Embrace one-pedal driving in EVs and PHEVs

I just came back from a trip out to California, where I was able to drive the new 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge in its new extended-range form (you’ll find that review on Autoblog tomorrow). One of the newly-added headline features for this plug-in hybrid SUV is true one-pedal driving. This is one-pedal driving in a PHEV, not a full battery electric vehicle, and as of now, one-pedal driving in PHEVs is exceedingly rare. Other plug-ins may offer levels of braking regeneration, but one-pedal driving is typically a feature reserved for full EVs. Adding the feature to the Volvo is a huge boost to the driving experience for me, and I sincerely hope we see it in even more PHEVs soon.

In case you’re new to the one-pedal driving game, here’s a quick explainer. It’s called “one-pedal” because most of the time, you’re only using one pedal to accelerate and decelerate. Press in to accelerate; let off evenly and gently to decelerate via regenerative braking. The trick at the end is in slowing down the final few mph and bringing the car to a stop smoothly, which typically requires some practice and time spent figuring out how best to modulate the throttle pedal. Once you’re stopped in a car with one-pedal driving, it should hold itself in place when you have your foot off the throttle, allowing you to relax your legs at lights. Applying pressure to the brake pedal would be unnecessary so long as traffic doesn’t necessitate quicker deceleration than what the car is capable of via letting off on the throttle.

The point, of all of the above, is that one-pedal driving in an EV or PHEV simply makes driving easier. Once you learn the car, not having to swap back and forth between the throttle and brake pedals makes stop-and-go traffic (or any kind of driving) a lot more relaxing to manage.

The point of this story is to call out the lack of this feature in some EVs and nearly all PHEVs. Some of you may have already hit the comments to voice your disdain for one-pedal driving, but do note, while I’m advocating for the feature to be present in all EVs, I’m not advocating for it to be a required always-on feature. In fact, you should be able to turn it off and on at your whimsy.

Many car manufacturers already offer one-pedal driving in their EVs, but companies like VW, Audi, Porsche and to a certain extent, Mercedes, do not. This is slightly irritating, mostly because those companies make some of the most desirable EVs on the market today. Mercedes-Benz is the oddest of the bunch, because the EQS does offer a high brake regeneration mode that’ll bring the car close to a full stop, but it requires you to apply the brake pedal to come to a complete stop. Otherwise, you’ll keep drifting forward. The only workaround in the EQS’ case is to turn on “Smart regeneration,” which effectively functions as a low-speed adaptive cruise control if there’s a car in front of you slowing to a stop, and will ultimately bring you to a full stop safely behind that car. Unfortunately, if there is no car in front of you, the car will just coast along when you take your foot off the accelerator, and the onus is back on the driver for slowing down.

In the case of the other German brands I listed, some offer slightly stronger regenerative braking modes, but none offer true one-pedal driving that will bring you to a stop.

That’s too bad, because even driving a performance-focused EV like a Porsche Taycan or Audi E-Tron GT enthusiastically with one-pedal driving would be a fun game to play. I’ve driven a number of EVs with one-pedal modes on winding, switchback-filled roads, and it’s a blast to string corner after corner together while only using brake regeneration as your stopping power. Instead of hopping back and forth between throttle and brake, you get to learn a new way of driving. Lift a little for this sweeper here to scrub some speed. Full throttle again on the exit. Big lift off on the next corner that’s a little tighter, then ease it back on. It’s legitimately good fun, and a great new experience to have. Plus, it’s stellar for keeping a consistent pace going down a mountain, and could be a big help to save the brakes from having to slow down whatever very heavy EV you’re driving.

Of course, I appreciate the classic pedal dance as much as any enthusiast, which is one of the reasons why even though I want one-pedal driving to exist on every EV, I also want to have the option to switch it off. 

Another important factor in this argument is introducing people unfamiliar with EVs to the electric car world. Hopping into a car with a totally alien braking system after years of consistency could be off-putting, and maybe even enough to cause someone to pass on the car altogether. If we want to get more people into EVs, giving new (possibly skeptical) adopters an easy transition from their gasoline-powered cars is an important thought to keep in mind. That said, once you have someone into that new EV, I’d wager that there’s a good chance that they’d prefer one-pedal driving to the traditional experience, given time to learn it. This is why it’s important to offer folks the option to choose for the foreseeable future.

We can help ease some of that transitory struggle by getting one-pedal driving into more PHEV models. For many folks, this level of electrification fits their lifestyle best for a multitude of reasons, and cars like the XC60 Recharge prove that it’s possible. So please, automakers, embrace one-pedal driving. Make it an available option in any new EV brought to market. It’s a feature that surveys or focus groups might not reveal a massive desire for, but I think it’s one that new owners of EVs (or PHEVs!) will come to love.

Related video: