I have a newbie question...
By monitoring the regen lights, can you tell if the brakes are engaged? I drive a highway where the speed limit is 60mph and there are long stop lights every few miles. I will frequently have a stoplight turn red a good quarter mile in front of me. These lights are long and I know I will have to come to a complete stop. Could I gently apply my brakes to light up just some of the regen lights and not engage my brake pads or discs?

 

There's no way to tell from the regen lights alone whether or not the pads are engaged, but as you gain experience with the car, you'll be able to feel the difference between the two. Just watch out that once you get to about 10mph, regen stops entirely and your car *will* lurch a little as that load is removed from the crankshaft.

 

Correct.

That is why many hypermilers prefer to keep the regen from maxing out when decelerating. Decelerating at too fast a rate increases the chances of friction brake use and decreases the regenerative efficiencies. In other words, to make sure the legacy hydraulic brake system does not get used you have to maintain a moderate level of deceleration and keep the regen bars to a low count (1-4 bars is best) .

Note however that operating temperatures also play a role in this scenario since the PCM will want keep the regen affinity low until the engine and transmission temperatures are normal. In these cases, the hydraulic brakes will have a higher share in the decelerating effect.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Downshifting to "S" is another option, but do it once you've slowed down some. This will decelerate the car without applying the brakes. You'll need to play with it some to find the best time to downshift to get the most benefit. Don't forget to upshift back to "D" before you get below 7 mph, or you will not autostop.

 

^Exactly what I was thinking. It also helps regen when the ICE is too cold.

 

Sorry for the newbie question, but does the car actually use the hydraulic brakes to regen, or is it just using the IMA coils?

 

Rob;

No, it does not. The two braking systems are distinct and separate. They are however cooperative in that you can have either one or both helping to decelerate the vehicle.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Hybrid brakes if you will. Two different braking sources combining efforts to bring the car to a stop.