Regenerative braking

[Lily the Pink]

Having had a first test drive in an EV (MG5), I was surprised at the level of regenerative braking available in some circumstances. The car has three settings selectable by the driver (Heavy, Moderate and Light) and certainly Heavy seemed to me to provide a lot more deceleration than engine braking in an ICE vehicle. I am unsure whether the brake lights come on (and if so at what rate of deceleration), or whether it would be advisable to touch the brake pedal to make sure they do.
Does anyone have specific experience as either an EV driver finding yourself nearly shunted by a following driver, or as a driver following an EV finding it suddenly slowing without brake lights showing ?

[agent006]

AFAIK, all new EVs for a year or two have had brake lights on regen above a certain level, not just on the pedal. My 2014 leaf doesn't but the regen is only 30KW on the higher setting, so not too strong. It's still enough to catch people out around town but only if they're already too close, I tend not to use it much on the high setting for that reason.

[DRZ]

My experience in an Outlander PHEV was that the brake lights only come on in the most aggressive regen mode and even then only above a certain speed.

In the Taycan 4S I drove I couldn't work out if they were coming on or not when off the throttle. It does a lot of regen instead of friction braking when you apply the brake pedal though.

[Pica-Pica]

DRZ said:

My experience in an Outlander PHEV was that the brake lights only come on in the most aggressive regen mode and even then only above a certain speed.

In the Taycan 4S I drove I couldn't work out if they were coming on or not when off the throttle. It does a lot of regen instead of friction braking when you apply the brake pedal though.

Just get someone to follow you and do a few tests.

[Mr E]

My brake lights do not illuminate when I lift and regen.
I am therefore careful not to surprise the car behind me, and occasionally brake when I don’t need to just to get the lights to come on.

[donkmeister]

I don't think you need to worry OP. Cars have a wide and varied amount of engine braking and drivers simply have to adapt to what's going on in their car and around them.

The throttle pedal isn't an on-off switch even in an EV. I could see there might be a case of a throbber or two using sudden heavy regen as a 21st century equivalent of brake-checking, but if you deal with tailgaters in the normal, non-stupid way of lifting a bit to slow a little and leaving enough gap for the two of you to stop, then you will be fine.