Granted you don't recover 100% of the energy lost in coming to a stop but the fact that the battery does charge (mileage goes back up) proves that some energy is directed back to storage during regen. Hesitant to put a number on the percentage, but possibly double digits.
Sport Mode -all the time!
- Thread starter Carro con enchufe
- Start date
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Granted you don't recover 100% of the energy lost in coming to a stop but the fact that the battery does charge (mileage goes back up) proves that some energy is directed back to storage during regen. Hesitant to put a number on the percentage, but possibly double digits.
dstrauss
Well-Known Member
Well, gave Sport mode a try again this weekend. Can't argue with the acceleration performance, but for me I noticed a significant decrease in EV range - primarily from "cruise" performance ("Glide" to us oldtimers). When you get up to speed on a 40-45 mile stretch of city street, in EV mode you can maintain that speed with very little energy use and throttle pressure (watch your blue gauge) - with Sport mode it used 3-4 times the scale energy, and kept try to brake and accelerate with each minor movement of the throttle. Guess I don't have the finesse to drive in Sport mode.
I'm presently commuting about 56 miles each way almost daily, and can go about 52 miles in EV mode. When I've used Sport, the EV range drops by around 10 miles. I think dstrauss accurately describes the difference--Sport reduces glide times, and increases throttle cycles. This cannot help but drain the battery faster.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Dstrauss and I must have a common ancestor as my “foot finesse” is also lacking. In Sport, I find it too taxing to constantly have to feather the go pedal up and down. I’ve taken to Econ and use the paddles to slow down almost all the time and only move my foot to the brake pedal when I have to come to a full stop. Paddles get me down to 4-5 mph on level ground. Since I use brake hold at a full stop I put foot back to go pedal and just push when light turns green. It’s the lazy way to drive!
AnthonyW
Well-Known Member
I too still use a version of the “pulse and glide” method from the old days and trying to do that in sport is way too jerky.
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Carro con enchufe
Active Member
I use Sport all the time, and my car range was 55 this am. I’ve seen variation in my range but it’s directly correlated with how aggressive I drive. I can drive economically in Sport mode. But at any rate, everyone can drive in the mode that suits them in the clarity. ¡Vayan tranquilos!
kcsunshine
Active Member
Is there really a click on the detent point? I've driven about 500 miles and don't notice any click. Maybe my foot ain't that sensitive. I feel the accelerator pedal is too hard to my liking. My leg gets tired pushing the pedal. I didn't have this problem on my minivan. In fact, when I drove for a week on the Clarity and then drove the minivan, I pushed the pedal too hard.
kcsunshine
Active Member
I finally figured out what you people mean when you refer to a chevron. Took me a while until I looked at the dashboard. I thought it was some standard regen braking unit. Problem is that the chevron logo consists of 2 sideways > signs.
jdonalds
Well-Known Member
I'm sticking with normal+econ mode. I know I'd use more battery power if I put it in sport mode. I want to reduce recharge cost as much as possible. I'm pretty much in alignment with KentuckyKen's comment above.
Even though we charge 100% of the time with our roof solar we still have to use partial grid power to charge the car, especially now that the house AC is coming on often. So the less we can use in the car the less grid power we have to feed back to the city.
Even though we charge 100% of the time with our roof solar we still have to use partial grid power to charge the car, especially now that the house AC is coming on often. So the less we can use in the car the less grid power we have to feed back to the city.
Jason Lalonde
New Member
I've started using sport mode and max regen braking and it's much more fun to drive and it really does not effect the mileage at all. If it did use up more then it would literally cost maybe a few pennies more. So far however, if you drive it softly I've been able to get more mileage then before as the regen braking stays on full the whole time. My perks for the decision comes with more fun to drive, don't have to continually play with the brake paddles. One pedal driving is fun and achievable for most of the time and you may even get better mileage as long as you don't accelerate all the time very quickly.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
I have no data that Econ vs no Econ saves any kW/$, but this thread got me playing around with the buttons. I found that every time I take Econ off the power flow meter increases and then decreases when put back on. This happens with no change in pedal position. But curiously it didn’t seem to affect my speed. Anybody else notice this?
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Slowing down just for the sake of putting energy back into the battery is, as you suggest, going to lose you more than you gain. If you're cruising and don't need to slow down or stop, it's best to maintain a constant speed. It's when you have to slow or stop anyway that regen gives you a net benefit kWh-wise.
Carro con enchufe
Active Member
It may be that I like regen as I live in the mountains. There are few level streets here, I’m usually going either up or down an incline, do having regen always on is helpful. If I lived in Florida (where I grew up) I’d probably keep it off
Robin
Member
That’s my rationale. You do have to be light on the throttle (that’s my androgynous term rather than “go pedal”), but that’s part of the challenge.
UncheckedException
Member
Try it when the car is off - I didn’t realize what people were talking about at first, either. After what feels like the end of travel in a normal car, keep pushing and there’s a second stage of movement.
kcsunshine
Active Member
I think it means that the ratio of pedal movement to power is decreased so that a slight movement will give more power in sport than econ/normal. That is why I feel the pedal is softer in sport mode but it might be psychological. Agree or disagree?
PHEV Newbie
Well-Known Member
A brake job costs a lot more than the cost of fuel you would possibly save from regen so I agree that it is a big benefit. Also, less use of friction brakes keeps them in optimal condition for emergency stops.
kcsunshine
Active Member
I tried that. I still couldn't feel it. I pushed it all the way to the bottom. I will try using my hand (not while driving), maybe that is more sensitive. I have engaged the engine with a partially charged battery so I must have passed the detent.