I was sad to hear that the EQS will not have 1PD. I just bought my first EV three weeks ago and it took me two days to get used to 1PD. But now I love it and I don't want to drive another EV without it.

It's great that we can change the amount of regen with Paddles but all we need is for the regen to continue all the way to a stop.

With Over the Air updates do you think we can lobby MB to add this feature to the EQS? Any other EV drivers here want 1PD in the EQS?

 

If that is true then it is disappointing. 1PD is clearly superior.

 

Sounds like a nice feature. Agree it’s a shame the EQS won’t have it. I don’t know if things have changed with newer models, but my 2018 S class has OTA update capability, but in the close to 4 years I have owned the vehicle, Mercedes has not provided one update. So I wouldn’t hold my breath for Mercedes to update it via the OTA feature.
Did you have any difficulty in learning how to stop in traffic using just the one pedal? Was it stressful to learn in traffic? Do you find yourself instinctively going to the brake pedal as you were learning. I imagine there could be a few times a day you would still have to revert to slamming on the brakes.

 

The German manufacturers universally eschew one-pedal driving. As far as I know none of the current Audi, BMW, MB and Porsche EV have one-pedal driving, and I'm kinda with them on this. It's the first thing I had to turn off immediately when I drove my friend's Model 3. Not saying I couldn't necessarily get used to it, but I don't quite see what problem it's supposed to solve. I know one reason they don't do it is because they want their EVs to feel like their other cars to ease the transition. One problem with one-pedal driving is that it's not consistent like traditional engine braking or the physical brakes. The amount of braking depends on the current battery charge. For example if you charged the battery to 100% in preparation for a road trip, then there's barely any regen braking because the energy can't go anywhere. This is specifically why Porsche is not using it in the Taycan, and even the regen braking is not as aggressive as in other EVs, so that there's a consistent brake feel.

I might recall it incorrectly, but I believe the EQS uses its assistance systems, so if the traffic in front comes to a stop it automatically comes to a stop even if you don't have DISTRONIC engaged. Speaking of DISTRONIC, one can effectively one-pedal drive any Mercedes by activating DISTRONIC. Based on the map it will automatically slow down into sharp turns, roundabouts, intersections and even your exit if navigation is active and obviously slow down for cars ahead. At any time you can override it with the throttle, but essentially you never have to apply the brakes manually. There are times when I'm stuck behind some slow and inconsistent drivers and then I simply activate DISTRONIC and let the car operate brake and throttle for the most part with me occasionally overriding it with the throttle. I find this far superior over plain one-pedal driving, because it's intelligent based on the maps and the car ahead of me.

 

I can understand why when you do one drive you may not like regen. But when you own an EV and drive it every day, it quickly becomes a very valuable thing. I like it for several reasons:
1) It reduces wear on brakes and therefore reduces brake dust. Since Mercedes does not offer Carbon Ceramic Brakes on the EQS, brake dust is a problem. Regen will significantly reduce brake dust.
2) It is more efficient and extends range.
3) It is very intuitive and actually makes driving in a city more smooth as an experience.

I understand why Porsche doesn't have it on a Taycan, but there is a big difference between a Porsche and an EQS. I wouldn't want Regen on a 911. But I would want it on an EQS - especially if they are going to deprive us of Carbon Ceramic Brakes.

Also your point about regen being inconsistent because of battery charge is frivolous. Nobody charges their battery to 100% for day to day use. If you did that it would quickly destroy your battery life. Further you burn more energy than you recoup, so the power balance goes down more than up even with regen.

 

Since none of us have actually driven the new EQS, maybe wait until we drive one to offer an opinion about it's re-gen abilities and performance. The videos I've watched say very little about it.

 

All valid points, but I think you are missing the part that the EQS, Taycan etc. don't use the physical brakes right away when you step on the brake pedal. Up to 0.3g deceleration I believe it is they use regen braking and then transition to the physical brakes if more stopping power is required. So really the only thing one-pedal driving saves you from is having to switch your foot to the brake pedal. They all do immediate regen similar to traditional engine braking and then when you step on the brakes the regen increases until the physical brakes are required to slow the car even more. Porsche for example says 90% of the braking is done via regen even though you use the brake pedal. With Tesla on the other hand if you step on the brakes it immediately engages the physical brakes. It's two different approaches ultimately accomplishing the same, but I prefer how the Germans do it, because the throttle is for go and the brake pedal to slow down.

 

They should really make it user configurable.

 

That would be the best solution. I find it interesting, though, that they pretty much universally don't believe in one-pedal driving. Maybe they know something. Tesla does have a knack for providing solutions to problems nobody really has, and some manufacturers are just doing things because Tesla is doing it. I do understand that some people have taken a liking to one-pedal driving. I just kinda think at least during the transition phase where many might be going back and forth between ICE and BEV it might not be such a great idea.

 

Yeah I just disagree with you. I have an ICE and a BEV. I am not a long time Tesla owner, I have only had it a few weeks. I am perfectly able to switch between the two. In fact I often drive both daily. The one pedal driving is very intuitive and convenient when driving in city traffic. I recently owned a Panamera Turbo S e-hybrid which I sold to make room for the EQS. That did not have full regen, and quite frankly it was a lot more clunky to drive in EV mode than the Tesla.

Quite frankly the position of the German OEMs reminds me of the time Apple didn't want to make phones with larger than a 3.5" screen and was perfectly happy to lose market share to Samsung because of their intransigence. Fortunately for them, Tesla has some of the same traits when it comes to things like surround cameras, HUD, round steering wheels, etc.

 

The BMW i3 has one pedal driving. In fact it was the first time I used it while at a BMW Ultimate Driving experience. I did see one report that the iX will have something similar.

 

Well I was conservative while learning, I would find myself letting off the go pedal too early and thus stop too soon. Just like how I trust radar cruise to bring the car to a stop, I trusted 1pd to bring the car to a stop so I did not find myself going to the brake pedal or needing to slam on the brakes.

I have not had any trouble switching back and forth between my ICE and my EV. When you take your foot off the go pedal and the car keeps coasting you have to brake, with 1pd the car just starts slowing down as soon as you put less pressure on the go pedal.

I see 1pd as a luxury feature, an energy saving feature, as well as a conservation feature. The luxury of having the car brake for you without the use of radar cruise. It’s basically distronic and brake hold combined in one. With 1pd you get perfect and maximum regenerative braking every time. Sometimes I can complete my round trip commute without ever using the brakes. Sure every once in a while there is a ill timed stop light but other than that once you get used to 1pd you can drastically reduce brake wear and tear as well as reduce the amount of brake dust on your wheels.

 

I have daily driven a Tesla Model S for about 3 years, while occasionally driving my S 63 (just sold it) or my wife's BMW. Switching between the vehicles has been an issue for me. While driving the ICE vehicles I will routinely lift off the accelerator expecting the vehicle to slow down and will have to break quickly when it doesn't (because of my expectations, the vehicle will appear to accelerate). I have also parked my S 63 and got out forgetting that I need to turn off the vehicle.

 

I'm back! After about a decade where for the last 6 years my primary car has been a Tesla Model S P85D. When I was on this forum last I had an SL600 and before that an S500. One pedal driving is great. I'm back because that idiot Musk refuses to sell the new Model S with a steering wheel, insisting that we use a aircraft-style yoke with touch-sensitive patches (not real buttons) on the yoke instead of control stalks for turning signals, etc. Yuck. So I have been following the EQS as the clear alternative. Not as fast as a Tesla, but more technologically advanced. But because I like one pedal driving, I've been looking out for it. Here is text from the english language press release from the April introduction, page 29:


Intelligent recuperation: one-pedal driving to a standstill
The EQS offers several variants of energy recovery: In this process, the high-voltage battery is charged by converting the mechanical rotary motion into electrical energy during push or braking operation. The driver can manually select the deceleration in three stages (D+, D, D-) and the coast function via shift paddles behind the steering wheel. Additionally, there is DAuto. In this programm, up to 5 m/s2 deceleration is achieved, 3 m/s2 of which is due to recuperation (2 m/s2 via the wheel brakes). The recuperation power of the all-wheel drive versions is up to 290 kW2, and for rear-wheel drive vehicles, traction (and thus driving stability) is the limiting factor. ECO Assist also offers situation-optimised energy recovery - deceleration is so strong or weak that it ultimately results in the most efficient driving style. Recuperative deceleration is also used as far as possible approaching detected vehicles ahead until they come to a standstill, for example at traffic lights. The driver does not need to press the brake pedal for this - pure one-pedal driving.

So unless they changed it, we are in luck.

 

Yes, that's essentially what I was trying to explain above like you can turn on DISTRONIC to essentially achieve one-pedal driving, except the EQS does it automatically w/o having to engage DISTRONIC. However, from my understanding, it only comes to a standstill w/o using the brake pedal if there is a car ahead of you that's coming to a standstill at a traffic light for example. The EQS then intelligently recuperates and comes to a full stop. However, I don't think that happens if you are the lead car and there is nobody in front of you. It'll still slow down using recuperation, but I don't think it will come to a full stop.

 

I see your point. I'm one of what is probably the minority of Tesla drivers who keeps the "creep" setting on, so I use one-pedal to slow to a couple MPH or so and then apply the brake to come to a full stop. It keeps my muscle memory right for driving other cars. So if the EQS delivers one-pedal down to creep speeds I'll take it!

 

Well that sounds cool, but it's still not 1PD.
If they can do this with ECO assist then why don't they just enable 1PD and get it over with.

Oh well I will take it, its better than nothing.

 

Damn, I had no idea a 1PD was even a thing......I'm sure it was weird the first time and takes getting used to

 

What he is describing could be better than one pedal driving. Let's see when we drive it.

 

Actually, it does have 1PD. First you have to go into the settings and turn off creep mode. After that, I found the most Tesla-like experience to come from the "Strong Recuperation" setting. So far, I have found that the Auto mode is too variable, which I think is unsafe for those of us used to 1PD, and have certain expectations of the car's response to letting the foot off the pedal.

The worst part of the MB EQ experience is that your changes to the Recuperation and Dynamic mode are forgotten the next time you start the car and put into drive. Why, Mercedes, WHY?! These settings aren't changed often to suit some driver's ever-changing mood?! These should be saved with the Profile.

 

OK, let me chime in, since I daily drive one. It effectively has 1PD. If you click into strong recuperation mode in traffic, pay attention, and maintain proper spacing, you seldom (if ever) need to use the brakes (I have not needed to turn off creep mode). The braking is immediate and firm when you back off completely (and the brake lights do come on), and a steady foot makes use of the brakes almost unnecessary. I occasionally have to use them in the last second or so, if traffic comes to an unexpected complete stop. The benefits of this are immense in energy conservation and extention of battery reserves. I have actually seen the SOC go up while driving in traffic. I like it very much, and do not lament the occasional need to hit the brakes. This is my opinion....YMMV.

 

While you can't change the default, there is a setting that will prompt you if you'd like to engage your previous drive mode once you start the vehicle. It doesn't save the recuperation mode though. Very frustrating.

 

Yeah, I have enabled that setting, but I always forget to tap the screen before the prompt disappears. The prompt should be the reverse, it reverts back to comfort if you don't tap it I read somewhere that MB chose to always default to comfort to keep their CAFE numbers lower - which shouldn't matter nearly as much for an EV.

 

I second statements here that 1 pedal driving is available, and in fact is more aggressive than in my wife's Model 3. I guess I am in a minority here hating one pedal driving.... My 580 is set on no recuperation. I tried on my way to the office the intelligent / normal / strong recuperation settings, I did not see any difference in energy consumption - using the "brakes" engages preferential engine recuperation and is quite effective. I only have 3 miles to drive, so on longer distance the effect may be more significant. The Taycan wonderful coasting got me away from the Tesla 1 pedal thingy. One pedal driving starts regen whenever you take the foot of the "gas" pedal - whether you want it or not. To emulate coasting, you need to keep your foot in steady position, which I find annoying.

 

I hated it at first, but it has grown on me. I drive 25 miles one way to the golf course five times a week, usually in rush hour traffic, on the busiest highway (with construction going on) on the North side of San Antonio. That is where I find it most useful, because the braking is so immediate and effective when you ease off the throttle. When not in traffic, I use normal recuperation. To each his own, but I like it.