Why did e-Golf choose 4 levels of regen vs i3 continuous

It was pointed out to me that the e-golf does not have an advantage over the i3 by having 4 regen settings because the i3 level of regen is continuous and determined by how much you feather/let up on the gas pedal.

I'd have to drive both cars for a while to really compare the two approaches. The 4 e-Golf settings give you a predictable regen without having to worry about how much feathering to use, plus you can set it to not regen at all, which my wife would prefer

I'm wondering what led e-golf designers to choose their approach versus the i3 continuous approach

Ron

We drove both cars extensively before deciding on the eGolf and the selectable regen was a real plus to us. I dont know if there there is a huge
technical difference but the driving experience is very different.

When in traffic, being able to select how aggressively you want the car to slow down gives us the feeling of more control, almost like a stick shift! I know some people dont want to bother, and you still get the braking regen, but to us it just makes eGolf more fun to drive.

Regarding the 4 e-Golf regen settings vs 1 for the i3, after driving my car, what I originally said is true. The i3 has 1 level and the e-Golf has 4 levels. While it's true you can feather the i3 accelerator to in effect get a continuous degree of braking, you can also do this WITHIN each of the 4 e-Golf regen settings. So in that regard, I'd say the e-Golf regen is more versatile.

I know my wife wouldn't be comfortable beyond level 1 or 2 at most, and at those levels there wouldn't be much if any feathering to learn.

Ron

cove3 said:

Regarding the 4 e-Golf regen settings vs 1 for the i3, after driving my car, what I originally said is true. The i3 has 1 level and the e-Golf has 4 levels. While it's true you can feather the i3 accelerator to in effect get a continuous degree of braking, you can also do this WITHIN each of the 4 e-Golf regen settings. So in that regard, I'd say the e-Golf regen is more versatile.

I know my wife wouldn't be comfortable beyond level 1 or 2 at most, and at those levels there wouldn't be much if any feathering to learn.

Ron

Click to expand...

One more thing to consider is that the i3 doesn't employ regen braking, its strictly hydraulic, so perhaps to help compensate BMW went to a more aggressive lift off pedal regen, probably simpler and cheaper to build. Having now driven the i3 some more, there really isn't much to differentiate, you could leave the Golf in "B" mode and achieve close to the same thing, plus braking regen. Score one for the eGolf I think.