Regen question

[SparkE]

But I guess I'm never really in situations which require coasting for such a long time that using the pedal to control it is a problem. Coasting for a distance means going downhill, and I find that usually either means cruise control or having to slow down for curves pretty frequently.

I think this sums up the difference in our experiences. In the northeast, having long gradual downhill sections is fairly common, especially on highways like I-90.

Still, it wouldn't hurt you if freewheeling was available as an option. You don't have to use it if you don't like it.

On highway/freeway, when on a long flat or slight up- or down- hill, I just set cruise control for a couple miles-per-hour less than whoever is in front of me, and rest my foot.

 

[boltage]

Since the brake pedal ALSO causes regen,, how can it be less effective than one pedal mode or the regen paddles? If I slow down with regen, how can it matter which way the car is told to regen? I suppose that if I were to brake hard enough to actually engage the brake pads that would be a difference.

I think that's the biggest issue - in "D" mode you don't know exactly where regen ends and hydraulic braking starts, so it's more likely that you'll waste momentum by slowing too fast. In "L" mode there's no doubt about what's going on - if you're not slowing fast enough and you need to use the brake then you know for sure you're stopping too quickly and you can adjust your driving habits to avoid that.

True, but in my normal driving (in any car), I tend to coast or brake gently enough that it is obvious that foot-off-the-accelerator in L or using the regeneration button on the steering wheel slows down the car more quickly, meaning that my normal coasting or gentle braking (in D) should be in the regeneration range and well away from where the transition to friction braking starts.

 

[BoltEV]

But I guess I'm never really in situations which require coasting for such a long time that using the pedal to control it is a problem. Coasting for a distance means going downhill, and I find that usually either means cruise control or having to slow down for curves pretty frequently.

I think this sums up the difference in our experiences. In the northeast, having long gradual downhill sections is fairly common, especially on highways like I-90.

Still, it wouldn't hurt you if freewheeling was available as an option. You don't have to use it if you don't like it.

On highway/freeway, when on a long flat or slight up- or down- hill, I just set cruise control for a couple miles-per-hour less than whoever is in front of me, and rest my foot.

I have to agree with Sparky here.

Cruise Control and “L” are the perfect symbiosis when driving a freeway with “ups and downs” or on a slight downhill like the Hollywood Freeway southbound.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Cruise control & L will hold a very precise speed regardless of terrain. That is not what you want for efficiency.

 

[BoltEV]

Cruise control & L will hold a very precise speed regardless of terrain. That is not what you want for efficiency.

Why not? What is the basis of your conclusion?

Rather than inadvertently allow a wasteful increase in speed on the subtle downhill, it holds the speed and regens that energy back into the battery!

 

[SeanNelson]

Cruise control & L will hold a very precise speed regardless of terrain. That is not what you want for efficiency.

Why not? What is the basis of your conclusion?

Rather than inadvertently allow a wasteful increase in speed on the subtle downhill, it holds the speed and regens that energy back into the battery!

Regen isn't 100% efficient, so in rolling countryside it's usually better to let gravity accelerate the vehicle on the downgrades so that the added momentum will help carry it up the upgrades.

That having been said, it's easy enough to do that with a little bit of finesse on the accelerator pedal whether you're in "L" or "D" modes. As long as you don't pick up too much speed on the downgrades.

But frankly, now that I no longer burn gas I'm a whole lot less sensitive to efficiency than I used to be. With a car powered by hydro-electricity there's very little downside to a wee bit of inefficiency here and there.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

What Sean said. And to be honest, I couldn’t care less about efficiency most of the time. I only care when I have to take a long trip with recharging on the road. As of today, charging stations are slow (most are 100A “50kW” chargers that cap out at 37kW on the Bolt) and rare. They are also mostly located at terribly inconvenient locations with precious little to do to pass the time. So I want to minimize the time my family and I spend at them.

 

[BoltEV]

{{ ... Mod Edit 12/29 : no need to twit other users. Let us all be respectful in our posts. }}

For me the added convenience of Cruise Control with L while not having to consciously think about tweeking the accelerator is too great a benefit to ignore while driving hundreds of miles down the road.

{{ ... Mod Edit 01/06 : all follow-on, non-Bolt comments/posts deleted, as promised }}

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Exactly - it's a matter of convenience versus efficiency.

 

[1953drtelco]

Before the purchase of my 2019 Bolt I had a 2014 Volt. I loved driving in L and most of my driving I was able to use single pedal driving. The Bolt had me confused the first time I had a battery at 100% charge and noticed there was no regen. I thought something was wrong until I thought how can I get regen when my battery was at capacity. A few miles driving and my regen was working as expected. Now I'm keeping my charge level at approx 80% since I will still have more than enough range for 99% of my driving needs, and have full regen all the time

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I am interested in efficiency for two reasons: lower energy use (and therefore less expensive), and longer range. Driving instead of walking or biking is much more "convenient".

Doing what we can to avoid even worse climate change is also "convenient".