Button B

[Goodshot]

As a new owner of a hybrid what is best practice for using button B - regenerative braking? I'm a bit puzzled because if it was wholey beneficial you would think it was an automatic thing that was applied all the time? So there must be some downside in using it? All tips welcome.

[Director76]

Originally Posted by Goodshot

As a new owner of a hybrid what is best practice for using button B - regenerative braking? I'm a bit puzzled because if it was wholey beneficial you would think it was an automatic thing that was applied all the time? So there must be some downside in using it? All tips welcome.

It’s a trade off, you regain more energy in B but scrub off speed you’d have carried coasting ‘lift off’ in D - unless you are trying to slow down or on a downhill gradient you’re better off in D in normal driving as you don’t regen as fast as you use electric power to regain your road speed.

Don’t get me wrong, I use B constantly, I’ve got into the habit of flicking the shifter into B up to every light, to take off a touch of speed before a bend, etc and of course on hills. I hardy touch the brake pedal in normal driving.

I regenerated over 25% battery the other week on the mountain road back from Aberdyfi from fully discharged, largely using B but augmented with brake pedal as the descents were steep and fast, trying to keep the ‘needle’ just out of the amber regen zone (which i assume means you’re wasting energy from over braking beyond that point)

[molsal]

Sounds like another distraction, such as talking on handsfree using touch screen etc etc whilst driving. how far could you drive on 25% battery? 6miles? hardly seems worth it to me.But then I am a diesel driver!!

[Crockers]

Originally Posted by molsal

Sounds like another distraction, such as talking on handsfree using touch screen etc etc whilst driving. how far could you drive on 25% battery? 6miles? hardly seems worth it to me.But then I am a diesel driver!!

I agree.

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by molsal

Sounds like another distraction, such as talking on handsfree using touch screen etc etc whilst driving!

Hardly. It sounds like he was concentrating on his driving, driving smoothly and brakeing smoothly for the most efficient journey.

[Director76]

Originally Posted by Crockers

I agree.

Eh???

I assume you’ve owned or at least driven a fair few miles in a manual car? You never change down a gear for engine braking?

B isn’t a button but a flick of the ‘gear stick’ and is a completely non-distracting, natural driving action.

After about 9k miles driving and maximising the function of the hybrid system becomes second nature, I do drive differently compared to how I drove previous auto diesel SUVs, but I no longer actively ‘think’ about it

[Director76]

Originally Posted by molsal

Sounds like another distraction, such as talking on handsfree using touch screen etc etc whilst driving. how far could you drive on 25% battery? 6miles? hardly seems worth it to me.But then I am a diesel driver!!

What I said to Crockers!

[Considered1]

Do you guys know if the rear brake lights are applied when you press the B button. I test drove an Ampera years ago with this feature and my only concern was pulling up sharpish only when no one directly behind etc.

Keep up the good work Hybrid guys, you are the future!
best wishes

[Milliner]

Originally Posted by Considered1

Do you guys know if the rear brake lights are applied when you press the B button. I test drove an Ampera years ago with this feature and my only concern was pulling up sharpish only when no one directly behind etc.

Keep up the good work Hybrid guys, you are the future!
best wishes

I wouldn't have thought the brake lights come on, but in all honestly I've never checked.

I would worry though. As Director says, aside from the regen benefits, when you take your foot of the acc, you just slow down a little quicker as you would by changing down in a manual car. You feel some resistance, but it's not the same as braking.

I use it (trouble free) quite often.

[Milliner]

Originally Posted by molsal

Sounds like another distraction, such as talking on handsfree using touch screen etc etc whilst driving. how far could you drive on 25% battery? 6miles? hardly seems worth it to me.But then I am a diesel driver!!

It's witchcraft I tell thee!

Depends on your point of view, but after leaving the dual carriage way, 6 miles of fuel free motoring could take me through my town, to my driveway without a single particulate, COx or NOx being emitted into the streets. Not the ideal solution (ideally, there'd be no emissions anywhere), but its something.

All recovered energy, or even better, free energy harvested from gravity, without doing anything other than driving the car normally. Surely this is the bare standard for future cars (Volvo seem to think so...).