Motorway or Town Driving Using Kers 1 and Kers 3.

[bwanamdevu]

I know that Kers 3 is the recommended setting for stop/start motoring like in towns and Kers 1 for continuous periods of non-braking type driving like on a motorway but……..what difference does it make?

Is there a difference in the mpkWh achieved or in the feel of the car when zooming on the open road? I stick Kers 3 when driving around the town and suburbs and often forget to switch to Kers 1 when I then take the A1 north or south.

 

[Ping]

What's the thinking behind using kers 1 for motorways? In my Hyundai I use kers 3 for everything

 

[Lguk]

Essentially, you coast longer. So for motorways when you would normally back off throttle to drop back, 3 can be a bit harsh resulting you pedal hopping, dropping it to 2 or 1 will allow the car to coast slow down at a more gradual rate allowing for a smoother progress.

I've been mostly using 3, but tonight on bunch stretch bunch type traffic (50-30-50) dropping it to 2 made for a more fluid drive.

 

[Kithmo]

I just leave my ZS in KERS3 and feather the accelerator.

 

[Archev]

Yes it’s eco + kers3 all the way for me.

 

[Ozzie1989]

What's the thinking behind using kers 1 for motorways? In my Hyundai I use kers 3 for everything

If you lift off too much in KERS 3 you'll slow down quickly and then waste more power speeding back up again.

I suppose it's down to the driver and how they use the throttle.

Also motorways tend to be quite flat, whereas KERS 3 on a nice hilly downhill stretch will result in some payback.

The dash power meter will help you find the best for your situation.

 

[smokie]

If you lift off too much in KERS 3 you'll slow down quickly and then waste more power speeding back up again.

but presumably generate a bit more while slowing.

I just stick it in KERS3 and ECO. If I want better economy I slow down a bit. If I want to go faster I put my foot down harder.

 

[Gomev]

but presumably generate a bit more while slowing.

I just stick it in KERS3 and ECO. If I want better economy I slow down a bit. If I want to go faster I put my foot down harder.

You will never regen as much slowing from 65 to 50 as you will use accelerating from 50 to 65.

In lower regens, 1 and 2 you are also regenning longer albeit at lower amps.

 

[MarkLynn]

I like to use Kers 3 and Normal setting, this would be on all types of trips, if I want to slowdown less I will reduce the pressure on the accelerator slowly this works the same as settings kers 1 or 2 maybe I'm a control freek and think I can do better than the computer, it's also more involving to drive.

 

[Jomarkh]

Eco and kers3 all day long, if you won't to go faster just press the pedal harder

 

[smokie]

You will never regen as much slowing from 65 to 50 as you will use accelerating from 50 to 65.

How much is the difference?

 

[5teep]

Agreeing with Ozzie above, I used to use kers 3 all the time but even going down a steep hill it slows the car rapidly and you have to accelerate again to get back to speed using up any power you gained. Kers 3 only in town.

 

[Jomarkh]

It only slows you down if you take your foot completely off the pedal, just leave your foot slightly on the pedal

 

[5teep]

Life is too short to be playing balance the pedal biting point

 

[Kithmo]

Life is too short to be playing balance the pedal biting point

One of the reasons I gave up on clutches over 12 years ago (and a dodgy left knee).

 

[EVsince2016]

Using regen & then power costs about 15-20% of the energy recovered.

KERS3 with harsh regen costs energy when on fast roads but KERS1 minimises this by regen of less energy. This only works if you don't need to slow down and can allow your speed to vary on up & down grades.

I use KERS3 most of the time, but do use KERS1 or 2 on empty fast roads.

 

[Slipstream]

What's the thinking behind using kers 1 for motorways? In my Hyundai I use kers 3 for everything

Same here on my zs doesn't make any difference to range anyway.

 

[sido]

I only get visible ( I mean plus a mile or a percentage available on the dash), regeneration on a long steep hill using KERS 3, even then I would have to accelerate at some point to avoid driving too slowly.
So now I don’t move out of KERS 2 and I haven’t noticed any significant change in range. The way I see it, deceleration and acceleration are inextricably linked and one seems to pretty much compensate for the other.