Regenerative Braking; Parking Brake - Tesla S Owner's Manual

Regenerative Braking

Whenever Model S is moving and your foot is off the
accelerator, regenerative braking slows down
Model S and feeds any surplus energy back to the
Battery.
By anticipating your stops and simply removing your
foot from the accelerator to slow down, you can take
advantage of regenerative braking to increase
driving range. Of course, this is no substitute for
regular braking when needed for safety.
Note: If regenerative braking is aggressively
slowing Model S, such as on a steep descent, brake
lights turn on to alert other road users that you are
slowing down.
The power meter on the instrument panel displays
real-time feedback on the amount of energy being
gained by regenerative braking.
The amount of energy fed back to the Battery using
regenerative braking can depend on the current
state of the Battery and the charge level setting that
you are using. If regenerative braking is limited, a
dashed yellow line displays on the power meter. For
example, regenerative braking may be limited if the
Battery is extremely hot or cold because the surplus
energy is used to cool or heat the Battery.
Regenerative braking is also limited if the Battery is
already fully charged.
To Set the Regenerative Braking Level
You can use the touchscreen to change the level of
regenerative braking:
1. Touch Controls.
2.
Choose from two levels:
• Standard - provides the maximum amount
of regenerative braking. When you release
the accelerator, Model S slows down
faster, reducing the need to use the
brakes.
• Low - limits the amount of regenerative
braking. When you release the accelerator,
Model S takes longer to slow down and
coasts further.
Driving

Parking Brake

The parking brake automatically engages whenever
you shift Model S into Park, and releases whenever
you shift into any other gear.
Note: The parking brake operates on the rear
wheels only, and is independent of the foot-
operated brake system.
Use the touchscreen to manually release the
parking brake (which also shifts Model S into
Neutral):
1. Touch Controls > E-Brake & Power Off.
2.
Press the brake pedal, then touch Parking
Brake. If Model S was previously in Park, it
shifts into Neutral.
The parking brake indicator lights up on
the instrument panel whenever you use
the touchscreen to manually apply the
parking brake.
If an electrical issue occurs with the
parking brake, an amber parking brake
fault message displays at the top center
of the touchscreen.
Caution: In the unlikely event that Model S
loses electrical power, you cannot release the
parking brake.
Brakes
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