Disable/turn off regen?

[triangles]

Is there a way to turn off regen when I let off the accelerator other than flipping the shifter into neutral?

[WattsUp]

Is there a way to turn off regen when I let off the accelerator other than flipping the shifter into neutral?

So, no.

Why would you want to do this? You're throwing all that kinetic energy away, and your overall range will be decreased accordingly.

[hybridbear]

Is there a way to turn off regen when I let off the accelerator other than flipping the shifter into neutral?

So, no.

Why would you want to do this? You're throwing all that kinetic energy away, and your overall range will be decreased accordingly.

Actually, shifting to neutral & coasting is better than just letting of the accelerator & letting the car regen. There are friction losses in the drivetrain, shifting to neutral reduces those.

[GladeStorm]

Ummm - I was under the impression that the drivetrain isn't physically disengaged in neutral. 'Neutral' can be simulated in an electric motor by removing the electrical load.

[triangles]

You are correct. There is no clutch or torque converter. The motor is always engaged with the wheels.

My MTX ICE car I do a fair amount of coasting with out the engine engaged as it is more efficient. It would be more efficient to freewheel when I let off the accelerator and then engage the regen when I touch the brakes. Otherwise I will have to use more battery power to get to the point I would have otherwise reached just rolling.

I suspect ford programmed the regen this way for the sheeple used to driving an ATX ICE. It simulates the engine brake effect of an ATX ICE. Same thing with the annoying creep when you take your foot off the brake while stopped.

[jachady]

I have differing thoughts on this. When Ford went to the Aggressive Deceleration Fuel Shut-off on their ICE cars, I was able to get way better mileage while coasting in neutral. The ADFS basically shut the fuel pump off (saving fuel) but allowed the motor to still spin (causing drag). So I got around it by putting the car into neutral. I was able to get 42.2 mpg once on a 600 mile round trip in a 2011 Mercury Milan (rated at 33 mpg).

Now when it comes to the hybrids, the old system (NiHY) would regen anytime you let off the gas. In normal driving I always obtained better than the 41 city rating on the highway in the Fusion. Around here there are lots of rolling hills so coasting down them was regening the battery. Today in the new Fusion, it only regens when you are on the brakes and as such I dont' seem to build up enough battery for when I get into town. At this, I am just reaching the 44 mpg. I have started dragging the brakes everytime I get off the gas and can get the car up to 47 mpg pretty easy as I have more electricity available to me once I get into town.

I think I'll have to try a few things on the Focus. Yesterday I did a coast down from 80 mph and the car seemed to go on forever. I still had to hit the brakes way earlier than I would have expected with the regen drag. Time to go do some testing!!

[unplugged]

Actually, shifting to neutral & coasting is better than just letting of the accelerator & letting the car regen. There are friction losses in the drivetrain, shifting to neutral reduces those.

Maybe so. But why go to the trouble of shifting into neutral when you can just use your right foot to cancel the regen in those instances when you want to coast? For instance, the Model S has very heavy regen you can dial into the car. (The regen is actually selectable.) Most owners use one pedal for driving, permitting such heavy regen that the car can stop without the brake. In the FFE, just place the accelerator pedal in a position that neither applies power, nor regen. There. You have it in neutral.

[kmaluo]

Why would you want to do this? You're throwing all that kinetic energy away, and your overall range will be decreased accordingly.

Wouldn't less regen equal longer battery life? Unless there's a super capacitor hidden somewhere in the FFE.

[hybridbear]

Today in the new Fusion, it only regens when you are on the brakes and as such I dont' seem to build up enough battery for when I get into town. At this, I am just reaching the 44 mpg. I have started dragging the brakes everytime I get off the gas and can get the car up to 47 mpg pretty easy as I have more electricity available to me once I get into town.

Not true. The FFH regens anytime you take your foot off the accelerator. It doesn't get the spinning regen circle until you step on the brake, but the traction motor is consuming mechanical energy and converting it to electrical energy. Tests done using Torque Pro have determined that this regen is the least efficient of any mechanical-electrical energy conversion done by the electric motor and thus it should be avoided. I imagine that the same is true of the Focus Electric.

[unplugged]

Why would you want to do this? You're throwing all that kinetic energy away, and your overall range will be decreased accordingly.

Wouldn't less regen equal longer battery life? Unless there's a super capacitor hidden somewhere in the FFE.

I suppose if you don't charge your battery, you will get longer battery life. But unlike an ICE, where you can just drive your car and use gas, that's not an alternative for the FFE. You have to charge your battery sometime. Whether that is when you apply the brakes, or when you put it in the garage, you are using the same amount of electricity. The only real difference is that it is free when you use the brakes to recharge your FFE.

As to whether adding charge to your FFE battery is less stressful at night in the garage or more stressful when coming to a stop, I think you won't find any evidence that one is better than the other.