carnut1100
Well-known member
I have a 2010 build Australian version and I have not seen any rise in regen when I touch the brakes....regen seems to be only when I lift off the accellerator.
Press the Brake Pedal - Get More Regen
- Thread starter azemon
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One of the best, most intuitive regen contols I have ever used was on my Vectrix scooter. Some of you on this forum may have owned or driven one. The Vectrix had a traditional twist grip throttle used in the normal manner to accelerate the scooter. What was different was you could release the grip to a "neutral" position and then rotate it backwards to apply regen. The regen was so powerful, that during a normal stop, the service brakes didn't need to be applied at all until you were almost at a complete stop. It was natural to apply the service brakes at the last minute if necessary. It was one of the coolest things about the Vectrix (may it rest in peace). Years ago I once drove a GM "car of the future" that used a joystick to control speed, braking and direction. It was suprising how quickly you felt comfortable without the steering wheel or pedals to control the vehicle. Maybe baby steps (like using a joystick or paddles for acceleration and regen) might be a good way to introduce people to a different way to contol a vehicle.
siai47, I completely agree with you! The Vectrix implementation is wonderfully intuitive. As you pointed out, one's hands are a far more sensitive and sensible control medium than one's foot. I have a joystick on my Gen1 Honda Insight which controls the electric motor - it's great to be able to either apply power or control the amount of regeneration with one's fingertip.siai47 said:
siai47, I've been looking at the transducer attached to the iMiEV's brake pedal and have been awfully tempted to pull it out and splice in an extension to see what would happen if it were manually operated. I suspect they have software interlocks (there are two switches also attached to the brake) that may inhibit operation, but the temptation to see if fingertip-controlled variable regeneration can be easily implemented is great. I don't suppose you'd want to pull out that transducer from your 1/2-iMiEV and give it a try? Need to be careful, as I suspect that transducer is also used in the iMiEV's brake-rate-application detection which can quickly bring our iMiEV to a non-screeching halt.
I'll have to take a look at it. The thing looks like a simple potentiometer with three wires coming out of it. However, like all things I-MiEV things aren't what they seem. I believe it is a hall effect sensor (like the accelerator) so a little better look at the the wiring diagrams and a voltage check might be in order before splicing anything. Thank goodness for the leased I-MiEV guienea pig! I'll try and figure it out. I would really be nice to have the regeneration right on the steering wheel with a spot near (or at) the famous 10/2 O'clock position that could be rotated while you hands were on the wheel.
PV1
Well-known member
I've been thinking of how the car would act with it disconnected and driven separate of the pedal, too. I bet you get the traction and ASC lights to come on, similar to Siai47's LED brake light experiment. 
It could just be that all iMiEV's use the same clock-spring assembly - If so, the unused wiring for the Bluetooth steering wheel controls on all non-premium cars may be available to be used for whatever . . . . like a couple of paddles. If so, moving the brake transducer up onto the steering wheel might not be that hard to do
If there is one single thing I would really like to add to my car, a paddle to control regen would be at the top of the list!! Then, while I was at it, I'd add a flasher for the center brake light which comes on when full regen is applied
Don
If there is one single thing I would really like to add to my car, a paddle to control regen would be at the top of the list!! Then, while I was at it, I'd add a flasher for the center brake light which comes on when full regen is applied
Don
I'm dense it seems. I don't get it. You take your foot off the go pedal and you get regen automatically. If you have a paddle, and you don't quite get your foot off the go pedal, you are wasting energy. Don't the go pedal and the regen have to be one and the same control? Of course there is the regen brake pedal to adjust your regen a bit more, but you can't (or shouldn't) have your foot on both. You shouldn't be propelling the car and braking it at the same time.
And all this talk of regen...If you are driving locally (city/suburban) and use too much of it, basically you are using the accelerator too much. And if I were going down a long steep hill and wanted to control my speed, all I need to do is lift my foot off the go pedal and adjust my "transmission" paddle to my liking.
And all this talk of regen...If you are driving locally (city/suburban) and use too much of it, basically you are using the accelerator too much. And if I were going down a long steep hill and wanted to control my speed, all I need to do is lift my foot off the go pedal and adjust my "transmission" paddle to my liking.
fjpod, let me try to put this 'need' for fingertip regen control into perspective.
I live in the hills and am constantly modulating my downhill speed with regeneration. Having four levels of regeneration was one of the main reasons I chose the iMiEV over the Leaf.
Zero Regen = N
Light Regen = D
Medium Regen = Eco
Heavy Regen = B
The primary thing I wanted to check out during my first (and only) iMiEV test drive was whether I could safely put the iMiEV into Neutral and coast (over the objections screamed at me by the salesman) - recall, our Owner's Manual says this is a no-no.
The drive from my house starts out with a gentle two-mile downhill run alternating between N and D (then Eco and B into the first stop sign). I personally am incapable of keeping my foot on the go-pedal and balancing the red needle in the zero power/regen spot.
My iMiEV's shift lever will probably be the first to wear out as I use it constantly.
As we've discussed elsewhere, using regen robs our car of its kinetic energy and is inefficient; however, our city/suburban driving style is strongly influenced by surrounding traffic - yes, if I see a red light two blocks ahead of me in zero traffic I simply flip into N and play a game of trying to hit a changing traffic light perfectly. In normal traffic, there would be a lot of angry motorists if I did that, and thus regen gets a lot more use than I would like. Ergo, the ability to modulate regen more easily with fingertips rather than the shift lever or gentle brake application.
In my ideal world I would have two controls:
1. A dash-mounted potentiometer or multi-position switch which would establish the vehicle's basic regen level setting with foot off the go-pedal, ranging from zero regen to a maximum that is greater than our present iMiEV's B. In practical use, for highway driving I would set this to zero regen whereas for mountain or heavy-city-traffic driving I would probably set it closer to max.
2. A paddle (or stalk/joystick) by the steering wheel which would control regen independently of the dashboard-mounted control. This fingertip-controlled spring-loaded paddle would simply allow infinitely-variable regen application ranging from zero (paddle released, defaulting to whatever the dash-mounted setting is) to maximum (paddle or joystick pulled towards driver).
As I said, I have such a joystick on my Gen1 Honda Insight and find it far more convenient than our iMiEV's 'shift' lever.
I live in the hills and am constantly modulating my downhill speed with regeneration. Having four levels of regeneration was one of the main reasons I chose the iMiEV over the Leaf.
Zero Regen = N
Light Regen = D
Medium Regen = Eco
Heavy Regen = B
The primary thing I wanted to check out during my first (and only) iMiEV test drive was whether I could safely put the iMiEV into Neutral and coast (over the objections screamed at me by the salesman) - recall, our Owner's Manual says this is a no-no.
The drive from my house starts out with a gentle two-mile downhill run alternating between N and D (then Eco and B into the first stop sign). I personally am incapable of keeping my foot on the go-pedal and balancing the red needle in the zero power/regen spot.
My iMiEV's shift lever will probably be the first to wear out as I use it constantly.
As we've discussed elsewhere, using regen robs our car of its kinetic energy and is inefficient; however, our city/suburban driving style is strongly influenced by surrounding traffic - yes, if I see a red light two blocks ahead of me in zero traffic I simply flip into N and play a game of trying to hit a changing traffic light perfectly. In normal traffic, there would be a lot of angry motorists if I did that, and thus regen gets a lot more use than I would like. Ergo, the ability to modulate regen more easily with fingertips rather than the shift lever or gentle brake application.
In my ideal world I would have two controls:
1. A dash-mounted potentiometer or multi-position switch which would establish the vehicle's basic regen level setting with foot off the go-pedal, ranging from zero regen to a maximum that is greater than our present iMiEV's B. In practical use, for highway driving I would set this to zero regen whereas for mountain or heavy-city-traffic driving I would probably set it closer to max.
2. A paddle (or stalk/joystick) by the steering wheel which would control regen independently of the dashboard-mounted control. This fingertip-controlled spring-loaded paddle would simply allow infinitely-variable regen application ranging from zero (paddle released, defaulting to whatever the dash-mounted setting is) to maximum (paddle or joystick pulled towards driver).
As I said, I have such a joystick on my Gen1 Honda Insight and find it far more convenient than our iMiEV's 'shift' lever.
alohart
Well-known member
I would love JoeS's regen controllers as well. Maybe this is because I also have a Honda Insight equipped with a regen and assist joystick which I really appreciate. In my i-MiEV, I tried shifting frequently between N, D, E, and B to control regen but quickly tired of this exercise. I would love a true coasting mode that would allow regen to occur when the brake is depressed unlike when in N.
I would probably replace JoeS's variable regen pot with an on-off coasting switch. "Off" would restore the default regen behaviors of D, E, and B when the regen stalk is in its resting position, but any other position would result variable levels of regen. "On" would replace the default regen behavior with that controlled by the regen stalk; e.g., no regen (i.e., coasting) in the stalk's resting position and "full" regen when the stalk is at its maximum position. It would be nice for this system to illuminate the brake light when regen is greater than the default D level.
So when is some enterprising i-MiEV owner going to design and sell such a system to us?
I would probably replace JoeS's variable regen pot with an on-off coasting switch. "Off" would restore the default regen behaviors of D, E, and B when the regen stalk is in its resting position, but any other position would result variable levels of regen. "On" would replace the default regen behavior with that controlled by the regen stalk; e.g., no regen (i.e., coasting) in the stalk's resting position and "full" regen when the stalk is at its maximum position. It would be nice for this system to illuminate the brake light when regen is greater than the default D level.
So when is some enterprising i-MiEV owner going to design and sell such a system to us?
NeilBlanchard
Well-known member
An alternate to a hand operated regen control would be a third pedal for your left foot. It could be separated a bit from the brake pedal, and you can use your left foot for something (now then we don't need a clutch pedal), and you don't have to change what your right foot does, and nothing extra to do with your hands.
True - I would never do that. I drive 100% of the time in B and it's become second nature for me to modulate the go pedal to slow and stop, using only regen and seldom touching the brake pedal until just before the regen kicks outfjpod said:
I would settle for a simple paddle switch on the steering wheel which would give me that 'extra' regen you get when you press the brake pedal a little - I take my foot off the go pedal to get all the regen 'B' mode has to offer and when I need more I would pull the paddle rather than gently touching the brake pedal - I think any amount of regen you get with the brake pedal also comes with some amount of friction braking and the paddle would eliminate that
Unless you're the slow, old man in the city driving chain, you're many times forced to slow by what the traffic in front of you is doing - I do usually lag back 2 or 3 car lengths so that regen can slow me enough to not need to touch the brakes, but I use regen a lot especially in city driving and I would like a paddle so I can use it even more effectively
Don
carnut1100
Well-known member
Aus 2012 models don't have Eco...they have C for coast, which shuts off regen but still allows full throttle response and regen on braking.
Of course my 2010 has the Eco setting and no extra regen on braking and I do miss those features from the 2012 I drove.....
Of course my 2010 has the Eco setting and no extra regen on braking and I do miss those features from the 2012 I drove.....
