Tesla Regenerative Braking Temporarily Reduced: Explained!
“Regenerative Braking Temporarily Reduced” is Tesla’s warning to drivers that they need to use the brake pedal more frequently and not rely on the vehicle to decelerate automatically. Teslas reduce or turn off the regenerative braking feature when the battery is too cold or fully charged to 95%.
Depending on your vehicle’s software version, you may see different versions of the same warning:
- Regenerative Braking Temporarily Reduced
- Regenerative Braking Features Temporarily Limited
- Limited Deceleration when Accelerator is Released
Limited Regenerative Braking (or Deceleration): What Does the Warning Mean?
Although you might get anxious when you see this warning on your touchscreen, it’s there to alert you that your vehicle has temporarily reduced or turned off the regenerative braking feature.
It is your vehicle’s way of telling you not to rely on regenerative braking and to be prepared to use the brake pedal more often. The issue is temporary and full regenerative braking features will return soon.
Be prepared to use the brake pedal.
Don’t rely on regenerative braking.
Why Did I Get This Warning Message?
If this warning message appears on your Tesla touchscreen, it’s for one of two reasons:
1. Your vehicle’s battery is too cold.
When the battery is too cold, it becomes difficult to recharge. In cold weather conditions, Tesla preserves your car’s battery by reducing the amount of energy available to the regenerative braking feature. As you drive and the batteries warm, regenerative braking will slowly return.
To prevent a loss of regenerative braking, simply schedule a departure time, and your Tesla will automatically warm and precondition your battery before leaving.
2. Your vehicle’s battery is full.
If your battery is charged to 95% or more, it means there is no more room to store the energy redirected from regenerative braking back into the battery. When this happens, Tesla turns off regenerative braking.
To prevent this, never charge your battery to 95% or higher.
Limited Regenerative Braking: What Does the Warning Look Like?
There are four ways Tesla warns you of limited regenerative braking (or deceleration):
1. Warning Message on Touchscreen
OR
The touchscreen will display the message “Limited deceleration when accelerator is released OK to drive – use brake pedal as needed”.
OR
“Regenerative Braking Temporarily Reduced”
2. Tesla Energy Bar
You can also tell that your regenerative braking is reduced by looking at the Tesla Energy Bar on your touchscreen. If there are a series of dots on the left side of the Energy Bar, this indicates regenerative braking is reduced. The more dots you see, the less regenerative braking you have.
3. Indicator Light
Tesla has added a new indicator light that appears next to the the other indicator lights (headlight, high beams). This new symbol indicates that regenerative braking {is} temporarily reduced. Touch the symbol to show more information.
4. Blue Snowflake
In cold weather, a blue snowflake may appear on your touchscreen, indicating that some of the energy stored in the battery is unavailable for regenerative braking.
What does it feel like when you lose regenerative braking?
The first time I experienced reduced regenerative braking was when my wife was approaching a stop sign and suddenly slammed on the brakes. When I asked what happened, she said that the car continued to move forward even after she released her foot from the accelerator. Normally the car slowed down on its own, but now she had to apply the brake in order to stop – just like a regular vehicle.
Once we learned why our Tesla turned off the regenerative braking, I enabled the feature, “Apply Brakes When Regenerative Braking is Limited” to allow the car to decelerate using the brake pedal.
Activate using your touchscreen, Controls > Pedals & Steering > Apply Brakes When Regenerative Braking Is Limited
What Do I Do If I See the Warning
“Regenerative Braking Features Temporarily Limited”?
OR
When Tesla alerts you with this warning, you can continue to drive – just be prepared to use the brake pedal more frequently until the vehicle returns the regenerative braking feature to full capacity.
Alternatively, if you are able to delay your trip, precondition your battery before leaving to return regenerative braking to normal.
A third option is to enable your vehicle to use the brake pedal for you when regenerative braking is limited. Here’s how to activate that feature:
Activate “Apply Brakes When Regenerative Braking Is Limited”
Tesla has released an update that now allows drivers to enable the vehicle to apply regular brakes when regenerative braking is limited. This feature helps the vehicle slow down in a more predictable manner, more like regenerative braking.
To enable this feature, tap
Controls > Pedals & Steering > Apply Brakes When Regenerative Braking Is Limited
Note: When this feature is enabled, the brake pedal may move and feel stiffer when you apply pressure.
How Do I Prevent Decreased Regenerative Braking?
Don’t get caught with your Regenerative Braking down! If you don’t want to see the warning, “Regenerative braking temporarily reduced”, do these three things:
1. Precondition your Tesla.
There are four ways to precondition your Tesla.
2. Never charge more than 95%.
3. Tell your Tesla to apply the brake pedals when regenerative braking is reduced.
This is done by selecting Controls > Pedals & Steering > Apply Brakes When Regenerative Braking Is Limited.
FAQs
What is regenerative braking?
Regenerative braking is an energy-efficient feature in electric vehicles designed to increase driving range. When the driver releases the acceleration pedal, regenerative braking causes the car to slow and stop, thereby returning some of the surplus power back to the battery that would have been used to continue propelling the car forward.
Why is my regenerative braking limited?
Electric vehicles like Tesla will reduce or turn off the regenerative braking feature when the battery is too cold or when it is fully charged to 95% or more. Your vehicle will return regenerative braking to full capacity once the battery warms up and has room available to store the energy from regenerative braking.
How does regenerative braking work?
When drivers release the acceleration pedal on their electric vehicle, the car decelerates immediately and shifts the motors from power-generating to power-saving by using the momentum of the car and rotating wheels to collect energy and return it to the battery. Read more about Tesla Regenerative Braking here
How do I turn regenerative braking back on in my Tesla?
Your vehicle will return the regenerative braking feature once the battery is warmed or has enough room to store energy.
Drivers cannot “turn on” regenerative braking, however they can direct the vehicle to apply the brake pedal to decelerate in a more predictable manner (closer to what regenerative braking feels like). Select Controls>Pedals & Steering> Apply Brakes When Regenerative Braking is Limited.
Prevent the temporary loss of regenerative braking (or limited deceleration) by preconditioning your battery and never charging to 95% or higher.
Is it safe to drive when regenerative braking is temporarily reduced
Yes it is safe to drive when the “regenerative braking is temporarily reduced” warning appears. just be prepared to use the brake pedal more frequently until the vehicle returns the regenerative braking feature to full capacity. Or turn on the “Apply Brakes When Regenerative Braking Is Limited” feature
