[hardy001]

I am waiting for arrival of my new Bolt, hopefully soon. Question from another forum. Someone indicated that if using "one pedal breaking" the break lights do not activate unless you remove your foot from the break fully? When using the paddle shifter the break lights come on whenever it is fully depressed. Is that accurate. Seems like someone might run into you if you are using only the throttle and the break lights don't activate. Anyone know the answer.

thanks for your help.

 

[NY-Rob]

Cars use brakes, but some cars do break as well

No such thing as "one pedal braking"... it's "one pedal driving".

If you decelerate due to partially releasing the accelerator pedal and hit a certain deceleration G force value the brake lights will illuminate, no need to completely lift your foot off the accelerator pedal to activate the brake lights.

 

[hardy001]

That's exactly what I needed to know.

Thanks

 

[borkbork]

you should note that the brake light doesn't stay on once you come to a stop in L, unless you put your foot on the brake.

 

[drdiesel1]

The brake lamp activation is .4 g's

 

[Cehjun]

The brake lamp activation is .4 g's

According to ChevyCustomerCare on the other forum brake lights turn on when deceleration is greater than about 0.1G :
http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5905&hilit=brake+lights#p16288


dr you may have been thinking about the Bolt's max possible deceleration G's. Using a G meter app I've measured my Bolt's max deceleration force in L mode with paddle pulled as high as -0.39G.

 

[phil0909]

According to ChevyCustomerCare on the other forum brake lights turn on when deceleration is greater than about 0.1G

That's right. But the Bolt has no accelerometer display, so knowing the approximate deceleration trigger is fairly useless. Even better than an accelerometer would have been an on/off indicator for the brake lights. Chevy doesn't provide that either.

 

[RMiller]

Everything else is so solidly engineered, why would you think they can't manage the brake lights?

 

[SanFranTanguero]

I'd say this is a pretty common question and comes pops up when you think about safety. I've had a couple of folks ask me about it and I wanted to know it myself. Part of the reason the question arises is that you can't tell when the brake lights are coming on (sitting in the driver's seat). I don't think I want yet another notification light in the instrument panel, but I'd like some knowledge in how the lights are designed to behave. For example, I didn't know that the lights do not come on when stopped in L mode. Seems like it should, but I could see the argument the other way as well.

 

[Oldskybolt]

It would be good for Chevrolet to put a clear explanation regard the "brake light" activation in both the L mode and the regular D mode and using the "braking paddle".

I didn't really get comfortable with the brake lights coming on as I thought they would, until I'd asked my wife to (while on our cell phones) to follow me and tell me when the lights actually came on and off during using the L mode.

I'm still not clear regarding the same using the paddle while in the D mode. Does anyone have any clear information regarding the brake lights coming on when the steering wheel paddle is used??

 

[TotaledJetta]

It would be good for Chevrolet to put a clear explanation regard the "brake light" activation in both the L mode and the regular D mode and using the "braking paddle".

I didn't really get comfortable with the brake lights coming on as I thought they would, until I'd asked my wife to (while on our cell phones) to follow me and tell me when the lights actually came on and off during using the L mode.

I'm still not clear regarding the same using the paddle while in the D mode. Does anyone have any clear information regarding the brake lights coming on when the steering wheel paddle is used??

I would also like to know that. I often stop with the regen paddle and wonder what the driver behind sees. Maybe I am a bit paranoid because I was rear ended in my previous car.:nerd:

 

[borkbork]

just look in the mirror next time you're driving at night, you can tell when the central brake light is on.

 

[NY-Rob]

The brake pedal has a physical switch that directly activates the brake lights.

The regen feature no matter in "L" or "D" and regardless if the regen on demand paddle is used or not used- will activate the brake lights via a preset negative G force value present on the Bolt's built-in accelerometer.

 

[masters]

I would also like to know that. I often stop with the regen paddle and wonder what the driver behind sees. Maybe I am a bit paranoid because I was rear ended in my previous car.:nerd:

The answer is .4G

Try it out with your cell phone that detects how many g-forces are active on it...

 

[phil0909]

The answer is .4G

0.4g (it's not G, it's g) is about 9 mph/second, which will take the car from 60 to zero in roughly 7 seconds. The Bolt does 60 to zero in 3 seconds (132 feet), which is just over 0.9g of deceleration.

So, if the answer were .4g, that would mean that the brake lights stay dark until you apply nearly half of the Bolt's fully-slammed-on braking capability (which Cehjun tells us is all the braking capability there is in regen). That would be far too late. 0.1g is a much more reasonable threshold for the brake lights.

But I've never looked at the brake light while driving...

 

[TotaledJetta]

just look in the mirror next time you're driving at night, you can tell when the central brake light is on.

I will have to give that a try. I agree that activation at .4 g seems a little high as a set point for break lights, when you can just touch the break peddle and they come on.

 

[NY-Rob]

0.1g seems more likely, it doesn't take much regen to activate the brake lights.

In NY you're always being tailgated... so I occasionally shoot a look up at the rearview mirror when braking- if it's a pickup or van w/a lot of chrome on the front behind me I can easily see my brake lights popping on and off as a reflection. It doesn't take much deceleration to activate them.

 

[phil0909]

the break peddle

Good one. :laugh:

 

[Pete Blair]

0.1g seems more likely, it doesn't take much regen to activate the brake lights.

In NY you're always being tailgated... so I occasionally shoot a look up at the rearview mirror when braking- if it's a pickup or van w/a lot of chrome on the front behind me I can easily see my brake lights popping on and off as a reflection. It doesn't take much deceleration to activate them.

It is 0.1g to activate the brake lights. I have seen it on a post from an official chevy representative, i'll see if I can find where it was and post a link here.

Found it. http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5905

One interesting point in that thread that is confirmed. Regen in D will not activate the brake lights, ever. Only regen from driving in L or the regen on demand paddle.

 

[Sailfast]

I'd be slightly more comfortable if the brake lights stayed on when the car was in D or L and the car was not moving. Just a bit more notice to those coming up behind you that the car was stopped.