by Mike Gulett –
We recently bought our first electric car, a Lucid Air Pure. This has been a terrific experience as I am learning about new things that can only be done with an electric car compared to a gas powered car. Like on a cold day the heater is hot right away with no waiting for the engine to warm up. Or I can set the cabin temperature and turn on the seat heaters and steering wheel heater remotely with my smart phone and have it all warm and comfortable before we get in (or remotely cool down the cabin and cool the seats on a hot day).
Another fascinating feature of electric cars is regenerative braking, which reverses the electric motor when the accelerator is lifted and slows the car and sends electricity back to the battery capturing some of the kinetic energy and recharging the battery. This is energy that is lost in a gas powered car and is dissipated as heat from the brakes. This not only saves some battery power but also reduces wear on the mechanical brakes.
This feature creates the opportunity to learn a new skill that can only be done in an electric car — one-pedal driving. By modulating the pressure on the accelerator the car delivers a blend of brake and power setting up a very interesting and fun driving dynamic.
Photo by Lucid Motors
One-pedal driving
How it works
-
Press pedal → accelerate
-
Lift pedal → regenerative braking slows the car
-
The brake pedal use is saved for emergencies or quick stopping
Driver experience
-
Accelerator becomes a speed control lever – both faster and slower
-
Precise modulation replaces downshifting in a manual gas powered car
-
Driving becomes fluid and intuitive
Strengths
-
Energy efficient (energy recovery that otherwise would be lost)
-
Reduced brake wear
-
More sense of control once the skill is learned
With one-pedal driving, lifting off is an intentional action with different results than a gas powered car, much like selecting a lower gear in a manual transmission. In the Lucid Air Pure Standard regenerative braking mode there is no coasting, the car is either accelerating or braking.
Why drivers often like one-pedal driving
-
Feels similar to engine braking
-
Encourages anticipation and smoothness
-
More precise control
-
Less interruption between acceleration and deceleration
Many drivers who love manual transmissions find one-pedal driving surprisingly satisfying—while drivers used to automatics often prefer lighter regenerative modes or no regenerative mode.
In my Lucid Air Pure there are three modes for regenerative braking: Standard (maximum), Low (medium) and Off (none). Off mode feels like a gas powered car and allows coasting. These different modes allow a new electric car driver to learn the skill at their own pace, which I appreciated. I now drive regularly in Standard (maximum) mode.
Bottom line
-
Manual is about mechanical involvement
-
Automatic is about effortless convenience
-
One-pedal driving is about continuous, intuitive control
One-pedal driving doesn’t replace the romance of shifting gears—but it does replace the thought process behind it.
It is a completely new skill that has been fun to learn. I like to see how long I can drive without using the brake pedal. This is a new way to connect with my car.
I suspect that one-pedal driving will become more and more popular with car lovers as time goes by.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
This power meter in front of the driver shows the Power being used (to the right) or the Charge being returned (to the left) – Mike Gulett
Research and some text by ChatGPT 5.2.
Well, to say I’m stunned is an understatement. You’ve owned some amazing vehicles, including your Bentleys, Iso Grifo, Cobra, and Bizzarrini. I never thought I’d hear the day you’d say you bought an EV. I will say, the Lucid is one of the better-looking EVs out there, and your elaboration about one-pedal driving is intriguing. Unsure, but it seems my leg would cramp from all the acceleration/deceleration. I’m happy this has been a positive experience for you thus far, and I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the car in six months. Cheers!
I do see one every once in a while here near my home. Once I park next to it when I was at Costco. It is a beautiful car, extremely well executed. It’s what happens when you have professional people designing your cars and you listen to them. They had a chance to do a one off.
The proportions and the graphics are very good as well as the form language. It is beautifully shaped. For me, of all the new cars of it have come out electric or not, this is one of the highlights of the car design profession in this era.
What’s very interesting to me is that I think it is now about three years old, and the designers were able to project the character of the car in the theme into the future. It looks new now when we’re at a breaking point in design and everything is getting simpler.
There is no doubt that it was designed by some very experienced professionals. They must’ve had a great time, because the mandate was to create something special. I am sure that they were listened to.
I just have to make one more comment here. Before the load said the other car that really got my attention, even though I do have some background with Cadillac Division was the ELR. That is the electric Cadillac that came out maybe seven or eight years ago. I saw one the other day and it is absolutely stunning. And what I find most enjoyable about seeing it is that it really looks like a Cadillac.
I considered buying one of those when they came out and then shortly after when they finally stopped them after a pretty good production run. Anyway, to all those people who have them, great car to look at.
So the old saying about teaching an old dog new tricks has an exception. It’s great that you’re having fun with your new toy.
Very interesting. I feel like the very intuitive gearbox on my BMW M5, which will downshift as I lift (in the appropriate circumstance and fashion) yields a similar dynamic, minus the efficiencies, of course.
Where I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains near the famed destination spot of Alice’s Restaurant, we can certainly tell which cars are EVs. They are the ones holding up traffic as they either try to brake harvest power, or are going way too slow to save precious battery energy.
The few neighbors up here on the “hill” who did fall for the EV hype and rebates, soon got rid of them, as they wouldn’t make the trip to SF and back, especially climbing our hills. It gets cold up here, and that’s another reason they are getting more & more scarce in the area. The batteries are less effecient in the cold. Just add in one of our many traffic jams, and you have dead EVs strewn about.
Of note is that there is never any mention of the child labor and raping of the earth for the battery materials of these cars, nor the inherent dangers of the batteries themselves. What really gets me is the damage they do to our roads from their extreme weight. These things are super heavy, yet driven by normal people. Cal Trans can’t keep up with replacing the guard rails that they are completely destroy when EVs crashing into them! EVs? NO THANK YOU!
I’ve driven a friend’s Tesla Model S for about an hour, over all types of roads. I had the regenerative braking set at maximum, so I was executing one pedal driving. It was interesting, and as you say, intuitive. However, at the current state of the art, electric cars are very heavy which is taxing for the roads and for parking decks. Also, mass wins the battle in a collision with smaller, lighter cars, putting others at a safety disadvantage. I prefer small, light, simple cars which engage the driver. Give me a set of Brembo calipers over regenerative braking any day. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy your new car! The Lucid is the best looking one out there IMHO.
I sure am glad to see someone extol the good aspects of EVs…. I have a couple of friends whom I describe as knuckle dragging cro magnons. They have SERIOUS EV derangement syndrome. Its gotta have pistons and noise. One friend likens an EV to a totally quiet lovemaking event. Gotta have the noises…. well, I don’t… I think that is silly. To him the exhaust noise is “soul”. After driving my Tesla model S P90D ludicrous for 10.5 years, quiet is more relaxing, and getting to hear a good stereo system with no distracting exhaust and engine noise is GREAT. When a loud Harley goes by, with pipes and no muffler, I tell him: there’s your “soul” noise.
You mentioned the regeneration, I think it returns about 80% of the energy you used to get to that speed. My brake pads are 10.5 years old, but look almost new. Regen takes brake wear to a new level of almost no use. I try to think ahead, and use only regen as long as possible, like you do. My 12 volt battery lasted 9 years. Need I say, there are no tune ups, smog checks, timing belts, no rusted out exhaust pipes to replace, no leaking water pumps and loss of so much more “stuff to do” on a gas car versus an electric. Pistons scuff in the cylinder as they jump up and down, and rings wear out too…also bearings, cams and other moving parts that touch. EVs only have one moving part, the rotor, which does not have any parts that scuff and wear, just two roller bearings on each end. I could go on all day, about the differences, but I will finish with a quote from Jay Leno, whom I met at the local auto books store, and we hit the subject of Teslas, which we both own, and his comment was “EVs make you re think everything you know about cars”
I bought my Lucid Air because of the driving pleasure it delivers with instant torque and hp from 0 mph and I have not been disappointed.
Your discs are going to get rusty from non use. Kidding, does it have actual discs? It sounds like fun driving new tech in a new way. Are there situations besides emergency braking that make you revert back to the old style? Does the system know how quick you lifted off the gas and modulate more braking power? The lucid that I saw seemed like a very luxurious and high tech ride, how first it feel when you drive it closer to the envelope?
Cheers.
Hi Richard! My 2015 Tesla S P90D L has regular iron brake rotor discs, and regular pads… the regen braking begins the instant you release the accelerator pedal, which is a tiny bit faster than a gas car, as you must move your foot over to the brake pedal to start that braking process. On the freeway, when I misjudge how fast the cars are stopping, is when I add a little mechanical brakes to the already ongoing regenerative braking. Same for a car jumping out in front of you in normal driving. The mechanical brakes do get a workout, if you are on a track event, and are coming up to a hairpin style turn, then you use plenty of mechanical brakes, but I’m not planning on doing track events right now, as I am 75. Unplugged Performance has a front brake rotor setup with carbon ceramic brakes, and a new
caliper and pads. This might be a nice way to drop some weight, but I think the kit is about $8,000 … When you come up to red light, about the last one revolution is mechanical braking, as that speed does not give regen braking any stopping power, so…………. my brake rotors never get to rust!