Charge going down a mountain

[deni1460]

Just wondering if putting the Mache in Neutral going down a mountain will charge the car?

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[Pioneer74]

You don't regen in neutral. You'll just coast.

 

[generaltso]

Just wondering if putting the Mache in Neutral going down a mountain will charge the car?

No. Hit the L button instead.

 

[RickMachE]

Neutral doesn't do any regeneration. In fact, you have no control over the car, and would gain speed. Neutral should not be used as a driving gear, it's for things like a car wash, rolling onto a tow truck (pushing the button also), and cleaning off rotors.

If I was driving down a mountain, I would probably use Unbridled, or Engage with the L button.

 

[Dustus]

Would the L button be any different than driving with one pedal in unbridled? I get a lot of regen just driving normally that way.

 

[hybrid2bev]

Going downhill about 2,000 ft over the course of about 20 miles. Unbridled with 1PD on can max out the regen.

 

[dbsb3233]

Just wondering if putting the Mache in Neutral going down a mountain will charge the car?

That's the only way you WON'T capture regen going downhill.

You won't capture any extra putting it in L gear either. Or 1PD. All drive modes capture regen going downhill. So does the brake pedal. So does cruise control.

 

[Gullwingdmc]

@Mach-E VLOG drove their FE to the top of the highest paved road in the US and gained charge going down.

 

[generaltso]

Would the L button be any different than driving with one pedal in unbridled? I get a lot of regen just driving normally that way.

1PD will bring you to a stop if you take your foot off the accelerator, which is not what you want if you’re driving down a hill.

 

[generaltso]

You won't capture any extra putting it in L gear either. Or 1PD. All drive modes capture regen going downhill. So does the brake pedal. So does cruise control.

Sure, but L keeps you from having to ride the brake pedal. Going down hills is Ford’s intended use of the L button. If L doesn’t keep you at the desired speed, cruise control would also work.

 

[dbsb3233]

Going downhill about 2,000 ft over the course of about 20 miles. Unbridled with 1PD on can max out the regen.

That would be the same whether in Unbridled and 1PD or not.

And while I'm not 100% sure, I don't think that's actually max regen either. I think it's just a plateau in the display calculation (50 km/kHh). I get that number a lot coming down from the mountains. But it's relatively gentle regen force relative to coming off the highway from 75 MPH to 0 at an off-ramp. My assumption for max regen is where the Brake Coach is just about to drop below 100%. Usually on an off-ramp. That much stronger slowing force than a gentle slowing to stay at 65 MPH coming down a 6% mountain grade.

 

[JJR]

Just wondering if putting the Mache in Neutral going down a mountain will charge the car?

Returning from the mountains is one of the few times I use 1PD.
Coming back from Estes Park, Colorado, at a distance of 20 miles, I regenerated 3 miles of battery before I reached flat land.

 

[dbsb3233]

Sure, but L keeps you from having to ride the brake pedal. Going down hills is Ford’s intended use of the L button. If L doesn’t keep you at the desired speed, cruise control would also work.

Yes, it affects the driving characteristics. But it doesn't change the overall regen captured, which was the context.

Keep in mind too that "riding the brake" isn't the same as it is in an ICE vehicle. It still just uses regen unless/until you exceed regen max to come to a hard slowdown. So from the car's perspective, it doesn't make any difference whether you use the brake pedal, L gear, cruise control, 1PD, or any other drive mode. It only matters from the driver perspective (whichever the driver finds preferable).

I drive I-70 a lot in CO. Best example is driving down from the Eisenhower Tunnel (11000') to the edge of Denver (5500') over a 45 mile stretch. No matter what mode I use and how much CC, it works out the same every time. Uses about 2%, and most of that is surely climate control and accessories. It's virtually break even for the powertrain. Sometimes I use the brake pedal most of the way (when it's busier), sometimes CC, and I've used different modes (often with L because I commonly use L anyway).

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

1PD will bring you to a stop if you take your foot off the accelerator, which is not what you want if you’re driving down a hill.

Depends on how steep the hill is. I live on a 25% grade hill and trust me, 1PD, L, Unbridle 1PD + L, none of them will bring the car to a stop on this hill. Luckily the brakes do! ?

To give you an idea, this is the house across the street. (Hint: the house isn't leaning ?)

 

[JJR]

Just wondering if putting the Mache in Neutral going down a mountain will charge the car?

You may want to check with your Rules of the Road, but I learned that coasting downhill in neutral is illegal.

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