Eco vs norm mode

[HeyBales]

you know how you are driving in EV mode and the box around your activity gets smaller and smaller. thats your HV battery being used. when it gets too small it will not go back to EV mode...it goes from Hybrid to Charging and the engine stays on.

. Clicking the L button will max out the recharge fast and slow you down without brake lights.. it also seems to reset the 2 outer lines of the box and i can use EV mode like normal again. i never really "coast", i am always fiddling with the gas/go pedal to max out the lines to the edge of the box without turning the engine on. i can work it in EVin the high 60s.

no never ever attempt to get back up to speed in EV mode only, that would take way too much time.

Yes well aware of how it works - questions were to see if you did, since many try things that aren't useful in the end.

So for you to get any meaningful regen out of L mode you'd have to slow down more than a bit, or be on decent hill to overcome the strongest regen and not terribly slow down - doing that on highway got my attention.
Happens faster there obviously, when it can be done.

HVB will be allowed to get down to 30% before ICE turns on to recharge to minimum 40%.
Your regen attempts will get it to max of 70%.
As long as it's above 30% and the power request isn't too high (abouts 15% for your 25), the ICE will not be used.

Some speeds are slower at allowing the ICE to charge the HVB, because the generator motor is also dialing in the gearing required - especially highway speeds.

Coasting is really going to give the best MPG of course, no ICE running, no HVB used, some regen to charge it - and distance covered.
Closer you keep to that - the closer to best.
So regenning down to a slower speed that requires speed up, with no benefit of recharging while ICE is running - isn't close. Almost sounds like what you are doing.
Just caught my eye as interesting way of trying to get the charge back up, by regen and slowing.

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[RR - All the way]

I only use eco on mine when I am in stop and go traffic. It helps with the slower throttle response. With CC set at 75 it does nothing because you are in high gear anyway. Eco makes no sense for highway driving IMO. To get that MPG you must be doing mainly highway. And if you ALWAYS run Eco you don;t know if it is better than normal for your style of driving.

If it ain't broke, I don' fix it. ECO saves gas if you use the cruise to accelerate on two lane roads. I use the cruise button in place of accelerator or brake if possible.

 

[identifyasatruck]

Coasting is really going to give the best MPG of course, no ICE running, no HVB used, some regen to charge it - and distance covered.
Closer you keep to that - the closer to best.
So regenning down to a slower speed that requires speed up, with no benefit of recharging while ICE is running - isn't close. Almost sounds like what you are doing.
Just caught my eye as interesting way of trying to get the charge back up, by regen and slowing.

Best MPG is not my goal. Miles electric as a percentage of odometer is the goal. using the gas to speed up to get the Fast Max recharge is an acceptable trade-off. other freeway drivers will never notice my speed up/slow down driving.

feathering the gas/go pedal to max HV usage will get me farther in electric and keeps the speed up higher than coasting.

all i can say is that.... it works for me. over half my odometer miles are actually electric miles.

 

[h1k3rb]

Some seem to miss the point that accelerating slowly for a longer period to reach a set speed or getting up to speed moderately do the same amount of work. Accelerating slowly can use even more gas due to a longer period driving in lower (gear) ratios. I see Eco mode as a terrible idea based on outdated assumptions but do a little research, you might be surprised at what you find.

 

[dochawk]

Accelerating slowly can use even more gas due to a longer period driving in lower (gear) ratios.

BMW did some research in the 1980s on engine efficiency.

It found that for a given RPM an ICE is most efficient at full throttle (not particularly surprising, given the fixed friction cost). And repeated that efficiency is greater at lower RPM,

Their conclusion was that for maximum fuel efficiency, accelerate hard and shift low. (and in fact, at least for engines of that era you could shift lower when accelerating hard).

They actually made engine variants to take advantage of this (e.g., 318e instead of 318i).

 

[Master Blaster]

BMW did some research in the 1980s on engine efficiency.

It found that for a given RPM an ICE is most efficient at full throttle (not particularly surprising, given the fixed friction cost). And repeated that efficiency is greater at lower RPM,

Their conclusion was that for maximum fuel efficiency, accelerate hard and shift low. (and in fact, at least for engines of that era you could shift lower when accelerating hard).

They actually made engine variants to take advantage of this (e.g., 318e instead of 318i).

Yeah, that might have marginally worked in the 70s, but it doesn't work out very well with the advent of the dynamic fuel mapping, knock sensors, variable cam timing and ignition retard curves on virtually every engine made today. Accelerating hard with the fuel going extra rich and the ignition and camshafts at full retard uses a ludicrous amount of fuel and its difficult to recover from that at cruise.
With today's technology, the best approach is to accelerate slowly and smoothly, keeping the fuel usage much lower, the cam timing as advanced as possible and the ignition curve as advanced as possible. These technology improvements are also why most modern engines can properly run on regular fuel grade instead of high-test.

 

[dochawk]

it's entirely possible that it would work even better now; someone would have to test.

These technology improvements are also why most modern engines can properly run on regular fuel grade instead of high-test.

but exclude 2006 Miata from that!

I discovered this when I had absent mindedly reached for the same pump I'd reached for for decades, instead of premium.

I gunned it in an emergency on the freeway, and, well, it didn't stall, but it sure sagged instead of speeding up.

Hower, it ran just fine on mid grade.

 

[dwinch53]

25 lariat awd hybrid, what is the real difference, driving in both seems the same to me?

Increased Regenerative Braking:

Eco mode alters the throttle response to be less aggressive, causing the truck to slow down more when you release the gas pedal. This increased deceleration activates the regenerative braking system more frequently and effectively

 

[dwinch53]

Increased Regenerative Braking:

Eco mode alters the throttle response to be less aggressive, causing the truck to slow down more when you release the gas pedal. This increased deceleration activates the regenerative braking system more frequently and effectively

Yes indeed and in return it helps on those brake pads

 

[HeyBales]

Increased Regenerative Braking:

Eco mode alters the throttle response to be less aggressive, causing the truck to slow down more when you release the gas pedal. This increased deceleration activates the regenerative braking system more frequently and effectively

Eeh - that's not really accurate, just on the surface. More frequently and effectively?
Sometimes AI responses are pretty poor.

How would a less aggressive throttle response cause more regen?
It doesn't.

The throttle response side of it helps you to not accidentally punch it over 10% (abouts 15% 2025) power request when you are trying to toe the line of NOT engaging hybrid mode and the ICE turning on.
Helps you stay in EV mode easier. Maybe. You can also train your foot to accomplish the same thing.

The regen side of it when coasting is stronger regen without pressing on the brake - which would accomplish exactly the same thing if desired when pushed.
The stronger regen isn't more frequent - unless you take your foot off the Go pedal more frequently.
It's not more effective, it's exactly the same as pressing the brake pedal but staying in regen area of the gauge. Or just coasting longer in the other modes.

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