REGENERATIVE BRAKING

[Benilla]

My Maverick won't be here till September + shipping time. I have a question:

The brake lights don't come on when the truck slows itself with heavy regen?
If this is true, it's going to take some getting used to. We don't use the brake pedal in our Model Y and the brake lights DO come on during regen. It's a pretty good safety feature to ensure that people behind you can tell you are slowing.

Unless you're on Eco mode, it slows down at the same pace as any car. Slippery mode barely slows down, feels like an ICE car in neutral

Sponsored

 

[OneAlienBoi]

I have read comments about “grabby brakes” and it got me to thinking. I used to have a Chevy Volt and loved the power that the regenerative braking applied to the wheels. My fiancés Tesla is even better because I rarely have to use the brake pedal. I’m currently driving a 2013 Prius while I wait for my Maverick build. The Prius’ regen. braking is not as pronounced.

How “forceful” is the regen. braking in the Maverick? Is it enough to fully stop the truck or is it just a little noticeable?

It's not bad at all once you get used to the vehicle, you can brake very smoothly. If you put it into eco mode, the regen is definitely more pronounced, and could probably bring the vehicle to a stop on its own if you let off earlier. As someone else stated, in normal mode, when you let off, the deceleration is very mild, maybe slightly more pronounced than a ICE vehicle, but it's not bad at all. The only environment in which the maverick brakes feel touchy to me is when you're driving 5 mph in a parking lot or in bumper to bumper traffic.

 

[OneAlienBoi]

I use Low for slowing down a lot, remember this does not illuminate the brake lights so touch the brake pedal - you are going to need it to come to a complete stop anyway.

It's the same as downshifting with a manual or using manual mode on an automatic but It's more satisfying because you are regenerating some of your kinetic energy instead just using ORFCO and engine braking.

I'm not a mechanic or engineer, but wouldn't using low gear to frequently slow yourself when traveling at higher speeds cause premature wear on some of the components?

 

[BradnChristine]

My Maverick won't be here till September + shipping time. I have a question:

The brake lights don't come on when the truck slows itself with heavy regen?
If this is true, it's going to take some getting used to. We don't use the brake pedal in our Model Y and the brake lights DO come on during regen. It's a pretty good safety feature to ensure that people behind you can tell you are slowing.

As we discussed elsewhere, you need to be very aware when using Adaptive Cruise Control in a hybrid (dunno about EB). You can slow VERY fast with no brake light indication. I was on an 80MPH interstate and came upon a 60 MPH vehicle. I was on the furthest setting of ACC, so the regen brakes took it right down with that 20 MPH speed drop with NO brake light...much to the surprise of the vehicle following me (my wife, on hands-free phone with me).

 

[BradnChristine]

I'm not a mechanic or engineer, but wouldn't using low gear to frequently slow yourself when traveling at higher speeds cause premature wear on some of the components?

I don't screw with "L", but I believe it also turns on the ICE to gain some compression slowing and waste fuel. At least I believe it does in my C-Max when I accidentally pull the shift lever too far.

 

[Darnon]

I don't screw with "L", but I believe it also turns on the ICE to gain some compression slowing and waste fuel. At least I believe it does in my C-Max when I accidentally pull the shift lever too far.

C-Max (like my Fusion Hybrid) function very differently in their L mode than the Maverick does.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

I'm not a mechanic or engineer, but wouldn't using low gear to frequently slow yourself when traveling at higher speeds cause premature wear on some of the components?

NOT AT ALL.

I don't screw with "L", but I believe it also turns on the ICE to gain some compression slowing and waste fuel. At least I believe it does in my C-Max when I accidentally pull the shift lever too far.

The Maverick "eCVT" is a planetary gear system, there are NOT regular gears like an automatic transmission. There are videos on how a Prius transmission works, same thing. (I don't know if Ford is still paying license to Toyota for the hybrid technology, but they did at some point.)

I believe the eCVT is turning anytime the wheels OR one of the 3 motors is turning.
I learned yesterday the ICE can NOT run when the truck is in neutral (because of the way the eCVT works),

and I "assume" the ICE can NEVER be used to slow the vehicle down- because of the direction everything is turning. BUT I could be wrong, because the ICE can run to charge the high voltage battery when one of the electric motors is pushing the truck in reverse.

But I've never heard the ICE come on just from switching to "L" mode, even at 60mph.

------- ---------- -----------

The L mode slows the truck pretty quickly but only at the maximum amount the regen can work at. At about 15mph it will back off and let the truck keep rolling. I am "guessing" that the L mode recharges the battery pretty quickly, and when the battery is full the extra juice gets sent to a resistor (which gives off heat) so it doesn't do much good to keep it in L for much time.

It seems L is not really meant for controlling highway speed, it's more for slow crawling up or down an offroad hill...

 

[TyPope]

As we discussed elsewhere, you need to be very aware when using Adaptive Cruise Control in a hybrid (dunno about EB). You can slow VERY fast with no brake light indication. I was on an 80MPH interstate and came upon a 60 MPH vehicle. I was on the furthest setting of ACC, so the regen brakes took it right down with that 20 MPH speed drop with NO brake light...much to the surprise of the vehicle following me (my wife, on hands-free phone with me).

Yikes! Can't Ford make a simple software change so the brakes come on when slowing considerably? Rhetorical. They CAN...

 

[BradnChristine]

Yikes! Can't Ford make a simple software change so the brakes come on when slowing considerably? Rhetorical. They CAN...

The answer, as folks commented in the other thread, is that there should be some G-Force signal that turns the light on at a specified level.

I tend to turn off ACC on the interstate here (sparsely populated, except in August) and go to regular CC. Then you get the annoying notice that ACC is off and it asks for an "OK".

 

[Darnon]

and I "assume" the ICE can NEVER be used to slow the vehicle down- because of the direction everything is turning. BUT I could be wrong, because the ICE can run to charge the high voltage battery when one of the electric motors is pushing the truck in reverse.

The ICE still can be used for engine braking. It will do it sometimes if the HV battery is near peak charge.

 

[RDS]

People who have never driven a hybrid need to understand: When you press the break pedal it is almost always doing regenerative breaking until the very end or unless you press the pedal down really hard. Most of this conversation is about how the car behaves when you lift your foot off of the gas.

Aside from the gas savings, hybrids are great for your break pads. My wife's first Prius got well over 90K miles on its first set of pads and her current Prius is on its original brakes at 60K and going strong.

 

[TedTX]

Have a 2013 Prius as well as a 22 Mav hybrid. The slippery mode feels just like my Prius with original brakes pads. After the ‘fix’ and dry weather mav brakes acting like a regular car/trucks not as smooth as the Prius, but normal like a non-hybrid. i prefer slippery mode for normal driving for better MPG currently hot weather killing Mav more than Prius but on 25-30 mile trips Mav has better gas mileage than same route with aged Prius.
There is a bunch more improvements the Maverick has over 13 Prius. Acceleration is very amazing!

 

[MakinDoForNow]

My experience with the regen in hybrid Maverick is you let go of the gas pedal it slows down but not enough to use it as braking power. It's no difference than letting go of the gas pedal in EB Maverick

Max Regen is with standard mode in Low but any mode in Low is more. It is scary and I cannot bring myself to do it but active cruise with stop and go active and in Low (I have been told) will stop about 4 feet behind car in front of you. I cannot confirm this rumor!

 

[Ozarkbeard]

You CAN but you shouldn't.

Regen in L (low) is very very strong.
It will slow you to 3 mph in 10 seconds.

BUT IT DOES NOT LIGHT THE BRAKE LAMPS.

Regen brake stops at 3mph and under.
You need brake pads to stop and hold you no matter what.

Buddy of mine uses L a lot, going down winding curvy hills in this rural area. His mileage is in the 50s. No, it does not light the brake lights, nor does "gearing down" in a manual transmission vehicle. The brake pedal isn't being pushed.

 

[Msjulie]

I've found that driving in Eco is the most comfortable in our 2023, it's doesn't lurch really and the regen + brake pedal mix is actually pretty well done.

We had an early EV (2015) that didn't do such a hot job; brake pedal was all regen unless a hard (like emergency) application or when the car got to about 8miles per hour, you could literally feel the friction brakes suddenly engage.

Regen is an interesting property in a car; coasting is more efficient in a down hill but regen is always more efficient than friction brakes so the trick is to use the accelerator just enough to prevent regen when you don't want it but the brakes lightly enough? to trigger regen w/o using actual friction brakes when possible.

Or just drive and be happy ha ha

Sponsored