Why Nexon EV Max owner advises EV drivers to try Sports mode & Regen 0

In terms of comfort, the Regen 0 has made a big difference. The car just floats and gives a smoothness that I do not think any ICE vehicle can emulate.

BHPian electric_eel recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have always been apprehensive about using the sports mode (it honestly felt scary) and regen 0 (feels like neutral coasting). But now after driving Nexon EV Max for more than a year and clocking a majority of the 20K km on the ODO, it has become a part of my driving routine to set the car to sports mode and regen 0 at the start of every drive. Even in reasonably heavy city traffic this has kind of become the norm for me. I know it can be scary but please hear me out. My experience is with Nexon EV Max but should be applicable to most EVs with controllable regen (in particular regen 0) and multiple drive modes.

Does that mean your metamorphosis into an "enthusiastic" driver is complete?

No, I believe I have become even more defensive in the sports mode and regen 0. I have started leaving even more space in front when cruising, become even more considerate towards headlight flashing, tailgating maniacs behind me and become even more religious in leaving the right-most lane free for people with Schumacher as their last name whom any way I am guaranteed to meet at the next traffic signal or behind the Great (truck) wall of India. Plus the raw beast that is at my disposal means that I can outmanoeuvre even the best of ICE SUVs when in tricky (in terms of safety) situations.

Furthermore, at 100% SoC, the regen level in any EV is effectively 0. So even in normal situations, it is important to get used to driving with regen 0.

Does this mean that you have given up on worrying about efficiency?

On the contrary, my craze for sports mode started with EV_Fan's extensive description of how he was getting better range in sports mode.

My only sub 100 Wh/km till date has been on a one-off early morning. Palakkad-Coimbatore-Palakkad airport drop done in sports mode and regen 0 (about 140 odd kms round trip) bettering my previous 103 Wh/km (314 km round trip drive) from Palakkad-Piravom-Palakkad trip (City mode drive). But I do not think efficiency improved due to sports mode. There are reasons to believe that Kona can in fact give better efficiency in sports mode (see the above quoted post) but I do not think those are applicable to the Nexon EV. What is guaranteed is that It does not go down for sure if you know what you are doing.

What does it bring to the table that one would miss otherwise?

For me, safety and comfort are the biggest considerations when judging a drive. Everything else has to be subservient to these requirements. On the safety front, I believe I have become a safer driver but I cannot say for sure. In terms of comfort, the regen 0 has made a big difference. The car just floats and gives a smoothness that I do not think any ICE machine can emulate (seriously how does one get 0 engine braking without questionable practices like coasting in neutral). So if there is a big boost, it has more to do with the smoothness. Again regen 0 being the most important thing here and not the sports mode.

What should I be careful about?

Of course, you do not want regen 0 in ghat sections for you might fry your frictional brakes otherwise. But even here Nexon EV Max does give a combination of regen braking and frictional braking so it is entirely possible to use regen 0 in milder gradients. Being sensible in your approach is the only suggestion I can come up with.

How to get used to these scary settings?

I would suggest that you begin with driving exclusively in city mode and at low regen level (regen 1 for example) till you get a good hang of the car's throttle dynamics. Even in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic start driving with lower regen settings. Both sports mode and regen 0 were initially scary for me and I used to drive exclusively in city mode with regen 1. Then I started using regen 0 on highways and finally moved over to sports mode. Needless to say, you need to be defensive in your approach towards driving and not push beyond your comforts (safety-wise).

Is there a downside to this style of driving?

The DTE prediction in Nexon EV Max has been set to show maximum efficiency in eco mode at regen 3. Once you do the regen 0 sports mode drive, you will see the DTE prediction going insane. In any case, you should not rely on the DTE figures too much but rather look at the Wh/km figures to predict the range. I cannot think of any other downside.

What does this say about the current crop of EVs in the market?

Many people consider adjustable regen a gimmick. I beg to differ. Take away the sunroof, or the ventilated seat or the cruise control, or even the music system I might not mind. But adjustable regen and in particular regen 0? Pry it from my cold dead hands. Together with Kona's paddle shift-based regen control, it can do wonders for smoothness and efficiency.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.