Electric cars represent much more than a simple shift in powertrain from petrol/diesel to batteries – they are bringing in a whole lot of driving technologies that are changing how humans handle cars.
One such is the i-Pedal technology found in Hyundai Creta Electric – thanks to this tech, I was able to safely drive in Delhi’s traffic for a week without using the brake pedal at all.
What’s the i-Pedal?
Also called one-pedal driving, in this setting the regenerative braking is so strong that as soon as you take your right foot off the accelerator, the car decelerates extremely quickly, almost mimicking the conventional braking action, and comes to a complete stop, even on a slope. In stop-and-go traffic, it means you won’t have to use the brake pedal at all.
It also leads to extreme efficiency – I drove 185 km in the Creta Electric at an efficiency of a staggering 10.5 km/kWh. In other words, for one unit of electricity (1 kWh) priced Rs 7-8, the Creta Electric covered 10.5 km (running cost of less than Rs 1 per km).
How to activate?
In the Creta Electric, it’s activated by pulling the left side paddle shifter (behind the steering wheel). It automatically gets disengaged when you reverse or switch off the car – and needs to be activated every time you drive.
Is it a new technology?
No, while regenerative braking has existed for a century, it was popularised by Nissan in the Leaf in 2017 – in which it’s called e-Pedal. In Tesla cars, it’s called Hold, and was introduced in 2019. In India, it’s found in Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Volvo’s XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, and BMW has the B mode in its EVs.
When should you use it?
It’s best used in stop-and-go traffic for better efficiency – because every time you take your foot off the accelerator, the i-Pedal recharges the battery.
It shouldn’t be used on highways, where coasting – letting the car roll – is more efficient than regenerating, because on a highway, if you lift your foot slightly and the car aggressively slows down, you have to use new energy to get back to existing speed, and that is inefficient.
Why you need to give it a break?
If you always rely on regenerative braking, the physical brakes will sit unused, leading to corrosion.
(The Creta Electric 42-kWh is priced Rs 18.02-22.33 lakh, and the 51.4-kWh model is priced Rs 20-24.7 lakh.)
