Hybrid Brake Lights

[rivermaverick]

This may have been answered else where but it's been bugging me to know if the brake lights come on in regen mode - answer: no they don't. They only come on when the brake pedal is pressed and when brake hold is on.
I unscrewed the CHMBL assembly to remove the cargo light bulbs (it's annoying that you can't turn them off with the interior light switch). I left it hanging down so I could see the brake light in the mirror.
The brake lights do not come on when in regen going down hill or when slowing without using the brake pedal, I've been using the 'L' button to slow without using the brakes but realize that following drivers don't get a warning.

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[BradnChristine]

This may have been answered else where but it's been bugging me to know if the brake lights come on in regen mode - answer: no they don't. They only come on when the brake pedal is pressed and when brake hold is on.
I unscrewed the CHMBL assembly to remove the cargo light bulbs (it's annoying that you can't turn them off with the interior light switch). I left it hanging down so I could see the brake light in the mirror.
The brake lights do not come on when in regen going down hill or when slowing without using the brake pedal, I've been using the 'L' button to slow without using the brakes but realize that following drivers don't get a warning.

I had the same "argument" over on a thread about ACC and its dangers for following drivers.. Some folks swear that the lights come on when slowing (into the regen zone, but with no brake pedal) and my wife, who I trust implicitly and was following me, said when my ACC dropped me from 80 to 60 coming up on a slow car, there was ZERO brake light. Wonder why there have been a lot of rear end collisions with Maverick Hybrids? This may well be contributing.

 

[Deleted member 1483]

Yeah. I kind of wish they would turn on after a certain amount of regen. I try to be mindful of it (and I don’t have acc)

 

[rivermaverick]

A quick Google for EV brake lights came up with this:
https://www.greencarreports.com/new...on-ev-brake-lights-to-communicate-brake-regen

 

[Tailender]

The brake lights don't come on for any auto transmission when put in low or let off the throttle. Didn't anybody hear of standard transmissions that you downshift without brake lights? If someone gets close to you from behind tap the brakes. And maybe mine is not as good at slowing down in regen, but it's not slowing me that much that someone would drive into me?

 

[BradnChristine]

The brake lights don't come on for any auto transmission when put in low or let off the throttle. Didn't anybody hear of standard transmissions that you downshift without brake lights? If someone gets close to you from behind tap the brakes. And maybe mine is not as good at slowing down in regen, but it's not slowing me that much that someone would drive into me?

ACC can slow you pretty damned fast without requiring a brake pedal. 80 down to 60 with ACC didn't require any service brakes, but even at max distance on the ACC, it was pretty abrupt to my wife who was following me.

 

[41Special]

Heavy trucks and manual cars have been downshifting without brake lights since forever, but I guess there are more oblivious drivers tailgating these days.

Brake lights appearing while coasting can be dangerous at speeds, where a quick flash of brake light on the freeway can create an accordion response several vehicles back.

 

[Tailender]

ACC can slow you pretty damned fast without requiring a brake pedal. 80 down to 60 with ACC didn't require any service brakes, but even at max distance on the ACC, it was pretty abrupt to my wife who was following me.

Well there is the problem. Your wife was driving! Sorry I couldn't resist.

 

[rivermaverick]

I've always driven manual transmission cars and am aware of the 'no brake lights' issue when slowing.
When I was taught to drive (a looong time ago) the decree was 'look ahead, anticipate, downshift' the last thing to do was use the brakes. I'm told that that is no longer taught.

 

[BradnChristine]

Well there is the problem. Your wife was driving! Sorry I couldn't resist.

Someone, destined to be single, if not already in that status, suggested that I tell my wife I needed to get a second opinion and have a different person follow me to verify whether the lights were on or not.

 

[crgator]

Funny this came up today. I thought I had read somewhere that brake lights came on during regen braking. So, I asked the lady of the house to follow me soon and let me know. Now I won't need to bother.

I must admit, it seemed odd to me that the brake lights would come on virtually every time you came off the gas or started a descent. And, having driven a manual transmission for probably more years than an automatic, I frequently braked by downshifting with obviously no brake lights.

 

[yoyomav]

Don't see the issue here. When you let off the accelerator the truck slows down very gradually, just like any ICE vehicle that I drove before.

Brake light will come on once the brake pedal is depressed.

Hyundai ioniq is another story, I think they messed up the regen algorithm and the car slows down way too much when the accelerator is released without the brake light ever coming on. It's absolutely infuriating when you follow one of those cars.

 

[Bob S]

A recent video I seen over this subject.

 

[BradnChristine]

Don't see the issue here. When you let off the accelerator the truck slows down very gradually, just like any ICE vehicle that I drove before.

Not with ACC. The slowdown is NOT gradual when you come upon another vehicle. Our trip was across I-90 with an 80 MPH speed limit and cruise set to that...and then we came across folks driving as slow as 60 and ACC took it right down to 60 with no alert and no warning. It didn't help that my wife was in the very low-to-the-ground Miata and could not see around me to prepare for the slowdown.

I suppose if they were doing 40 or less, ACC or the crash detection stuff would have applied the service brakes and triggered the light, but not dropping 20 MPH and staying at 60.

 

[K5Blazer]

Gee, I though a lot of people were rear ending other drivers because they were looking at their phones and tailgating.

Silly me.

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