Regen-free driving mode

In a number of threads several of us have concluded that Eco mode would be more Eco if it disabled regen completely, bringing regen on only with a light touch of the brake pedal or by shifting to B. Ideally that could be accomplished by disconnecting a single wire or changing a few lines of code.
Is anyone pursuing this?

<rant>

This whole man-machine interface needs to be re-thought by the manufacturers. Instead of thinking outside of the box, their present goal is to provide a seamless transition from a known existing ICE environment and thus they try to make the electric car act and feel like an ICE vehicle. Just imagine how creative manufacturers could get if they offered a menu of different control options ... heck, it's all under software control anyway. Tesla S has that, but it's awfully simplistic at this point in time.

There's a lot of control logic behind the iMiEV's simple switches actuated by the P-R-N-D-E-B lever. How I wish it were a simple hack to get in there and play with the code to not only enable zero-regen in, e.g., Eco, but also to provide much greater regen when asked-for.

When I find the time I'm afraid my experimentation will be limited to creative use of those switches as well as the brake-pedal-position-sensing device(s). I had hoped that control systems for the disabled could be utilized, but from what I've seen so far they seem to be fairly crude mechanical adapters.

Can you imagine how much fun the engineers developing Mitsu's electric race car are having? Wish they could be let loose on the iMiEV without corporate/marketing mandates/restraints.

An example of the stupid man-machine interface is the Leaf, where one pushes the fly-by-wire "shift" lever forward in order to go backwards, and vice-versa. They missed a golden opportunity to change …. (or maybe there's a government regulation that mandates conformity?) :evil:

</rant>

Joe, you nailed it, I think. Mitsubishi is one of the major partners in the SIM Drive consortium - have you seen the SIM-LEI and the SIM-WIL prototypes? They both have over 200 miles range, with 4 wheel drive and quite good aerodynamics:

SIM-LEI


SIM-WIL


There is obvious i MiEV heritage and they both go over 200 miles on a charge. SIM-LEI only has a ~25kWh pack,, while the SIM-WIL is ~33kWh - either way, they are very impressive.

Well, if the SIM-LEI were to make production, I can only think of one name that fits. The Citroen Scarab! Here's it's great-grandpa who must've messed around with an i-MiEV...

http://desktopart.org/var/albums/Car-Wallpapers/Classic-Cars-Wallpapers/Citroen_DS_19_1960_03.jpg

Nearly everything in the car is computer controlled - How hard would it be to allow individual owners to be able to program what each of the 3 driving modes does in their personal cars? We can program 8 way power seats, steering wheel position and angle and outside mirror selections to fit 3 or 4 different drivers in one car - Reprogramming D, Eco and B modes shouldn't be that hard

We need some of you computer techie types to get busy!! :mrgreen:

I wouldn't spend $5 to make it more aero - I seldom drive it above 45 mph anyway, but a few simple programming changes could make a really good around town car a truly great car, IMO

Don

Jray3 you bring back fond memories. I owned a Citroen in the 70s and talk about thinking outside the box, Citroen didn't know what a box was. The Citroen pictured had no springs, no shocks, inboard disc brakes, power steering and alternator run off the cam shaft pulley, adjustable road height control, power jacking (to change a tire), pressurized brake system and automatic level control (have four people get in the car and the car automatically adjusted for the additional weight). What a great car it was.

Too bad no one purchased them and Citroen left the US market in 1972. I agree with the comments to quit trying to make an EV act like an ICE. It would be great to be able to configure the amount of regen, power available and power maximums. I have a low speed EV with a Curtis controller and, with the optional programmer, I programmed in how much power I wanted on start out, how much regen with no throttle, how much with brake application and maximum motor RPM. I found with my useage that coasting had a greater benefit than regen. I was able to tweak the controller and get great coasting and still have regen when lightly applying the brakes.

I would think that Mitsubishi prevents this sort of modification to avoid having drivers overload components. I've submitted the request for a "no regen" option via several channels, but I doubt it will be implemented by the OEM.

Aerodynamic drag is ~50% of the load at only 28-30mph, so having a low Cd helps in virtually all driving.

The SIM-WIL has a ~33kWh pack (about 2X the capacity of the i MiEV) but it goes over 200 miles - about 3X the distance.

Everything is a trade-off

If you're buying a sportscar, a 400hp engine and the beefier trans, differential, axles, brakes and suspension components that go with the extra power mean you don't also get a nimble, 2,000 pound package that handles really well

For EV's, if you need/want 200 or more miles of range, pretty much the same applies. Your 2,500 pound car turns into a 3,000 pound car with it's larger battery pack, more powerful motor (to get the heavier car moving) and bigger brakes and other components, and the price escalates pretty quickly too

If you need 200 miles of range, the iMiEV is not your car and you'll need to look into a Tesla or some of the others that will become available real soon. You won't get 112mpge like this car does, but that (in addition to the extra $$$) is the price you pay

For what we bought this car for, the package is just about perfect as is, IMO. Zero money spent on a sleek, low cd body, half the battery pack (at half the price) of many others and because of that, it's a pretty lightweight, very efficient package with room for 4 adults at a price I could afford. I'm really glad they built it just as they did, or I wouldn't own one

I guess it's natural for every owner to want more, but realistically, anyone who wants a sleek, powerful 200 mile EV should be looking at something else, not the iMiEV

Don

Love our drifting threads, to which I'll further contribute...
I agree with Don that our iMiEV is simply superb at what it does, and has certainly exceeded our own family's expectations (hate that well-worn phrase) as an everyday functional conveyance.

Don said:

I guess it's natural for every owner to want more, but realistically, anyone who wants a sleek, powerful 200 mile EV should be looking at something else, not the iMiEV

Click to expand...

Ah, here's where we disagree, as Mitsubishi has already produced such an animal (well, maybe not that powerful), at least for the showroom: http://www.gizmag.com/go/8256/picture/39467/
To complement our iMiEV hatchback, I would be the first in line, cash in hand, for the iMiEV Sport IF it's Cd is less than 0.25.

Weight is not as important as aerodynamic drag - partly because you can coast to make good use of the "invested" kinetic energy, and if you need to slow down, you use regen to get some energy back. Aero losses on the other hand are total - you can't anything back.

The Illuminati Motor Works 'Seven' (runner up at the X-Prize) weighs ~2,900 pounds including it's ~33kWh lithium pack - it can go over 200 miles on a charge and it was put through the full EPA-type tests at the Chrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea MI. It gets a 207MPGe rating on the Combined. The Cd is ~0.23. And it accelerates 0-60 in ~6.2 seconds.

With an electric drivetrain, you don't lose very much energy - typically EV's are 85% plug-to-wheel; so accelerating weight is not nearly as much of a penalty as with an ICE vehicle. The kinetic energy of the moving vehicle can be used two ways, so you get some of it back, so to speak. But aerodynamic drag is a total loss - so lower drag will improve range.