Archive for July 31st, 2024

One-Pedal Driving

One of the big draws of the new electric vehicles is their feature of one-pedal driving. This is like the cars at amusement parks that kids get to drive and steer, but the steering is limited to the rail that guides them around the track and the car slows down and stops once you let off the gas.

In the case of electric cars, the car can slow down and stop if you let off the accelerator pedal. A lot of people seem to like it, and it certainly helps prolong the life of the brakes.

But as I was driving my old gas-powered car around yesterday with a stuck parking brake, I realized that just about every car has a one-pedal driving feature.

Go ahead and try it. In my car I have a handbrake lever I pull up, but in the family minivan it’s a foot pedal on the far left that you press. Activate the park brake about halfway, then go drive around with just the gas pedal. On my car at least, it slowed down and came to a stop without having the press the brake pedal. It also held itself on a shallow hill.

The only downside is that it lowers fuel efficiency, which is the opposite effect of what it does in an electric or hybrid car. It also shortens the life of the brake pads (or shoes in my case).

But hey, you have one-pedal driving just like all the fancy people these days.

Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Drive the donkey and go on; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you.”

2 Kings 4:24