Increasing the range while driving

[Tom Dickan-Harry]

I've often wondered when the brake lights kick in. I assume they're dependant on a certain deceleration amount, or pressing the brake pedal, rather than as soon as the regeneration mode kicks in?

[G43FAN]

Not wishing to hijack the thread but slightly related. Using ACC and following another vehicle, I have noticed that the car seems to leave braking a lot later than if I was manually braking. I thought I had the distance set at the longest between vehicles but I might have missed a setting somewhere?

Oh yes, it does test one's nerve slightly.. Quite the polar opposite to the relaxed take off again..

[TheJimster]

I actually had to reduce the ACC distance for motorway driving, as I found that the standard distance is so long that other drivers were constantly pulling into it.

I wonder whether that in terms of braking generally, perhaps there is a slight increase in regenerative braking efficiency through coasting for as long as possible to preserve momentum for a shorter, higher output regenerative gain? I.e the car knows how hard it can brake before having to use the physical brakes, and leaves braking just long enough to avoid having to do so?

[Daveion]

I have tried B and D on a whole range of journeys and miles in different modes. B for me just has the edge on miles/kw but Im back with D on all drives because I enjoy it.
Im sure someone can dig out the braking figures of regen V friction but by observation when I brake in D, unless pressing hard, I brake at what looks like 100% from regen on the pedal which is why there is now little to choose between them.
My drive style in D is odd as well if I say so myself.
On long stretches of road if Im not in ACC I squirt the Go pedal gently rather than look for a steady position. The result is more coasting. It sound daft but it seems to enhance economy and is not noticeable as the change in velocity is so small.

My cousin used to use your “squirt the go pedal” style, in his (awful) Range Rover. I am a good traveller and passenger but it made me feel sick.

trust me. My Wife who is hyper critical of my driving has not even noticed.

[Deleted User 192]

I've often wondered when the brake lights kick in. I assume they're dependant on a certain deceleration amount, or pressing the brake pedal, rather than as soon as the regeneration mode kicks in?

They depend on the level of braking force being applied, whether by regen or the discs/drums.

[Deleted User 192]

I actually had to reduce the ACC distance for motorway driving, as I found that the standard distance is so long that other drivers were constantly pulling into it.

Me too for the same reason.

[Andreas]

Unless I'm missing something, I can't see how regen can be different between D and B. Assuming that the braking needed doesn't involve friction and that the car is being slowed from the same higher speeds to the same lower speeds, then the conversion of the vehicle's kinetic energy into potential energy in the battery must be the same.

The difference as I understand it is that the car does not brake when you get off the accelerator in D, it just continues to roll out with no recovery. In B it immediately starts regen.

All the best

Andreas

That's true but regen is about slowing the car so after coasting in D it's necessary to use the brake. Doing so will provide regen and the amount will be the same as would be provided by allowing B to slow the car as the kinetic energy to be converted must be the same in both cases.

That's only true if there is zero rolling resistance. In reality you will have lost energy due to rolling resistance while the car is coasting.

All the best

Andreas

[colonelpurple]

It seems we have many electro mechanical engineers here
VW says that B mode enhances the regenerative braking. I believe them. It certainly shows out in battery usage for me and others who have commented here
Driving is preference though. Some people like the simulated free rolling nature on D. I find B much better for control, D seems to me now as less control.#
I would even support a additional much more heavy B mode, with almost single pedal driving ...

[Warminster id]

I change between B and D depending on how I want the car to drive in a particular driving situation.
I found the best way to increase range is to kick the passengers out Lol

[Hambagahle]

I am new to EV driving and live in the Alps. I have discovered that even a mild downhill slope will generate a lot of electricity when driving in B mode. On a steep slope it is dramatic. Example - I drove to Chamonix (45km each way and 3 passes). And then back. At the end I had used 30km of storage. For 90km of usage. Remarkable! Roundabouts (we have thousands of them here) also help a lot when in B.

[G43FAN]

I am new to EV driving and live in the Alps. I have discovered that even a mild downhill slope will generate a lot of electricity when driving in B mode. On a steep slope it is dramatic. Example - I drove to Chamonix (45km each way and 3 passes). And then back. At the end I had used 30km of storage. For 90km of usage. Remarkable! Roundabouts (we have thousands of them here) also help a lot when in B.

You'll get the same level of regen in D but will need to physically press the pedal, it's fun to see the numbers, unfortunately you will never recoup as much energy as you will use to get up the hills on the return trip but it's a nice bonus. I live up a hill from most of my destinations, though not quite Alp standard .. and yesterday on one of the occasional trips I do, at the end point (Sea level) I had driven 3 miles at an average of 23mph and had -84.0 mi/kWh consumption. Unfortunatley the return trip (approx 1000ft elevation) soon had the dash reading 3.7 mi/kWh

[monkeyhanger]

If I want the car to drive like I've left a manual handbrake on by accident, I'll drive in B mode.

I never drive in B mode.

[Daveion]

If I want the car to drive like I've left a manual handbrake on by accident, I'll drive in B mode.

I never drive in B mode.

it can feel like that can't it. I spend weeks on end driving in D and then for no reason spend weeks driving in B. I like both.
Doesn't matter how hard I try to anticipate traffic and feathering the brake for best regen in D I can never equal the return/kW I get in B without any effort. Been in B since May first and long term average is 4.7 miles/kW.
As an aside. I think the discs don't get cleaned up a lot in B. Last week in a jam on a hill I decended in N which meant braking was all disc. By the time I reached the bottom the noise from the discs had changed noticeably and the brake felt sharper.
Easy to repeat on a quiet hill.

[monkeyhanger]

If I want the car to drive like I've left a manual handbrake on by accident, I'll drive in B mode.

I never drive in B mode.

it can feel like that can't it. I spend weeks on end driving in D and then for no reason spend weeks driving in B. I like both.
Doesn't matter how hard I try to anticipate traffic and feathering the brake for best regen in D I can never equal the return/kW I get in B without any effort. Been in B since May first and long term average is 4.7 miles/kW.
As an aside. I think the discs don't get cleaned up a lot in B. Last week in a jam on a hill I decended in N which meant braking was all disc. By the time I reached the bottom the noise from the discs had changed noticeably and the brake felt sharper.
Easy to repeat on a quiet hill.

I Don't think B mode regen is any better for regen than D, both will decelerate to 0.25g without actually braking, the mode of activation is just different. In B mode you're carefully modulating the accelerator trying harder to modulate speed, and in D mode you're carefully modulating the brake. I do well over 90% of my "braking" in the regen zone of the green bar as I've always had a "preserve your momentum by coming off the accelerator earlier and braking less/later" style of driving, and I'm more efficient in D mode than B mode - better to not waste anything than waste quite a bit, but recover 70% of that waste. I do think B does help mitigate losses for a driving style that would prove inefficient with an ICE car that has no refen system.

Unless the brake pads are made out of butter, I could see mine lasting 100k miles if I kept the car that long.

[sidehaas]

Off the D/B mode topic, what are people's views on the effect of ACC on efficiency? I've been using it the vast majority of the time since I got my car, but I'm coming to the view that it affects efficiency quite badly by always trying to maintain a constant distance to the car in front without an ability to see beyond that. There are many instances when seeing ahead you can brake earlier, therefore not actually have to stop or slow down as much as ACC would before traffic in front moves off again. Also instances where I would be happy to close the gap a bit knowing that the car in front is about to accelerate or is turning off but ACC slows right down and then has to speed up again.
So basically what I'm thinking is that I might gain quite a bit on efficiency by turning ACC off.

[Daveion]

Off the D/B mode topic, what are people's views on the effect of ACC on efficiency? I've been using it the vast majority of the time since I got my car, but I'm coming to the view that it affects efficiency quite badly by always trying to maintain a constant distance to the car in front without an ability to see beyond that. There are many instances when seeing ahead you can brake earlier, therefore not actually have to stop or slow down as much as ACC would before traffic in front moves off again. Also instances where I would be happy to close the gap a bit knowing that the car in front is about to accelerate or is turning off but ACC slows right down and then has to speed up again.
So basically what I'm thinking is that I might gain quite a bit on efficiency by turning ACC off.

I find that on a busy dual carriageway or motorway the ACC works well slowing and accelerating but I agree that this is less efficient than driving in B or D without ACC. In those traffic conditions allowing the gap to the car in front vary and not accelerating so hard to maintain a gap when the queue speeds up works well. In those conditions I drive in B and that returns the best efficiency for me.

[MotMot]

Try using eco mode with the ACC. It’s les aggressive at speeding up and slowing down.

It’s funny - sometimes I’m sure I can tell when the car in front changes gear when following on ACC

[Scratch]

Try using eco mode with the ACC. It’s les aggressive at speeding up and slowing down.

It’s funny - sometimes I’m sure I can tell when the car in front changes gear when following on ACC

I find that even in ECO mode, the effect can still be quite aggressive. Even with the largest distance set to the car in front, it still leaves it late to decide when to slow down and in some situations, I will intervene and use the brakes, as I don't trust it to stop.

[Daveion]

Try using eco mode with the ACC. It’s les aggressive at speeding up and slowing down.

It’s funny - sometimes I’m sure I can tell when the car in front changes gear when following on ACC

I find that even in ECO mode, the effect can still be quite aggressive. Even with the largest distance set to the car in front, it still leaves it late to decide when to slow down and in some situations, I will intervene and use the brakes, as I don't trust it to stop.

I find that as well Scratch. When you are in busy traffic that is stop start but maybe 60mph when it does move ( busy MWay ) it's best to switch ACC off and drive in B.

[Busman]

Has anyone tried using B mode without ACC and slightly lifting your foot off the accelerator.I have found that the regen is quite impressive .