Regeneration query

Here's my take on general driving technique. Never do regen if you don't have to. Regen will never re-capable 100% of the energy spent moving the car. Therefore, once the stored energy is turned into kinetic energy, try to use the K.E. for moving the car as much as possible. This is one of the reasons why I glide in neutral on flat roads. If I had two routes to choose from and they are the same distance, I would choose the one where I don't have to step on my brake as much.

Hope this helps.

 

He' specifically referring to an 800' drop in elevation and the regen consequences of different routes and usage of 'B' or 'D'+ brakes.

 

Try both routes and see which one require less braking (regen). 'B' is even worse than 'D'+braking. In 'B', no energy is re-capture

800' drop doesn't sound like that much. I doubt the battery would be full from 50%

 

My guess would be that the difference would be negligable. If you are adding extra distance where you are not going downhill, I would take that into account on the route you choose as well. Only way you will know is to try both routes, and see which one actually gives you more regeneration, as well as how much the total EV usage is to get to your destination.

Let us know what you find out!

 

Yes, I should have said "some of the energy will be wasted" 'B' does regen at the same time. I forgot about that. But general point is still true. 'B' is worse than 'D' +brake when comes to re-capturing energy.

 

Your two choices are only 1 miles difference. This morning, I made a 28 mile round trip and at one point, I glided an entire mile in neutral. I was on an descending road but not very steep. I was able to maintain my speed (not gaining and not losing). Going an extra mile may not cost you anything. My suggestion is that you try both roads and see which one require LESS regen.

 

what really matters is total fuel consumption of the 2 mi trip vs the 3 mi trip and whether the battery level at the end of the route is of interest. One factor not stated was the average speed which matters since coasting in N at higher speeds uses the ICE, minimal usage but still consuming fuel, and at very high speeds you can do long-term damage to the electric motor .

Comparing the fuel consumption should be simple assuming both routes are tried and reset is used prior to the individual runs. consumption = distance / avg MPG

 

Prius in Pa: You're forgetting that he is in a PiP, so he can regen a lot more than your regular Prius. This is one of the situations where the PiP picks up some extra charge that a regular Prius wastes once it's puny battery is full. The PiP also regenerates more efficiently, so the strategy is not always the same as for a regular Prius. Maybe you should go hang out in the non-PiP portion of the forum, since you despise the PiP so much, and stop "STEALING" our signal to noise ratio.

OP: There is a maximum rate of regeneration before the car starts using the disc brakes, so if you are starting from the top of a hill, you would want to choose the route that lets you keep the regen bar as close to max, without going over as possible, for as long as possible. As Slow_RR stated, your best bet is to try both routes.

 

Whether you're driving an PPI or standard Prius, regen is never good. We only use it if we had to. As I said earlier, Regen could never re-capture 100% of the kinetic energy.

By the way, if you don't like what I said, you don't have to get personal. Put me on Ignore. I don't care if I don't make friends here. I'm not here to please you. Get that thru your head.

 

if you put the Prius in N and the gliding process increase your speed, that could damage the MG1 by over revving. I never let the Prius increase speed by great amount during the time I was in N

It's safe to go into N and eventually decrease speed.

 

I don't think you understand my point. Regen is never good but we use it if we had to. The way Prius works, it takes stored energy (gas or electric) and turn it into kinetic energy (moving your car). Regen is converting some of the kinetic energy back into electrical energy but you'll never get 100%, meaning energy is lost in that process. I'm happy that you're happy about your PPI, but if you plan your route probably, you could maximize your energy usage with the least amount of energy lost.

 

Yes, up to the limit of the regen portion of the HSI, as far as I can tell. This required a little adjustment in driving style for me, as it's usually bad practice to brake lightly, over a long distance. (with conventional brakes)

That will happen if you are starting out with a full charge. The car starts the ICE to waste energy and avoid overcharging the battery. Coasting in N is the only way to avoid starting the ICE in that situation.

 

haha...please don't comment in the PiP (not PPI) section if you don't know what you are talking about.

From a pure physics standpoint clearly the shorter route would be better. You are dropping the same elevation thereby returning the same amount of energy to the battery regardless of which route. However, rolling resistance will steal away more energy on the longer route. It may be somewhat negligible, however. That being said, it is slightly better on the battery to have slower energy transfer.

 

It's Prius Plug-in (PPI). But I have no problem with PiP. I'm flexible, unlike you.

 

That's only true in a perfect world, with no turns, speed limits, traffic control devices, or other traffic, all of which require you to control your speed by either coasting or braking. In the real world, the PiP allows you to regenerate quite a bit more electricity than a standard Prius, resulting in about a 10% increase in MPG.

You called every PiP owner a thief in the beware thread. I consider that a personal attack, since I own a PiP.

If I put you on ignore, you would be free to continue spreading your disinformation unopposed.