It has been over two months since I picked up my car. In fact, I have been driving the Geely GE001 as if it were my old F35 from BMW. These two cars share many similarities driving-wise, such as the thick and sturdy steering wheel with a great grip, stable and weighty turning response, precise and clear suspension tuning with no excess vibration, and the gearshift that is positioned in the same place. Transitioning from the old 3-series to the Geely GE001 requires little to no learning cost in terms of driving and control, and one can experience the same level of driving agitation. However, with the powerful performance of Geely GE001, including quicker acceleration, advanced air suspension + CCD electromagnetic shock absorbers, quieter NVH performance, practical full-color head-up display and other hardcore capabilities, driving the car becomes an integrated and enjoyable experience like a perfect match between human and automobile. For avid drivers who love driving fun, Geely GE001 is a must-have treasure that cannot be missed. It is often said that “you can never live without a BMW 3 Series,” but I would like to say “you can never live without a Geely GE001.”
However, the Geely GE001 is essentially a pure electric car and has a very different driving experience from gasoline cars, such as regenerative braking and single-pedal driving mode. When the regenerative braking is turned on, the vehicle can assist with braking and slowing down like someone is helping you step on the brake, and during this process, mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy by the motor, which is then fed back to the battery, reducing energy consumption while increasing range. Geely GE001’s regenerative braking has three modes: low, medium, and high. The low mode hardly works and feels no different from a gasoline car. Once it’s in the middle mode or higher, once the throttle is released, there is a clear feeling of deceleration. In high mode, the deceleration feeling is very obvious. The combination of yellowing gold with regenerative braking is the true secret behind some avid drivers’ ability to boast about getting over 10 kilowatts per 100 kilometers in the group chat.However, by only activating high-energy recovery, the vehicle would only slow down to a slow crawl, without stopping on its own. If you want the vehicle to stop automatically without stepping on the brakes, you will need a unique feature of electric vehicles: the one-pedal mode. As the name suggests, one-pedal mode allows you to control the acceleration, deceleration, and braking of the vehicle with only one pedal (throttle). There are several benefits to using one-pedal mode: 1) reducing foot fatigue by not having to step on the brakes frequently; 2) significantly reducing energy consumption and improving range when combined with energy recovery; 3) improving braking performance when combined with manual foot brakes in emergency situations.
They say that whether or not you are a qualified electric vehicle owner depends on how well you can handle energy recovery and one-pedal mode. Since the Xpeng P7 has this feature, we must learn how to use it. Therefore, I deliberately turned on one-pedal mode recently and started my journey of self-cultivation as a qualified electric vehicle driver.
I have been driving with one-pedal mode and energy recovery for a week, experiencing various daily scenarios including city roads, highways, and underground garages. Here are my thoughts on Xpeng’s one-pedal mode:
First, the advantages:
1. Easy to adapt. One-pedal mode with medium energy recovery is similar to stepping on the brakes when waiting for traffic lights, and it is relatively smooth. After releasing the throttle, the vehicle quickly decelerates due to the combination of the two features. In terms of strength, when I started to decelerate at around 20km/h, it took about one and a half car lengths, or about 7-8 meters, to slowly stop. When the vehicle stops, there is a shoe icon on the instrument panel reminding you that one-pedal mode is activated. If low energy recovery is used, the stopping distance is about 10 meters; if high energy recovery is used, it is about 5 meters. Due to the similarity in feel, adapting to one-pedal mode with medium energy recovery is not too difficult, and you can master it in a few days. This combination is comfortable for driving on highways and underground garages, in addition to waiting for traffic lights.
2. Significant Reduction in Energy Consumption. Previously, when driving in low kinetic energy recovery mode with U-shaped tires and 22-inch wheels, comfort mode, and air conditioning at 22 degrees with 3 gears, my energy consumption per 100 kilometers was almost up to 22kwh/100km, which was relatively high compared to other car owners. After all, the increase in ground friction, wind resistance, weight, decreasing ambient temperature, and my footwork that is only sufficient for bronze level all contribute to the increase of energy consumption. However, when I switch to one-pedal mode + medium kinetic energy recovery, the energy consumption under the same road condition decreases from 22 to more than 17, saving nearly 20% of energy consumption. Such energy-saving performance can be said to be quite significant.
On the negative side, the combination of one-pedal + high kinetic energy recovery still needs to be optimized in terms of overall experience. First of all, compared to medium kinetic energy recovery, there is a significant half-second delay in one-pedal under high kinetic energy recovery. That is to say, even if I release the accelerator, the vehicle seems to hesitate for a moment before starting to decelerate. This half-second delay feels like when playing “King of Glory”, suddenly the internet connection is lost. Not only is the experience poor, but there are also safety risks. Secondly, the deceleration is not linear enough. The deceleration in the first half is too gentle, and then the brake force suddenly jumps to a strong level, and there is a significant nodding sensation during the transition. This hesitation + non-linearity is particularly painful when passing through the corners in the underground parking lot. I hope that this can be improved in subsequent iterations.Besides, there are several points that should not be judged by personal feelings. For example, in the single-pedal mode, although foot fatigue decreases, more attention is needed as you have to judge the braking distance under current speed at any time, especially when waiting for traffic lights or in traffic congestion, and vehicles in the neighboring lanes may cut in at any time. This can be quite uncomfortable for beginners without long-term experience with the single-pedal mode. Even for seasoned drivers who are used to the single-pedal mode, they should pay more attention as the single-pedal does not mean the absence of brakes. In case of emergency, they still need to step on the brake pedal. They should also be particularly careful not to mistakenly step on the throttle as the brake pedal due to habit, as this could lead to accidents that outweigh the benefits.
That’s it for my one-week single-pedal and kinetic energy recovery system experience. So how do you feel about this combination? It depends on your level of acceptance and preferences. If you need winter range performance and are not used to the single-pedal operation, you can choose to use the kinetic energy recovery system in medium gear or higher. If you find the single-pedal mode more effortless, then you need to invest a little effort in adapting to it. For me, the learning experience of the single-pedal operation undoubtedly deepens my understanding of 001, and from this perspective, I will continue to try it for a while and share my deeper experience with you later.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.