The planetary transmission of Chevrolet’s Volt leaves little reason to have paddle shifters on the steering column of the extended-range electric car, but that’s not stopped Cadillac from equipping its Voltec-powered ELR with a pair of steering-wheel-mounted paddles—albeit with a new mission. Naturally, the ELR will have regenerative brakes to capture energy for its lithium-ion battery pack, but it will also have what Cadillac is calling Regen on Demand. Under deceleration, the driver can pull on either of the paddles to increase the regenerative braking and slow the ELR still more.
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On the off chance an ELR owner happens to be hot-lapping the luxury electric, operating the paddles would be similar to downshifting as the driver approaches a corner. This doesn’t really have a major effect on driving, but it does give the driver something to do. As ELR chief engineer Chris Thomason points out, “This allows the drive to take [a] more active role in the electric-vehicle driving experience.” As long as we’re listing features that would allow the driver to take a more active role in the electric-vehicle driving experience, might we suggest audio and HVAC controls with real knobs?
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