What happens when you shift into neutral? Does it just disable things like the accelerator or hill assist? Or does it really let go of the gear like a regular transmission would?
If I shift to neutral while going downhill, will that give me more speed like turning off regen braking would? And what happens if I switch back into drive while moving? Is that okay? I used to do that with my old gas cars.
I needed neutral once to get my car on a flatbed tow truck after I had a flat tire.
Holt said:
I needed neutral once to get my car on a flatbed tow truck after I had a flat tire.
It’s also needed for automatic car washes.
Holt said:
I needed neutral once to get my car on a flatbed tow truck after I had a flat tire.
It’s also needed for automatic car washes.
I’ve started avoiding those washes. They tend to mess up my front wheel alignment after a few uses.
@Valentine
My Niro gets misaligned so easily. I’ve just accepted that we need to realign it more than once a year.
Adi said:
@Valentine
My Niro gets misaligned so easily. I’ve just accepted that we need to realign it more than once a year.
I’m on my 3rd Niro and haven’t had to realign it yet. Maybe I’m just lucky.
@Hux
I’ve had mine for 10,000 miles, and the alignment is still fine. The car stays straight when I turn off the lane keep assist and auto-drive.
@Hux
We need to do it every other tire rotation.
I need neutral so I don’t wake up my kids when backing out in the morning.
CathyGenesis said:
I need neutral so I don’t wake up my kids when backing out in the morning.
I have a 2020 and once someone with the same car asked me how I disabled the backup noise while walking by my car in a parking lot. I had no info to give because I guess the previous owner must have disconnected it.
@Brooke
I actually like the backup noise in parking lots, it’s helpful.
From what I know, EVs don’t have a clutch. They just have a 1-speed gear reducer that’s always engaged. When in neutral, the motor is turned off, so the wheels can spin freely. In drive but with regen off, the motor is still connected but doesn’t regen. The car will monitor speed and apply power if needed to prevent rolling backward, so it’s not exactly the same as neutral. The Niro might be different, but in my experience, cars like the ID and Enyaq simulate a gas engine even when regen is off.
@Zinn
Exactly. Park is what stops the car from rolling away, and in neutral or drive, the motor stays connected to the wheels, but the electronics decide if it should apply power.
@Zinn
Yeah, when I shifted from drive to neutral in my driveway, I didn’t hear anything moving. So I think you’re right about how it works.
Neutral disengages the drivetrain, allowing the wheels to spin freely. But I wouldn’t mess with it while going up or down hills. I’d let the car do its job.
Cruz said:
Neutral disengages the drivetrain, allowing the wheels to spin freely. But I wouldn’t mess with it while going up or down hills. I’d let the car do its job.
Neutral completely turns off regen, so only the friction brakes are used. I use it on long downhill stretches sometimes to get rid of the rust buildup on the rotors.
@Floyd
Interesting! Thanks for the tip! I was wondering about turning the rotors to get rid of that buildup.
Cruz said:
Neutral disengages the drivetrain, allowing the wheels to spin freely. But I wouldn’t mess with it while going up or down hills. I’d let the car do its job.
I won’t mess with it, just wanted to check if it was safe to use like an automatic clutch. I’d bet the car wouldn’t even let me do it anyway.
@Brooke
If you want to coast, just switch regen to level 0 with the paddles and take your foot off the accelerator.
@Brooke
It might let you shift, but there’s no real reason to. Just set regen to 0, and you’ll coast.