Regen & Panic Stops

Today I had to do my first panic stop in years. I can't remember the last time I had to slam on my brakes. It was definitely before we had a hybrid with regen braking and we got our first hybrid in fall 2011. I was driving home in traffic when a bicyclist shot out against a red light into traffic. Fortunately because of traffic I was only doing 20-25 MPH (speed limit 30) and I was able to stop before hitting the cyclist. The tires locked up and I felt the ABS pumping. I heard the tires screech on the pavement. I didn't see what my brake score was for that stop, but for my entire trip home it was only 93%. That is really bad because this was a 7 mile city trip with 2.4 miles of regen according to MFM. Every other time I braked on my drive home was 100% brake score.

I wonder how much regen happens during a panic stop or if the car only uses the friction pads.

I think the car always does some regen. It has to: there is no clutch to disengage the electric motor from the drive wheels so its always spinning. It is possible that during a panic stop (or other time that it doesn't put the current back into the battery) that it either shunts the current through a resistor or simply open circuits the motor; in which case you'd have no regen at all LOL.

There really is no reason for it not to do some regen: as long as the front wheels are turning so is the motor (and thus I think its impossible to get a 0% brake score).

Granted, though, this is all my speculation based upon seeing a cutaway of the FFE's motor and examining it for a while.

Regen is cut during ABS, but it would have been on when you were pre-ABS braking.

Hybridbear,
You should have gotten a 110 % for stopping in time. I'm a cyclist myself, but that guy that ran the light deserves a 0%. Where I live, cyclists are required to observe all traffic laws, just as motorists.

redcelt007 said:

Hybridbear,
You should have gotten a 110 % for stopping in time. I'm a cyclist myself, but that guy that ran the light deserves a 0%. Where I live, cyclists are required to observe all traffic laws, just as motorists.

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The same is true here for cyclists, but many don't obey the traffic laws. They frequently run stop signs and red lights and I see far too many near misses. The one thing I will say about the older woman who almost caused an accident with me was that she at least was wearing a helmet.