cars news 10: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt Offers One-Pedal Driving With Regen Paddles

Although regenerative braking can feel jarring and unsettling at first, drivers have every reason to love it while traversing through stop-and-go traffic using primarily the accelerator. General Motors is offering a feature on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt to further minimize a driver’s need to press down on the brake pedal.

By toggling the Regen on Demand paddle located on the back of the steering wheel, drivers can access increasing levels of regenerative braking. Chevy says it’s so strong that, in certain situations, the vehicle will come to a stop on its own without the need for a driver to use the brake pedal at all.

One-pedal driving can boost range by up to 5 percent on the Bolt, the automaker claims. For max regenerative braking, drivers can use the Regen on Demand paddle while also putting the vehicle in “Low” gear. The paddle feature is also offered on the updated Chevrolet Volt, where it works the same way.

The Bolt EV uses a 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack co-developed with LG Chem to feed an electric motor that produces 200 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque. Hitting 60 mph should take less than 7 seconds, the automaker estimates, and range should be at least 200 miles. The EV goes on sale later this year.

Source: Chevrolet