Regen

[RoadUser]

In the last few days I've noticed the regen doesn't seem as strong as it used to, while according to the dash it's regen'ing (the needle goes to the charge bit around as before and Amp numbers are in the negative) but the car doesn't seem to slow down as it used to before. I usually drive in normal mode, kers 2. This is both when the temp has been around 10c and also same with 5c, as I understand generally the temp can have an effect on regen.

In the regen braking process, what actually slows down the car?

 

[admiralross2400]

How full is your battery? Also, what's the external temperature? Some people have pointed out that if your battery is full then the regen is limited and if it's cold, the car limits it a bit because it's not as good for the battery. (I'm not sure on that last one but the first one makes sense...if the battery is full, where is the energy meant to go?)

 

[RoadUser]

The first time I started noticing was after charging the battery on AC to around 95%, didn't think much about it initially as I've previously noticed when the charge % is high like this the regen was limited, but even after it dropped below 80% it was around 10c on the regen didn't feel as strong as it used to.

 

[iainfm]

In the regen braking process, what actually slows down the car?

The motor being used as a generator.

If you take a small motor (out of a toy, for example) and spin it, it'll spin fairly freely. Put a load (eg a bulb) across the terminals and spin it again the bulb will light, but it will feel harder to spin and won't spin for as long. The mechanical energy of the motor gets transferred to electrical energy, and in turn into heat/light energy.

Same principal in regen. Sort of.

 

[Kithmo]

I find if the outside temperature is 4 deg C or less then regen is greatly reduced, even when the battery is not full.

 

[lebelinconnu]

I must admit I have noticed no difference in regen when the temperature changes- so far I have driven in temps from - 2 to 10 degrees. Perhaps it's because the regen is a lot more pronounced than in my Leaf!

 

[Alansurfer]

As others have mentioned if the battery is above 90-95% the regen will be not be as aggressive when coming off the throttle quickly as there isn’t enough room in the battery for a rapid charge rate. The regen is is slightly different in eco, normal and sport mode too.

 

[RoadUser]

I as usually drive in Normal Mode, kers2, not sure why it suddenly seems to have lost a quite a bit of the slowing down in regen as the difference is noticeable than before with having to use the brakes a bit more and also the brakes seem to have a different feel to it.

Also it's interesting that once regen braking force is reduced how the brakes feel compared to a diesel, where the braking is more predictable.