Regeneration Mode
 

Does anyone know when the brake lights engage during regen? Do they come on when you lift off the accelerator (in auto mode) or when you hit the paddle shifter (in manual mode)?

i would like to avoid a rear end collision! Lol 😂

Have your wife follow you and communicate your actions with your cell phones. Then you can report back to us how it works Thanks in advance.

I believe the car uses an accelerometer to determine deceleration and turns on the brake lights at some established threshold. This is how my BMW i3 works. Certainly worth an experiment to verify.

I asked this very question during an e-tron E1 test drive today. The sales person said, that the brake lights do not come on during regen using the paddle, only when the brake pedal is engaged. Definitely worth an experiment as suggested by jeffbtx. The test drive was AMAZING.

I left the house before sunrise this morning and on local road I can see the brake lights reflect back using the rear view mirrors.
In full auto mode at about 30 mph
1. Let go of the accelerator alone. no brake lights when a) not re-gen'ing b) also not re-gen'ing with predictive ( ie down hill and with a slow moving car in front
2. then I proceed to tap the left paddle once, still no brake lights
3. tapping the left paddle one more time, I see the brake lights are on immediately.

I know it is not conclusive, e.g.
if the G-force is reduce , will the brake lights go off ?
if the G-force is increased while left paddle is at first position and the car in front is stopping quickly ... I am quite sure the lights will lit in this scenario.

Gerry,

Thanks for doing these experiments. I am sure many are curious about this topic. Aside from specifics, I am wondering if you felt like the brake lights were on when they should be and off when they should be. In other words, do the brake lights work like you would expect them to. Thanks