Button B

[Considered1]

Originally Posted by Milliner

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...).

Free overtakes are even more pleasurable!

[molsal]

I bet you collect money off vouchers too!

[MaDProFF]

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.

You answered your own ? I use it all the time, I love it, makes driving so much better, I notice first time I slow down and have to brake harder if I forget to put it in B.

The only down side I see is long term mechanical, or making it shorter term, do not ask me what though

[MaDProFF]

I find even in B you can coast, it is just keeping you foot slightly on the accelerator, (you can control it really well) but the needle stays just below the 0 on the dial, so still regenerating a little, you can actually get the engine to cut out.

I have also found using the Hold function interesting, it seems to hold the range you held it on, so any energy gained you still use instead of the engine, seems to balance it.

[Goodshot]

Originally Posted by Director76

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)

Thanks - yes I guess that's how I drive - slowly into corners and quickly out. Be better if b was on all time to. save you flicking? I don't use the brake much. I invariably use the change up paddle to beat the auto change up and find that can add 5 - 6 mpg to a trip. There must be a gain to be made by early downshifting but that has never felt habitual.

[tabber]

As others have said, i usually flick into B when going downhill, or in a traffic jam. It just avoids having to press the brake pedal so much. That said, the first bit of the brake pedal will regen anyway without applying the mechanical brakes. So don't think its massively more economical (although it does make the car brake smoother, so more likely you avoid hard braking). In a manual car it's similar to changing down into 3rd when going down a hill, not distracting in any way when you are used to it.

And recovering 6 miles of free, polutionless driving is a massive thing. Very surprised by the attitude on this thread, can't tell whether its tongue in cheek or not.

I think you have to own one before you start to get it.

[Goodshot]

Originally Posted by tabber

As others have said, i usually flick into B when going downhill, or in a traffic jam. It just avoids having to press the brake pedal so much. That said, the first bit of the brake pedal will regen anyway without applying the mechanical brakes. So don't think its massively more economical (although it does make the car brake smoother, so more likely you avoid hard braking). In a manual car it's similar to changing down into 3rd when going down a hill, not distracting in any way when you are used to it.

And recovering 6 miles of free, polutionless driving is a massive thing. Very surprised by the attitude on this thread, can't tell whether its tongue in cheek or not.

I think you have to own one before you start to get it.

I'm sure you are right about familiarity through constant use. Just a little puzzled as to why it is not automatically included - if you do it more often.

[Director76]

Originally Posted by Goodshot

I'm sure you are right about familiarity through constant use. Just a little puzzled as to why it is not automatically included - if you do it more often.

You do get a bit of regen in D, but it’s mild and you’ll only really see the charge needle going into + by a smaller amount and generally down gradient. The rolling resistance of the electric drive train is pretty minimal with the petrol transmission off / coasting so you can travel a good distance.

The regen is much stronger in B and actively slows the car, imagine in gear lift off in say 3rd in a manual 6 speed box.

Regen that strong all the time would get tiring and waste more energy overall I’m sure - think of it as something to use when you want engine braking. D vs B is a good balance - D gives the car a far smoother ‘normal’ car feel than the artificially high regen you permanently get with some hybrids. I think the likes of Tesla and I-pace allow the driver to adjust the strength of the regen to their preference.

There’s only so much we can explain, you’ll get rapidly get the feel of how best to use the transmission settings and when, adapting to the best balance for your driving style.

[Goodshot]

Originally Posted by Director76

You do get a bit of regen in D, but it’s mild and you’ll only really see the charge needle going into + by a smaller amount and generally down gradient. The rolling resistance of the electric drive train is pretty minimal with the petrol transmission off / coasting so you can travel a good distance.

The regen is much stronger in B and actively slows the car, imagine in gear lift off in say 3rd in a manual 6 speed box.

Regen that strong all the time would get tiring and waste more energy overall I’m sure - think of it as something to use when you want engine braking. D vs B is a good balance - D gives the car a far smoother ‘normal’ car feel than the artificially high regen you permanently get with some hybrids. I think the likes of Tesla and I-pace allow the driver to adjust the strength of the regen to their preference.

There’s only so much we can explain, you’ll get rapidly get the feel of how best to use the transmission settings and when, adapting to the best balance for your driving style.

Thanks for all the heads up. Too many questions because, due to the bad back, I can't actually get in the car yet and drive it away! At the end of the day only purpose in using b would be to increase mpg for me.