kWh/100km Efficiency of Various Drive Modes and Regen Settings

Discussion in 'Hyundai Kona Electric' started by Kitsilano, May 25, 2019.

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  1. Kitsilano

    Kitsilano Active Member

    Is SPORT MODE more than simply throttle response? Can judicious use of Regen Paddles beat Auto Regen?
     
    eastpole likes this.
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  3. Kitsilano

    Kitsilano Active Member

    What is not said can say more than what IS said. The Owner's Manual (p. 5-48) says that SPORT Driving Mode is "Sporty driving mode" and ECO Driving Mode is "optimal for eco- driving." What is not said is that ECO Driving Mode is more economical than other modes. The author of the Owner's Manual does not say that electricity consumption is greater in SPORT than in ECO.

    TESTING the actual consumption at both SPORT and ECO driving modes, going up and down a moderate slope of 1.5 km using both Auto Regen and, alternatively, judicious use of the regen paddles on the steering wheel, I discovered that:
    1. going uphill, using Auto Regen, there was no significant difference between SPORT and ECO in consumption of electricity.
    2. going uphill, with judicious use of the regen paddles (meaning, in this case, using Level ZERO regen except when stopped at traffic lights when there was a brief opportunity to pull-and-hold Level THREE) consumption of electricity was significantly lower than had been found with Auto Regen in ECO mode, but it was the same in SPORT mode.
    3. going downhill, using Auto Regen, consumption of electricity in SPORT mode was about one-half of the consumption in ECO mode. A surprising finding!
    4. going downhill, using the regen paddles judiciously, in both SPORT and ECO modes I was able to drive the 1.5 km test slope without using any electricity; i.e., at the end of the run, the car reported ZERO kWh of electricity consumed per 100 km.

    Note: Kona owners of BC will know the less-than-perfect 'test track' used for this experiment---the busy, 4-lane Burrard Street S-bound between 3rd Ave and 16th Ave, which is far from ideal because it has half a dozen traffic lights on this stretch. Fortunately, I usually had to stop only twice on most runs. This slope has a hundred meters difference in elevation over 1.5 km?

    I hope others will try this experiment using a stretch of road that offers more reliably repeatable results.
     
  4. Kitsilano

    Kitsilano Active Member

    I forgot to say that the site of this experiment was in Vancouver, British Columbia.
     
  5. KonaTom

    KonaTom Well-Known Member

    I’ve tried various drive modes and regen settings until I finally found what works best for me. I call it manual regen. That’s using the brake pedal judiciously. I use normal drive mode, smart regen on, and default regen set at 1. Most of my driving is highway. When I need to slow down faster than regen 1 gives me, I slightly press brake. This activates higher regen up to 4 bars on recupe display. The physical brakes to not come on unless I press brake hard. This is similar to driving an ice car and is more comfortable for passengers as higher regen levels tend to cause forward and backward movements than can be annoying to passengers even tho driver does not notice it. I’m getting 470 to 484 km range with full charge now. Better than any mode I tried before.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2019
  6. Kitsilano

    Kitsilano Active Member

    Thanks, Kona Tom. I didn't know that light pressure on the foot brake "activates higher regen up to 4 bars on recupe display." Good to know.
    I confess I do like to fiddle with the regen paddles, always striving for a smooth ride. On those rare occasions when I have passengers, they seem to love strong acceleration forces and are apparently too polite to mention any annoying deceleration forces---politeness being de rigueur in Vancouver. lol
     
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  8. KonaTom

    KonaTom Well-Known Member

    I still use the paddles now and then but when my old brain still thinks I’m driving a gas guzzler it nice to still get high efficiency.
     
  9. To be honest I think 1.5 km is too short a run to get accurate numbers off the dash, accurate enough to discern the fine resolution you need to measure regen differences. I've tried this with similar long rural downhills and could not get any results I would consider definitive.
    I'm convinced that regen level 0 will return the lowest overall energy consumption because unintended regen will be avoid, that caused by inadvertent 'pumping' of the accelerator pedal while you adjust your speed. Free coasting costs nothing while any regen setting will incur losses, despite perhaps as much as 70% energy being returned. I stick to level 1 or 0 unless I'm going down a long hill, but as noted the brake pedal gives away nothing to the paddles until you are almost fully stopped.

    A similar argument applies to driving modes. All ECO mode does is blunt the accelerator response so you don't inadvertently apply excess power. A very smooth foot should return the same economy in all modes, ignoring climate system adjustments of course.
     
    KonaTom and electriceddy like this.
  10. KonaTom

    KonaTom Well-Known Member

    I agree, I often set regen to 0 on highways and 1 everywhere else, and use the brake for regen.
     
  11. Kitsilano

    Kitsilano Active Member

    I agree that 1.5 km is too short a run for testing efficiency of drive modes and regen levels. My next testing will be over a longer downhill slope and one without traffic lights. I was just wanting to initiate the testing process and using what was immediately available to me.
    I do appreciate your comments, KiwiME. (BTW, my double skiff ocean rowing partner is an ex-pat Kiwi.) I agree that "all ECO mode does is blunt the accelerator response." But regarding your opinion that "regen level 0 will return the lowest overall energy consumption," I'll have to reserve judgment until more evidence is available. I like to think that I can recapture energy with judicious use of the regen paddles.
     
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