The Tesla Model 3 and electric driving modes

So the Tesla Model 3 is still the best car I've driven to date at 5,000 miles. However I've also noted points that could be improved on.

One point I hadn't brought up is there is no 'one pedal mode' for complete driving like the newer Nissan Leaf. While as a former 2012 Leaf owner I've chosen Tesla, I do like the idea of complete one pedal driving when not using Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC).

So what is one pedal driving you ask? Basically after letting up enough on the accelerator both the Leaf and the TM3 can be configured to engage the motor in 'regen' mode.  Basically the motor operates instead as a generator and provides drag or braking by simply generating electricity pushed back into the battery. It's configurable but a fantastic way to brake as it saves brake pads and extends your range.

Now one thing I noted from various mountain drives, the TM3 regen seems very efficient. My old Leaf would use a lot more energy going up and get very little extra going down.  Now regen will always lose some energy - that's the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. However the TM3 gets much better regenerative efficiency over any car I know. I commonly see 235 wh (watt hours) per mile which is better than any other EV I've tried.

So then with one pedal braking - why not one pedal stopping ?  That's what the new Leaf has. Here the plot thickens. First lets learn about the new advanced motor in the TM3. If you can read the entire article at this link:

Tesla-model-3-motor-in-depth

Short quote "Another clue that the Model 3 motor is not using those rare-earths in a conventional permanent-magnet  motor design is that the car does not do regen all the way down to 0 miles per hour. For example, the Bolt has a conventional 3-phase PM motor which allows it to do regen to 0 MPH. I saw this for myself last year when I test drove a Bolt — you can stop without applying the brakes. We’re calling this puzzle piece #2."

So the TM3 traded the final low speed braking of regen for much higher efficiency. So at the end of the slowing one pedal the final action in a Model 3 is to touch the brake. I would argue this is worth it for efficiency.  In fact any 'one pedal' system has an achilles heel anyway - a full battery. Better you often know where the brake pedal is because with a full battery there is no regen available - no place for the energy to go without damage. So why not trade for a 6% higher battery to wheels efficiency over even the famed Model S.

Understanding this gives you the knowledge needed to appreciate the Model 3 motor. It is the best energy sipping, lightest solution in the business and simply gives you most of positives of one pedal without sacrificing the highest battery energy delivered to wheels of all EVs out there. Thanks Tesla!
Add the fact that the Tesla Model 3 battery pack has the highest energy storage to weight ratio out there and you begin to appreciate how the system hurtles one of the most safe and high tech cars at a miserly watt to distance ratio. Enjoy!