Tesla is a high-tech automaker that spearheads road safety and energy efficiency among its automobiles. A regenerative braking system is a feature in Tesla vehicles that convert kinetic energy to electricity to recharge the battery and boost the mile range.
In short, Tesla’s regenerative braking is temporarily reduced due to cold temperatures, a fully charged battery, and too much energy. Understanding how these factors limit your Tesla regenerative braking system will help find an appropriate measure for fixing them.
Fixing a temporarily reduced Tesla regenerative braking system may sound simple, but you need to learn a thing or two. Let us now dive into the article for more insights about a limited regenerative braking system.
Causes of Tesla Regenerative Braking Temporarily Reduced
Multiple factors can make your Tesla’s regenerative braking limited for a certain period. Below are the possible causes and their respective solutions:
Winter Tire Tread Designs
Many car enthusiasts love changing the tires of their rides depending on the current weather conditions. Installing winter tires with aggressive tread designs on your Tesla will cause temporarily reduced regenerative braking power.
I recommend changing the tires to restore the regenerative braking power on your Tesla. The vehicle will automatically recalibrate itself after some moderate torque acceleration in a straight line.
sometimes, the recalibration process occurs after a short period of normal driving.
Fully Charged Battery
Most first-time Tesla owners suffer from range anxiety. The issue forces many drivers to charge their Tesla cars to 100% and avoid getting stuck on the highway.
However, a fully charged battery will limit your Tesla regenerative braking power. We recommend charging your Tesla lithium battery to about 90-95% rather than 100%.
The room will allow the regenerative braking power to kick in after engaging your Tesla. Avoid overcharging your battery to prevent regenerative braking limitations.
Too Much Energy
Tesla vehicles use lithium-ion batteries to provide electricity that enhances propulsion. These batteries are known to hold a charge for an extended period.
Slamming the brakes abruptly due to a road hazard will cause excess kinetic energy production. The temporarily-reduced regenerative braking occurs due to too much kinetic energy.
I recommend driving well to slow down to a stop without slamming on the brakes. Keep the slamming numbers too low to maximize the regenerative braking system.
Cold Outdoor Temperature
Electric vehicles experience cold weather limitations like their traditional counterparts. The freezing temperatures will make the Tesla battery struggle to recharge due to the transition at the anode.
The change in battery function will temporarily reduce the regenerative braking power. Tesla recommends heating the cabin to raise the battery temperature during winter to kick in the regenerative braking.
Another option is to get Tesla models with battery pack heaters to enhance the maximum use of regenerative braking power.
Can You Adjust Regenerative Braking on Tesla?
The earliest Tesla models allow the drivers to adjust the regenerative braking settings to suit their needs and driving style.
The driver can opt for standard and low or standard and high settings while hitting the road. But the modern Tesla models come with a default setting to limit the driver from adjusting the regenerative braking settings.
The regen strength is standard without room for putting the low setting. The standard setting is more efficient than the previous option. Many people have started appreciating this default setting since it relieves them from the hassle of making adjustments more often.
How Many Miles Does Regenerative Braking Add?
Tesla vehicles with regenerative braking feature experience about 32% of their total energy. It implies that the electric car will experience an increase in mile range by 32.
These extra miles will help the drivers reach the next supercharger station or their destinations. The mileage increase will depend on the Tesla model since some experience up to 50% of their total charge after regenerative brake power kick-in.
The auto technological advancement has forced Tesla to remove the setting in its current software update. The removal was due to frequent regenerative braking limitation reports from the drivers.
The default settings are more effective and efficient than the previous ones. It allows the driver to have a feel and control over the vehicle.
Conclusion
Having a deeper insight into how regenerative braking systems work will help avoid temporal limitations. I hope the factors above helped identify the exact reasons for temporarily reducing Tesla’s regenerative braking power.
Modern Tesla models no longer have the option to switch between regenerative settings to avoid limitations associated with temporal power reduction. But the default settings work better than the previous one. Feel free to share your experiences in the comment section.
