I have a Prius C 2013. I am working on Pulse & Glide. Do I need to release the accelerator "completely" to reach Regen before applying accelerator slightly to glide? Or is it only for older generations of Prius? Maybe I can just relax the accelerator to the point right before Regen to glide in this newer generation of Prius? I am asking because I am trying not to slow down the car by reaching Regen. Thanks.
my manual is not handy but Ithink there is a display that indicates when the battery is being regenerated. I would expect the system to be programmed to regenerate only when the vehicle is being slowed by the powertrain so when you get back on the accelerator regeneration stops. Pulse and glide or hypermiling is useful if you want maximum mpg. I've seen Honda Insight V1.0 get more than 125 mpg in contests.
the purpose is to shut off the ice. you can do it without releasing the pedal all the way, but it takes some practice. when you get good at it, you won't slow down at all, except for the normal decellaration of glide.
That technique isn't really appropriate for a hybrid. The hybrid design does most of that FOR you already. There are about 3 displays that can "coach" you in this endeavor. One is the energy flow diagram, then the ECO performance and the 5 minute fuel usage. If you watch the energy flow diagram for a while, it should become apparent that you are mostly fighting a losing battle because that shows (if you believe it) that there is almost NO time when energy isn't flowing somewhere, as long as it's in Drive or Brake, that is. I think the only way to truly "glide" is to shift to Neutral but that really isn't a safe thing to do. My personal opinion of this is that people who obsess over the last hundredth of a mile per gallon either need to get a hobby or treatment for OCD. Some of the hypermilling practices aren't really safe to practice in normal traffic situations.
you can partially release the pedal and watch the energy flow change. and when the mpg's go to 99.9 or what ever the c shows for max, you know the ice is off.
I have my MFD set to show eco mode, power, and regen. it is real easy to tell what is going on. as you step on the accelerator the display climbs if you floor it, it goes all the way up into the red power area. as you let off it turns green. and then blue as it starts to charge. the display also has a little oval that says electric. when this lights up it on elec, and the engine is off. you can encourage your car to switch by letting up on the pedal and steping back it will often switch. I find the key to getting better mpg around town is anticipating lights and trafic. if you will need to stop at a light well ahead of you dont worry about getting up to it so fast. this will make your batt last longer before it requires the engine to come on and charge it. also sometimes you may need to get on the gas to speed up and make the light before it turns red. to get the best mpg you must be aware of everything that effects the flow of trafic. if I just get in and drive like everybody else. I drop about 5 mpg