Tim+ wrote:
T i m wrote:
I would be interested to hear from Theo below what speed the breaking
is still mostly mechanical (re urban / motorway driving).

I think you mean €œbraking€�. I cant speak for hybrids but on EVs there is
no €œspeed limit€� for regenerative braking. The limits are the rate of
deceleration that the motor can produce and the battery capacity. A fully
charged EV wont do regenerative braking as theres simply nowhere to put
the energy.

I think gen2 Prius regen goes down to about 7-8mph. At that point the
amount of braking you can get from the motor alone is limited, and you want
it to stop accurately (going 1 metre extra across a pedestrian crossing
would not be great). You can feel it's a bit notchy slightly above that
speed - as if you can feel the poles of the motor as it rotates - which
is a bit disconcerting until you get used to it. Your instinctive reaction
is to push the brakes harder which will bring in friction braking anyway.

Unless you're descending hills, on the flat it will keep some headroom in
the battery such that there's enough space to capture energy in regen.
It'll then use that energy next time you accelerate, so it tries to always
have scope to regen. Although the motor isn't large, so if you're less than
gentle on the brakes it'll bring in the friction system.

Theo