One of the advantages of electric cars is that their brakes are hardly ever used. Regenerative braking, which converts a car’s kinetic energy into electrical energy to charge the battery, is so powerful that it is often not even necessary to touch the brake pedal to stop the car. In practice, it is a very powerful engine brake that allows you to drive without touching the brake pedal, using only the accelerator.
Whether under the name e-pedal or one pedal, some brands, from Tesla to Nissan, BMW and Renault, offer single-pedal driving in their electric models. However, this feature, which is highly appreciated by users, has just been banned in China in all electric cars. The country, which is leading the way in the adoption of electric cars, believes that single-pedal driving makes drivers more clumsy.
Single-pedal driving could cause drivers to lose their reflexes
China has introduced a new standard for the approval of new cars that will affect single-pedal driving. The new regulation, approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardisation Administration of China, prohibits vehicles from using single-pedal driving mode by default, which allows the car to slow down to a complete stop by simply releasing the accelerator pedal.In MotorpasiónBrussels has had enough of China stealing its thunder with electric cars: six companies will receive millions to manufacture batteries in Europe
The new standard, which will be implemented in phases, will come into force for most new vehicle approvals on 1 January 2026, and for vehicles already approved, the new standard will apply from 1 January 2027.
Single-pedal driving, once hailed by Elon Musk as ‘the ultimate form of driving in the future,’ simplifies the driving process by allowing drivers to control both acceleration and deceleration with a single pedal.
Pressing the pedal accelerates the vehicle, while releasing it causes the vehicle to slow down or even stop. This mode also improves energy recovery efficiency, extending the vehicle’s range and improving driving comfort, especially in the city.
However, Chinese authorities believe that getting people used to driving without touching the brake pedal would have dire consequences in the long term, according to The Paper. Losing the habit of using the brake could lead to adelay in the driver’s reaction and possible misuse of the pedals in emergency situations.
In situations requiring sudden braking, drivers accustomed to driving with a single pedal may not react quickly enough to switch to the brake pedal, increasing the risk of accidents.
Interestingly, Chinese brands are not the most convinced by single-pedal driving. Cars from brands such as MG and BYD have very weak regenerative braking when the accelerator is released, but more pronounced when the brake pedal is pressed. XPeng is one of the brands that does offer models with single-pedal driving.
This new regulation thus seems to give an advantage to domestic brands, forcing their Western rivals to eliminate a feature that can be seen as a commercial advantage. However, it must also be recognised that not all manufacturers consider single-pedal driving to be a positive thing and have not wanted to implement it in their cars because it is not something that comes naturally.
Porsche did not do so with the Taycan, for example. ‘You step on the brake to slow down, which is a learned behaviour and feels authentic. The driver gets a consistent and predictable response,’ explains Ingo Albers, Head of Chassis Development at Porsche.
Even Tesla itself seems to be backtracking on its quest to use single-pedal driving, having removed the requirement for single-pedal driving in some of its latest models, now giving users the option to choose.
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