Friction brakes are wasteful. They turn kinetic energy into heat. On an ICE car there is no alternative, but on EV's you can use regenerative braking to turn kinetic energy into electricity and throw it back into the battery, with that energy conversion thus slowing down the car. One-pedal driving is one way to do this. My question is, is this more efficient than traditional two-pedal driving? Phrased differently, is pressing the brake pedal always a mix of friction and regen? Or does pressing the brake pedal engage the friction brakes only when regen is not enough?

 

I have a 19 MDX Sport Hybrid and 18 RLX Sport Hybrid. I have a power distribution monitor I can pull up on the navi screen that shows the levels of the 3.0L V-6 I.C.E. 3 electric motors, battery recharge modes from engine and/or brakes, tq vectoring %, and regen braking %. Does the ZDX have a similar screen? I can't adjust or do one pedal driving with my Sport Hybrids; but, my brake pads can last +100,000 miles because of the addition of regen braking. The Sport Hybrid is performance base hybrid and it depends on the amount of throttle (if pressed), amount of brake pressure (if pressed), IDS mode like Comfort, Normal, Sport, or Sport+, and how much G-force in curve for the amount of regen braking applied to 1-4 wheels (performance/handling/braking 1st, battery recharge as a happy bonus). I can get regen braking on rear inside tires and tq vectoring on rear outside tires on a tight turn. I also have a much smaller battery packs and I can max out the 1.3 kWh with regen braking working in the background with cruise control with a long downhill run.

It might depend on the regen efficiency levels if the ZDX has different drive modes like the I.C.E./Sport Hybrid Acura models?

 

I had to look up one-pedal driving vs two-pedal driving. I thought you are talking about clutches. I hate it when the car slows down just because I take the foot off the gas pedal. It's very annoying. I believe I changed that (it feels like it). It should still charge the battery when you step on the break. Look at the wattage usage. It should tell you.

 

The ZDX has a setting to enable or disable 1 pedal driving.

The earlier Hybrids like 20 MDX do regular 2 pedal driving, but do regen breaking whenever possible if you press the brake pedal and only use fricton brakes when necessary or to hold the car at a stop. My friction brakes on my Hybrid MDX are on track to last 10x the mileage as all my previous daily drivers under the same driving conditions.

 

And on my other car I often use gears to help with slowing down towards a stop light or going down a hill. I really need to check the energy monitor again on the ZDX but I think it generates energy when stepping on the break. So that should save some of the friction break. I suspect those Brembo breaks aren't cheap.