[monkeyfacebag]

I don't know anything about the author, but the breathless praise combined with questionable analysis leads me to think this is a PR puff piece.

For example,

> The instant you start letting off the accelerator, the motors start braking and feeding energy back to the battery pack. This is especially helpful for off-roading, which requires lots of careful stopping and starting.

This could very well be true, but how did the author come to this conclusion in the context of a test drive?

[rconti]

Well, it's pretty clear from the article that a significant chunk of the 'test drive' occurred off road.

And it only makes sense that regenerative deceleration with a motor at each wheel would provide much more granular control when crawling over rocks or other loose surfaces than a friction brake system would.

Other manufacturers of conventional off-roaders have had to design and implement 'hill descent control' systems to serve this very purpose; using the brakes individually to provide a controlled descent.

With a driver pressing on a brake pedal, equal force is sent to each wheel, which may cause locking on one wheel (and thus loss of braking force), and increased demands on the other wheels, which might lead to locking/slipping and a loss of control. Anti-lock brakes aren't really designed to solve this; they pulse the brakes at that wheel to un-lock them, but once they decide the wheel is turning again, they'll allow it to lock right up again.

The Adventure Journal review is a bit more in-depth from someone perhaps a bit more experienced.

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2021/09/drive-test-rivian-...

[ra7]

It’s right there in the article. The “test drive” the author is talking about is an off-roading event organized by Rivian. There are several videos on YouTube about this event.

> Rivian invited me out to Colorado earlier in September to spend a few days getting to know the R1T inside and out. I scrambled up mountain passes, cruised sweeping highways, and got up close to the myriad of thoughtful features the truck has to offer.

[Corrado]

This one is pretty good (JerryRigEverythin) and even includes repairing a blown tire! https://youtu.be/KGqexebCcUo

[ra7]

Yep, that's a great review. Overall I'm very impressed by the R1T! I'm not a truck buyer, but this bodes well for the R1S which I am interested in.

[monkeyfacebag]

My point is that evaluating the relative effectiveness of regenerative braking in off-road contexts requires data and analysis which would not be present in a test drive context. Speculating about the effectiveness or parroting Rivian marketing materials would not require any data or analysis.

[ra7]

What data and analysis do you need to say “regenerative braking is useful for off roading”? It’s an opinion by someone who finds that feature useful.

What is so hard to believe for you? Off roading requires plenty of start and stop, hence more braking. Regen allows the driver to use brake pedal less. Seems obvious that this is useful on its own, in addition to regen adding energy back to the battery.

[mlyle]

It's not hard to understand how pedal feel-- specifically, the degree of instant, single-pedal control you get in an EV with regenerative braking-- are helpful in many contexts. It's something I realized within a few miles of driving an EV for the first time. It's an opinion I still hold after 10k miles.

[gibolt]

While this author might not be as experienced with EVs, nearly every journalist and enthusiast in the space has been impressed with the company and their hands-on experience.

The experience is significantly different from an ICE truck, (quiet, powerful, feature-ful...) that it would have an impact on someone inexperienced

[jnsie]

Sounds like the author is waxing lyrical about regenerative braking? A bit breathless and certainly veering into marketing (rather than analysis) territory.

[m463]

If you've driven a heavy vehicle up and down steep stuff, regenerative braking is super nice. shifting into 3rd or 2nd is not the same. A compression brake is kind of ok.

[haliskerbas]

This is business insider we're reading. The publication is meant for lay folk.

(Like me who apparently doesn't block ads because there were more of those on a given screen than article text)

[monkeyfacebag]

This is exactly my point. Establishing that regenerative braking is "especially helpful" for a particular driving context feels like a conclusion one could not reach during a test drive.

More likely that the author got some talking points and maybe even data from the fine folks at Rivian.

[fsckboy]

I think the article is pure PR.

however, automatically engaging regenerative breaking is especially helpful for mimicking a manual transmission (without freewheel/overdrive). It's a desirable characteristic for sporty driving styles.

my favorite piece of BS is "they've flipped the script!" I hope not, people already know what they want a pickup to do: haul their stuff around. They don't want their stuff hauling their pickup around, for example.

[rconti]

Except it mimicks downshifting a transmission where you can have different gear ratios at each wheel, dynamically! It's the perfect application of this tech.

Yes, it's a puff piece, but that doesn't mean there's not truth behind it.

[gbronner]

Also, perfect traction control at each wheel. And the ability to do tank turns, or to get out of deep snow/sand

[op00to]

Yes, that’s how these things usually work. Though usually the writer doesn’t handle covering the talking points like checking off a to do list.

[new_realist]

They took the cars off-road for hours on Colorado trails. Did you not read the article?

[browningstreet]

All early access content is written like this, these days. See the Amazon hardware coverage from today.

[jeffbee]

The entire automotive press industry is designed to simply transform and reprint materials provided by automakers.

[atwebb]

Same here, it hit the front page in minutes with no comments and content is lacking a bit...

[nickik]

Its not really true actually. Repeatably starting is actually very bad for the battery and you don't get nearly as much back as you lose.

[oh_sigh]

This feature that Teslas have had for 13+ years is unprecedented!

[kybernetikos]

I believe regenerative braking has been used in cars since 1967. However the review talks specifically about how the feature applies to off-roading which other electric cars including Teslas are not designed for.

[rconti]

The Prius had regenerative braking too, but, like Tesla, only on one axle (or two in the case of Tesla AWD vehicles).