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Hybrid braking warning lights?

bcooke

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Should all hybrid vehicles have rear warning lights when they are in regenative braking mode?
Metro transportation buses in Northern Virginia, have a group of center mounted yellow lights that flash when they slow down.
Is it possible to add that to a Maverick?
When it switches to "charge" in the display.
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HeyBales

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I think bad idea for ALL regen.
You'd have the brake lights constantly going off - that's going to cause problems just like people braking with left foot as they even accel with right.

Not a recognized color for what's going on - perhaps in some areas, but is there a sign on that bus stating what the color lights are for?
That's a distraction if it wasn't for such a big bus probably, and the locales knowing what it means anyway.

Besides - for most of the drive modes the regen is around where other cars are in their transmission slow down rate anyway. It's not that far off.
So there is nothing special going on between the hybrid truck and other vehicles maintaining their speed on some downhils, while a smattering of other vehicles may have to touch the brakes to do so just depending. Or they can pop-off Overdrive, or downshift many times.

Now - there aren't as many manuals on the road now - but even they had the ability to match the Grade Assist the hybrid does to maintain speed, if they down shifted.

But it would be smart to put some smarts into the system when Low is used, or the Grade Assist is doing max regen equal to Low mode, to match average vehicles going into the brakes to maintain speed.

I've come off the highway many times and the vehicles in front of me with no brake lights (and not HEV or EV) and coasting and I'm catching up to them - my Normal mode regen is less than their engine air braking. I have no problem braking in a tad more regen or hitting the Low button for a tad more to match them.
 

rk06382

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Should all hybrid vehicles have rear warning lights when they are in regenative braking mode?
Metro transportation buses in Northern Virginia, have a group of center mounted yellow lights that flash when they slow down.
Is it possible to add that to a Maverick?
When it switches to "charge" in the display.
I worry sometimes worry about the Adaptative Cruise Control. If the car in front puts on their brakes to slow down for a traffic light, The ACC can brake hard. Maybe this is why so many Mavericks are rear ended.
 

MaverickDragon

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Dad

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I think bad idea for ALL regen.
You'd have the brake lights constantly going off - that's going to cause problems just like people braking with left foot as they even accel with right.

Not a recognized color for what's going on - perhaps in some areas, but is there a sign on that bus stating what the color lights are for?
That's a distraction if it wasn't for such a big bus probably, and the locales knowing what it means anyway.

Besides - for most of the drive modes the regen is around where other cars are in their transmission slow down rate anyway. It's not that far off.
So there is nothing special going on between the hybrid truck and other vehicles maintaining their speed on some downhils, while a smattering of other vehicles may have to touch the brakes to do so just depending. Or they can pop-off Overdrive, or downshift many times.

Now - there aren't as many manuals on the road now - but even they had the ability to match the Grade Assist the hybrid does to maintain speed, if they down shifted.

But it would be smart to put some smarts into the system when Low is used, or the Grade Assist is doing max regen equal to Low mode, to match average vehicles going into the brakes to maintain speed.

I've come off the highway many times and the vehicles in front of me with no brake lights (and not HEV or EV) and coasting and I'm catching up to them - my Normal mode regen is less than their engine air braking. I have no problem braking in a tad more regen or hitting the Low button for a tad more to match them.
Good points made here.
 

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MaverickDragon

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Good points made here.
Maybe, but for the OP, it's an already addressed situation.
When braking in regen (without the brake pedal being depressed, because that always activates the brake lights) the brake lights come on.
See link on thread #4..
 

Dad

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Maybe, but for the OP, it's an already addressed situation.
When braking in regen (without the brake pedal being depressed, because that always activates the brake lights) the brake lights come on.
See link on thread #4..
Thank you!
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