Regenerative Brakes - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited March 2015 in BMW
imageRegenerative Brakes - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

The regenerative brakes in electric vehicles like our long-term 2014 BMW i3 can be pretty dramatic but they capture energy that would otherwise be wasted on conventional brakes.

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  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    I understand its a mix between mechanical and electrical, but I still would love to see a really "smart" system that incorporated the two. So, you take your foot off the accelerator and nothing happens (this is a common state for me, just cruising - neither accelerating nor decelerating quickly), but when you press the brake you aren't directly connected with the calipers, but instead with an artificial system that starts by regen braking and then applies mechanical pressure as needed.
  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    I will say that having aggressive regen could be a real PITA. You take your foot off the accelerator and your speed starts dropping rapidly. Now, you have to speed back up again. I guess this means you ALWAYS have to have your foot on the accelerator to maintain speed.
  • yellowbalyellowbal Member Posts: 234
    @kirkhilles1, it's safer to control speed the BMW i3 way. If you want to cruise, use cruise control.
  • tatermctatumstatermctatums Member Posts: 107
    @kirkhilles1 I have an electric motorcycle and you can do exactly that. The amount of brake regen, the amount of lift off throttle regen, and the sensitivity of the throttle can all be customized via the smartphone app. When you pull the brake lever just enough to activate the brake light, the regen kicks in and the hydraulic brakes don't. If you need more braking you just squeeze a little harder to activate the calipers. I also have it set so that when I release the throttle, there's no regen. It just coasts.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    The regenerative brakes had better work well...because that is one seriously undersized rotor.
  • tlangnesstlangness Member Posts: 123
    @fordson1 - They may looks small compared to the size of the wheels, but those are 11-inch rotors and the i3 only weighs about 3,100 pounds. In our performance testing, that was enough to bring the i3 to a stop from 60 in just 111 feet. Whether we attribute that to the regenerative brakes, the conventional ones or both, it's a really short distance.
  • anotherdrunkanotherdrunk Guest Posts: 30
    we love our i3

    the one pedal city driving experience is revolutionary
  • anotherdrunkanotherdrunk Guest Posts: 30
    edited March 2015
    future article/ update ideas


    super tight turning radius
    funky frunk (front trunk)
    huge "everything doesnt spill out when you open" glovebox
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    My 2700-lb. SVT Focus has 11.8" rotors, and my 3100-lb. GTI has 12.3". And an initial stopping distance is not really a measure of brake reserve capacity, which is really what I'm talking about.
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