Best Regen for long downhills.

[SlicerOnSteam]

No, they would just coast to a stop at the bottom of the hill (no brakes).

Coasting is the most efficient way to go downhill.

Again, very true only because it's not realistic. The OP is asking about a real road trip in a real car with real hills.

Slowing decent safely is the major efficiency concern on a real hill and ICE cars with auto trans had no other great options but friction brakes, which require extra care and maintenance in mountain regions. That is the hidden and massive efficiency loss in the real world.

Maximum use of regen is where all the gains are to be had. I would prefer 1PD but with cruise I would agree it makes no real difference.

Sponsored

 

[Mach1E]

Again, very true only because it's not realistic. The OP is asking about a real road trip in a real car with real hills.

Slowing decent safely is the major efficiency concern on a real hill and ICE cars with auto trans had no other great options but friction brakes, which require extra care and maintenance in mountain regions. That is the hidden and massive efficiency loss in the real world.

Maximum use of regen is where all the gains are to be had. I would prefer 1PD but with cruise I would agree it makes no real difference.

Even without cruise, again, the mode you’re in makes no difference.
The amount of regen is determined by how much you’re slowing the vehicle.

For the OP that question was asked and answered. The point about coasting was a side note for anyone trying to hypermile to increase efficiency.

 

[AliRafiee]

Drive the car. It doesn't matter. You're going 70mph uphill, downhill. Car regens when you let off the accelerator in all modes.

As far as I know, it just coasts in Whisper mode.

 

[Mach1E]

As far as I know, it just coasts in Whisper mode.

True for flat roads, but even whisper will regen downhill.

 

[Travlcub]

That is simply false unless you assume everyone ceases to exist at the bottom of the hill. Whatever out of control insane speed you reach on the free fall down hill you must bring to a safe stop somehow.

EV's coming down a mountain road gain charge the whole way, now that is maximum efficiency - helped by the assumption that they began their existence on top of the hill .

I crosssrd Stevens Pass in Washington State (Everett to Wenatchee) lost 3% going up gained 4% going down

 

[HuntingPudel]

As far as I know, it just coasts in Whisper mode.

Whisper has a measurable amount of reverse electrical flow. It’s small, but it exists. It’s roughly the amount that my Fusion Energi pushed back into the battery.

As has been said before, the best management is to set the cruise control to a sane speed and let the CC decide how much engine braking is necessary to maintain that speed.

 

[AliRafiee]

Whisper has a measurable amount of reverse electrical flow. It’s small, but it exists. It’s roughly the amount that my Fusion Energi pushed back into the battery.

As has been said before, the best management is to set the cruise control to a sane speed and let the CC decide how much engine braking is necessary to maintain that speed.

Agree. Worrying about regen in cruise control is pointless.
I’m always in unbridle with 1P anyway. I just experimented with whisper to put some efficiency disputes to rest. I found no significant difference in driving modes.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

What is the efficiency of these trips compared to flat-land travel?

Any road trip I take requires a drop of at least 5000 feet in elevation and a climb back up to get home. Going back up consumes more energy than the car gets through regen on the way down. The same is true for hilly places I've driven.

Flat land efficiency is generally better, assuming the same speeds.

 

[Mach1E]

I crosssrd Stevens Pass in Washington State (Everett to Wenatchee) lost 3% going up gained 4% going down

You have either discovered the perpetual motion machine or discovered that the GOM isn’t accurate.

 

[Homestead]

Any road trip I take requires a drop of at least 5000 feet in elevation and a climb back up to get home. Going back up consumes more energy than the car gets through regen on the way down. The same is true for hilly places I've driven.

Flat land efficiency is generally better, assuming the same speeds.

Thanks, My old c-max hybrid used to do well (49mpg) when going over the Oregon coast range to Seaside and I was wondering if my mach-e would do the same. Same thing when we go over the Cascade range from Salem to Bend OR. No road trips yet so wondering how far this mach-e could go with only 72kW battery pack before I would need to charge when driving in the mountains.
Hard to trust the GOM.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Thanks, My old c-max hybrid used to do well (49mpg) when going over the Oregon coast range to Seaside and I was wondering if my mach-e would do the same. Same thing when we go over the Cascade range from Salem to Bend OR. No road trips yet so wondering how far this mach-e could go with only 72kW battery pack before I would need to charge when driving in the mountains.
Hard to trust the GOM.

Speed is more important than elevation.

Going between Salem and Bend on the 22 and 20, I'm guessing you'll do 45-55 mph average (top speed is rarely your average speed), so the efficiency will be pretty good. With the 72 kWh battery, you should be fine; my guess is you'll use less than half of your battery in either direction. If it's a round trip you'll probably want to plug in before your return, but it probably won't require too long of a charge. If you're there for several hours, you should be able to get away with a slower charger (slower DCFC or even Level 2). If it's especially cold, you may need a longer stop (or a DCFC) before turning around.

Sponsored