Brake Coach - Why Do I Need This?

[Dave O]

I’ve been going through past threads on this subject but still a little confused on the benefit and why I care about returning energy and what is it teaching me…

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[scottjl]

well returning energy to the batteries is a good thing. basically 'free' charging (not really free, just recovering some of the energy you put into acceleration). the coach is telling you how good you are at it, higher % is better obviously. what you need to do is start to brake earlier and lighter, basically slowing down farther out, before you come to a complete stop. anticipate where you need to stop.

of course you don't have to, but part of having a hybrid is how to maximize your mpg. think of it as a game.

 

[Dave O]

well returning energy to the batteries is a good thing. basically 'free' charging (not really free, just recovering some of the energy you put into acceleration). the coach is telling you how good you are at it, higher % is better obviously. what you need to do is start to brake earlier and lighter, basically slowing down farther out, before you come to a complete stop. anticipate where you need to stop.

of course you don't have to, but part of having a hybrid is how to maximize your mpg. think of it as a game.

Great explanation thanks for simplifying this

 

[Rob911]

Also, maximizing your recovery of energy minimizes brake wear....

 

[Master Blaster]

Most people coming from a gas-only drivetrain tend to brake much harder than they should. Its a training tool to get you to brake in a way that stores energy instead of losing it. If you use the braking the way that it trains you to, you can probably double your fuel mileage in normal city driving. The returned-energy braking only works up to a certain point, after which the friction brakepads are used for the harder braking. So if you brake harder than what the returned-energy mechanism can take, you end up losing much of the energy to heating up the friction brakes and wearing them out early. I expect to get 200k out of the friction brakes on my Hybrid, whereas people with EcoBoost drivetrains will be changing them every (say) 50k.

 

[Cherokee]

With a gas only vehicle every time you use the brakes you’re burning fuel.

Because, you slowed down and now you need to accelerate back up to speed.
Easy braking,
Holding speed,
Coasting,
And above all else, reading the road and traffic ahead saves energy be it gasoline or amps.

 

[Yossarian]

I have another question about Brake coach, etc.... If this should be a separate post, I ill gladly move it to one.

when the brake Coach says "xx% of power reclaimed" what is it really measuring? XX% of total HV battery capacity? Certainly we can't reclaim 100% of the power used to get up to a speed.

 

[Darnon]

Brake coach is really kind of useless once you get accustomed to the EV Coach meter. It's more useful to have the knowledge of if you're keeping it within max regen capacity when you're actually braking than being told after the fact.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I have another question about Brake coach, etc.... If this should be a separate post, I ill gladly move it to one.

when the brake Coach says "xx% of power reclaimed" what is it really measuring? XX% of total HV battery capacity? Certainly we can't reclaim 100% of the power used to get up to a speed.

It is a measure of the % of recoverable energy put into the battery. Say 85% of the 100% of the 60% of the energy used to get to get up to a speed.

 

[scottjl]

I have another question about Brake coach, etc.... If this should be a separate post, I ill gladly move it to one.

when the brake Coach says "xx% of power reclaimed" what is it really measuring? XX% of total HV battery capacity? Certainly we can't reclaim 100% of the power used to get up to a speed.

it's kind of an arbitrary number from ford. you aren't regaining 100% of the energy put into acceleration (physics). it isn't a % of the battery either. it's just some percentage ford uses. i'm sure the formula is out there somewhere (since it's computed for the display). just work with the goal of a higher number is better.

 

[sprubs]

I assumed it was 100% of what was possible to reclaim. The friction brakes seem to always engage a little bit right before you come to a complete stop. And yeah, obviously 100% reclamation isn't possible because.... Physics.

 

[HughdMan]

I’ve been going through past threads on this subject but still a little confused on the benefit and why I care about returning energy and what is it teaching me…

I hope this is helpful.

It's easier to understand if you've owned/driven an EV or a PHEV. You've likely noticed the % charged message when you come to a stop. That represents how much braking has recharged the battery. You may also notice the "Electric" message which means the truck us running off the battery, not the gas engine.

"Braking" is a way the truck recharges it's battery. Using "low" while going downhill also recharges the battery. It's the battery that get's better MPG than the gas engine alone. If you come to a stop and start slowing down early instead of getting close and slamming on the brakes, the truck is able to charge the battery. When you learn to "manage your energy", your MPG gets better. I learned to do this with my Volt, and that helps me get 42mpg in the Mav, even driving 60mph on the highway in the mountains where I live. A plumber friend who does stop-and-go in town gets 50mpg+.

I have to climb a 4K foot mountain on my 39 mile commute. Going east the climb is 3 miles. Going downhill is 4 miles. It looks to me like the battery is recharged 100% after the first mile. If I could graft on another battery, I reckon that would be fully charged before I get to the bottom. I would love to know what the average MPG would be then. Since my Tacoma 4door only gets 17MPG, I am delighted with the Mav.

Like I said- I hope this helps.

 

[DrJoKr]

Also, maximizing your recovery of energy minimizes brake wear....

My 2016 Hyundai Sonota Hybrid with over 100K miles still has original brakes. Last state inspection said they were at 60% pads. Every other non-hybrid car I have driven has needed brakes at 50-60K. Worst was a 2011 Honda Odyssey which need them every 30K or so.

Be interesting to see how long the brakes on the Mav last.

 

[HughdMan]

My 2016 Hyundai Sonota Hybrid with over 100K miles still has original brakes. Last state inspection said they were at 60% pads. Every other non-hybrid car I have driven has needed brakes at 50-60K. Worst was a 2011 Honda Odyssey which need them every 30K or so.

Be interesting to see how long the brakes on the Mav last.

That's great!

I bought my Volt used with 29K miles on it, and the rear brakes were completely gone. I've put 100K on it since then, but I have no idea how much is left. I rarely drive the Volt because the Mav is more cimfortable.

 

[npaladin2000]

I like the ability to recover energy, but I LOVE reducing the maintenance on the friction brakes, and making the pads and rotors last longer. Not to mention in slippery conditions regen braking is a lot safer than friction braking.

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