Traditional steering wheel paddle shifters allow the driver to manually control a car’s transmission, but in the 2014 Cadillac ELR, the paddle shifters will enable the driver to temporarily regenerate energy and store it as electricity in the battery pack for later use.
Traditional steering wheel paddle shifters allow the driver to manually control a car’s transmission, but in the 2014 Cadillac ELR, the paddle shifters will enable the driver to temporarily regenerate energy and store it as electricity in the battery pack for later use. ELR’s Regen on Demand feature is unique to the compact luxury coupe.
To engage Regen on Demand, the driver simply takes his or her foot off the accelerator and pulls back on either the left or right steering-wheel paddle to begin regenerating electricity. When engaged, Regen on Demand provides vehicle deceleration that is more than what a typical vehicle experiences while coasting, providing control and dynamic performance characteristics similar to downshifting in a manual-transmission vehicle. The feature does not bring the vehicle to a full stop. Releasing the paddle disengages Regen on Demand, allowing the vehicle to coast normally. The driver can engage and disengage Regen on Demand as desired and as traffic conditions allow.
“Regen on Demand enables ELR drivers to actively re-capture energy when slowing down, such as when approaching slower traffic or setting up for a tight turn,” said Chris Thomason, ELR chief engineer. “This allows the driver to take more active role in the electric vehicle driving experience. Pulling back on the paddle to slow down allows the ELR driver to keep their foot close to the throttle, ready to accelerate. It provides a more engaged, satisfying driving experience, and when you consider the added benefit of re-capturing energy, it’s also a smart thing to do.”
During regenerative braking, the system converts the vehicle’s momentum to electrical power and stores the energy in the T-shaped battery pack located along the centerline of the vehicle, between the front and rear wheels for optimal weight distribution. The ELR has an electric driving range of 35 miles before the range extender engine kicks in.
The 2014 Cadillac ELR will arrive in showrooms early next year.
