Riding re-gen brakes

[Spiffster]

I have a question about the re-gen breaks. I have read elsewhere that the regenerative brake system is engaged when the brake pedal is less than half depressed. About 95% of the time that is all that is really needed to come to a complete stop when driving conservatively. As I understand that in a typical car it is best not to ride brakes to a stop because it tends to cause conventional brakes to wear faster, right? So in the case of the Fusion Hybrid's regenerative brakes, is it ok to ride the brakes to a stop? I have put 6k on this fine machine and have noticed nearly no brake dust on the wheels, where as in my last car (Bimmer 325i) I was cleaning brake dust off the damn wheels every week. Its almost like the conventional brakes are hardly ever being used. Is that a valid assumption?

[rfruth]

wondered the same thing myself but don't like the idea of my brake lights being on unless I'm slowing down

[akirby]

Regenerative braking is done with the motor similar to engine braking. It doesn't use the brake pads at all and it doesn't hurt anything. It allows the wheels to turn the motor which in turn generates electricity to recharge the battery as opposed to the motor using electricity to turn the wheels.

[jay2000]

Its almost like the conventional brakes are hardly ever being used. Is that a valid assumption?

 

 

I would agree that this is a valid assumption.

 

I assume that riding the brake puts a little more juice in the battery than just coasting. What about the amount of pressure on the pedal? If I push a little harder, do I put a little more juice in the battery?

[lolder]

Its almost like the conventional brakes are hardly ever being used. Is that a valid assumption?

 

 

I would agree that this is a valid assumption.

 

I assume that riding the brake puts a little more juice in the battery than just coasting. What about the amount of pressure on the pedal? If I push a little harder, do I put a little more juice in the battery?

Yes and yes. The slower you're going, the less regen braking is available and none is available under 5 mph. Brake early, light to moderately and reduce braking as you slow down. This is the opposite of what people usually do. There is no indication of when power assisted friction hydraulic braking begins.

[Oman]

Any time you do not have the accelerator depressed the regenerative braking system is engaged, Ford just decided to call it "simulated engine braking" and does not show it with the green circle of arrows. It *is* however visible by looking at your battery charge indicator arrow which will move from down to up (indicating charging) when you lift your right foot. There are only a few instances where the friction brakes are used:

 

1) Below 5MPH under all braking conditions.

2) Heavy braking where the motors can't deliver or the HVB can't absorb the energy requested for braking.

3) Where the HVB is already fully charged (for instance down long declines)

4) Where the pedal is depressed so far that the hydraulic manual brakes are engaged.

 

Riding your brakes is bad, bad practice but not so much from a mechanical perspective. Studies have shown that many rear-enders can be avoided by an initial tap (to indicate minor deceleration, foot off accelerator) followed by a reasonably smooth braking action. With the FFH your braking style (when braking is actually needed) will not affect mileage much as the HVB charge controller is pretty smart and the pack can take a pretty fast charge for short periods. Making sure you brake safely though is a bigger issue considering those bad drivers behind you.

 

 

On a completely different note,

 

Here is a car related math quiz:

 

Person A and person B both travel 10,000 miles per year in their car and they want to get new more fuel efficient cars.

 

Person A currently gets 10MPG and is looking at a new vehicle that gets 20MPG - an improvement of 10MPG

Person B currently gets 33MPG and is looking at a new vehicle that gets 50MPG - an improvement of 17MPG

 

Which person would save more gas over a year by purchasing a new vehicle?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The way we represent mileage in the US is very misleading. Person A will save 5 times the gas and 5 times the money that person B will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes and yes. The slower you're going, the less regen braking is available and none is available under 5 mph. Brake early, light to moderately and reduce braking as you slow down. This is the opposite of what people usually do. There is no indication of when power assisted friction hydraulic braking begins.

[lolder]

If you drive this car conservatively, you may never have to service the friction brakes.

[Zack]

I saw pictures on Internet of Prius front brakes brand new and after 100k km (60k miles). Same thing, some dirt but no wear! I am fully expecting same results with FFH.

I would say that it represents savings of about 1500 bucks on 100k ride.

[Ranger_Rick]

Trick question!

 

Financial was not on the table for the purchase of this vehicle. This is a very flexible vehicle which fits my situation very well. 'nuff said.

[callawassie]

It's hard to review the entire board for possible answers, but I did a post in August of last year on regenerative braking.

Put the word "Paradigm" into the search box, and you will see the post and several good replies.