This is a long message, but I have no doubt it will be worth your time to read perhaps even a few times.
By default, in the Audi you have no deceleration regen.
But you do have it if you want it. Even if you want one pedal driving, you have it.
See here.
"Audi e-tron
On the Audi e-tron you can set recuperation to manual (MMI -> Vehicle -> Efficiency Assistant -> Recuperation). Then every time you start a drive, set recuperation to the max with the steering wheel recuperation paddles, and then it will regenerate every time you lift your foot off the “throttle pedal” and works as “one-pedal-driving.”
BTW, your deceleration regen (any setting--including none) will slow your car down if you get too close to the car in front.
Now, I will explain a bit about regen. It will only help increase range when one of these three things are happening:
1. You MUST stop.
2. You MUST slow down.
3. Going downhill very slowly, even if at a steady speed (if you're going slow enough).
Perhaps a better way to word the first two is "less loss than not having deceleration regen." You lose most of gain after you accelerate again. But that is a lot better than an ICE car that loses efficiency on both ends. EVs gain a little when slowing down, but it is mostly lost again when speeding back up to the same speed you had.
Other advantages (a big one, IMO) is to NOT need to brake much when going down a steep, very curvy road. Many hills around here. EVs are safer in the hills because they will not speed up on their own when letting go of the pedal. That is if you have your regen on.
BTW, by law, there is a place where all truckers must stop to check their brakes WB on I-80 just before a very steep downhill section starts for several miles. There is a sign that say so and you can also read it here. If the day ever comes when all trucks are EVs, they will be able to remove that sign as well as the requirement.
If you set your EV for the very max regen, you can still have ZERO regen. This is done my never releasing to accelerator pedal and putting it at the exact spot where you get no regen gain and no power loss. For an example, my Tesla regen line changes color for power loss and power gain. But between the two where there is no color because there is no line. There is nothing to show when there is no gain and no loss. That is how you then coast even with a max regen setting. The only real disadvantage of too much deceleration regen is that you cannot let go of the pedal and coast. You can still coast the same but with the pedal halfway down or wherever. IOW, it is touchier, and you need to get used to it. And you should, IMO.
FWIW, I never heard of an EV car or motorcycle where you could not have deceleration regen. However, defaults are different between EVs. IMO, Audi was smart to do it that way, as by default as it gives ICE drivers what they expect during a test drive. But you CAN change yours, but you will have to get used to NOT letting go of the pedal when you want to coast. Your coasting will be the spot where no power is loss or gained.
BTW, I like the Chevy Bolt method of regen the best of all. Very low deceleration regen, but all you want by a level on the left side of the steering wheel. Adjust as you want to slow down or stop. Also has PROGRESSIVE regen with the brake pedal. Press the brake lightly and get 5 KW of regen. Press hard on the brake and get perhaps 85 KW of regen. I doubt if I would notice any difference if they removed the brake pads in that car.
Tesla's default is the opposite of yours. Max deceleration regen by default. But there is a setting to lower it, so it will feel much more like an ICE car.
So the choice is yours. If I owned your car, I would keep it at max regen except for when I have passengers. High regen usually doesn't have any effect on who is driving, but it can make passengers feel sick because of what happens when you do let go of the pedal. Such as in city driving. See here for Tesla Motion sickness. More common with Teslas because of their very high regen by default. But Tesla's way is to put everything at max by default, lower it if you want. Both with the power and the regen.
My Chevy Bolt has a button I need to press for more power. Even less power can feel smoother.
-Don- Auburn, CA
