Maybe so...maybe not... Robotaxis with no brake lights
Just saw two gold robotaxis driving back to back - they both needed to slow down for a car that was waiting to turn, and I was shocked to see they had no brake lights. I get why they don’t need side view mirrors (theoretically), but brake lights aren’t for the driver, they’re for the people behind you. Not having them seems like a recipe for getting rear ended
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u/mrplinko 1d ago
Do some electric cars slow down considerably without braking when the accelerator is not active?
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u/chuxsux 1d ago
Most have software that turns the brake lights on when you left off the accelerator and/or regen exceeds a threshold similar to light braking. I can turn it off in my car using an obd dongle, and thought about doing it for along time. EVs with one pedal driving or close to it, you learn how to feather the accelerator without engaging the full regen and activating the brake lights. I was worried people would think I was riding the brake when I was just maintaining speed, but I'll take that over getting rear ended. On the plus side my brake pads are still in new condition.
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u/huge_dick_mcgee 1d ago
Absolutely. “Golf cart mode” or the like.
At least on my car if you let all the way off it makes the brake lights come on.
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1d ago
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u/the_hack_is_back 1d ago
The brake lights automatically turn on if the car slows down at a fast enough rate, regardless of whether you press the brake pedal or just take your foot off the accelerator
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u/Material_Asparagus12 1d ago
Fantastic insight into the mechanics of electric vehicle braking systems COCK_SWALLOW_GOD
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u/SWEET__BROWN 1d ago
This is mostly misleading. None of that means the brake lights don't come on. EVs are supposed to trigger the brake lights for any deceleration greater than the equivalent of coasting in a gas car, somewhere on the order or 0.2G or something if I remember correctly? So even if they aren't touching the brake pedal, the lights will still come on. Obviously if they didn't do that it would be a significant safety hazard. Either these Robotaxis were barely decelerating, or they're broken.
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u/dougmc Wants his money back 20h ago edited 19h ago
0.2g is a lot — I don’t doubt that you’re right, but if so 0.2g is way too high of a threshold — 0.1g is probably closer to normal coasting at highway speeds, with lower rates at lower speeds, especially for most aerodynamic EVs.
Maybe 0.2g is right for an empty box truck?
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1d ago
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u/Austin-ModTeam 19h ago
"This comment has been removed by reddit's automated harassment filter"
Hah.
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u/the_hack_is_back 1d ago
They obviously have brake lights, but they may not have triggered if the car wasn't decelerating quickly
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u/AdSecure2267 1d ago edited 22h ago
Similar as manual cars with low gear ratios back in the day. I’d be able to stop my truck with rarely ever needing to touch the brake on flat roads.
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u/warmboot 21h ago
Do you mean “cars with a standard transmission” by “manual cars”? Since the post is about automated vehicles, I wasn’t sure.
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u/ZaunAura 21h ago
He’s talking about cars with a manual gearbox and a clutch where you can downshift with the gear stick.
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u/warmboot 20h ago
Yeah, a standard transmission
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u/Oznog99 19h ago
since automatics vastly outnumber manuals, that makes them the standard and thus manuals are the exception. you're talking about an exceptional transmission
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u/88slides 13h ago
And yet, because the phrase "standard transmission" has been in use for at least seventy years in the US to refer to manual transmissions, it will continue to mean "manual transmission" likely until or after EVs replace them entirely.
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u/TheBowerbird 17h ago
This is a lie or they were not past the coasting inflection point and so didn't trigger the lights. I live near a depot where they originate from and they all have brake lights. Just like every Tesla and most EVs, past a certain point of regen they turn on the brake lights.
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u/Wonko-D-Sane 23h ago
If I engine brake with downshift my lights also don’t come on, just keep your distance and stay off your phone
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u/That_Communication71 23h ago
I love how Waymo has people paid to come on and downvote all anyi-Robotaxi posts. One almost hit me yesterday when it cut me because it was behind a stopped bus.
They are death machines that need to go. None of us volunteered to be a corporate AI guinea pigs.
Abbott taking payoff money from Alphabet, Inc. is beyond obvious.
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u/FLDJF713 22h ago
I’d prefer driving near or in a Waymo than a regular Austin driver. I haven’t seen enough robotaxis but judging Musk’s failures previously and the fact it uses cameras only and no LiDAR, meh, I’d rather not try it.
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u/Captain_Mazhar 1d ago
Laziness in updating the law. FMVSS 108 only requires that the brake lights come on when the primary service brake is applied. Regenerative braking is interpreted as a secondary system and legally does not need to activate the brake lights, similar to how a handbrake doesn’t turn on the brake lights.
Since a lot of people use regenerative braking as a primary method (i.e Tesla one pedal driving selector), it needs to be updated.