... Maybe not for going down a long hill, but certainly for a normal braking event. Many other EVs do.
 
Back
Top