Brake lights

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smkettner

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Aug 10, 2010
Messages
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Location
Orange County, CA
I understand at some point during regen braking the brake lights illuminate. I am curious when that illumination actually happens in relation to the number of regen dash bubbles that are lit on the dash. Any ideas?
 
smkettner said:
I understand at some point during regen braking the brake lights illuminate. I am curious when that illumination actually happens in relation to the number of regen dash bubbles that are lit on the dash. Any ideas?
I assume they light any time the brake pedal is depressed like any other car.
 
Frankly haven't gotten to the point of wondering about this one. Too much other entertainment :) If they haven't departed from the norm, there will be a switch on the brake pedal that makes the lights come on. This will also be right where the cruise control is turned off (same switch). And if that's true, no amount of regen without stepping on the pedal would cause brake lights to come on.

Then again, all it takes is one software engineer with a new idea, to turn everything on its head :lol:
 
I do find myself concerned about this. I'm often being tailgated (around here, people will tailgate closer than one car length while going freeway speeds). If I'm in ECO and take my foot off the accelerator (say because of a slow-down in front of me), there is a real possibility of me getting rear-ended. I know that the regen isn't that strong in the Leaf but it's definitely stronger than in an ICE and without brake lights illuminating the tail-gater behind me will have no clue that I'm slowing. It would be nice if the brake lights would illuminate if the regen was above a certain level.

Also, I find that if I time it right, I can come to a complete stop using regen alone. Again, though, I'd be concerned about being rear-ended by someone behind me who likes to race up to the stop sign and then slam on their brakes. Sure, if I get rear-ended it's their fault, but I'd rather avoid the accident.
 
prebson said:
Also, I find that if I time it right, I can come to a complete stop using regen alone.
How do you do that? Maybe the 2012's do not have the stupid 'creep'? Or, do you shift into neutral?

Bill
 
ebill3 said:
prebson said:
Also, I find that if I time it right, I can come to a complete stop using regen alone.
How do you do that? Maybe the 2012's do not have the stupid 'creep'? Or, do you shift into neutral?

Bill

By timing it just right. I do apply the brakes right at the end just to come to a complete stop, so I guess I mis-stated it in my post. But I'm not sure if it would keep going or not if I didn't. I'll have to check that out. The main point, though, is that almost all of my braking is done with the regen, so someone behind me won't see brake lights until I'm at the stop sign.
 
prebson said:
so someone behind me won't see brake lights until I'm at the stop sign.
that is true and very different what other drivers expect, it will be nice to have some sort of information for others when regen is applied.
 
EdmondLeaf said:
prebson said:
so someone behind me won't see brake lights until I'm at the stop sign.
that is true and very different what other drivers expect, it will be nice to have some sort of information for others when regen is applied.

This thread brings up a good point.

However the feel of regen even in ECO is similar to the feel of my manual transmission car. Coming up to stop lights or stop signs I would frequently just "engine brake" in 2nd gear. Granted, lack of brake lights to alert drivers behind me is an issue, but I've never had any real problems with it. I guess I don't go overboard with the technique of trying to time things perfectly so that I don't have to use the brakes at all. I'm content with timing it sufficiently so that I'm not passing the 5th regen bubble when I do apply the brakes (but I do apply them at some point).
 
prebson said:
I do find myself concerned about this. I'm often being tailgated (around here, people will tailgate closer than one car length while going freeway speeds). If I'm in ECO and take my foot off the accelerator (say because of a slow-down in front of me), there is a real possibility of me getting rear-ended. I know that the regen isn't that strong in the Leaf but it's definitely stronger than in an ICE and without brake lights illuminating the tail-gater behind me will have no clue that I'm slowing. It would be nice if the brake lights would illuminate if the regen was above a certain level.

Also, I find that if I time it right, I can come to a complete stop using regen alone. Again, though, I'd be concerned about being rear-ended by someone behind me who likes to race up to the stop sign and then slam on their brakes. Sure, if I get rear-ended it's their fault, but I'd rather avoid the accident.


I've been rear-ended three times in 50+ years of driving. Each time was a catastrophic accident with me going to the hospital for at least a day .. Each time the worthless asshole who hit me was either picking boogers or scratching his behind when he should have been driving ahead of his vehicle. I have no sympathy for people who tailgate, but realize that they are out there and try to maneuver my car so that I am not in front of someone who tailgates. Sometimes it is unavoidable and you have to take your chances.
 
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