Range mode + Recuperation?

[basedRNC]

Having trouble understanding why range mode does not enable recuperation, or at the very least have it set to “auto”

If the whole point of range mode is to preserve battery, wouldn’t recuperation help in this endeavor?

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[benver]

Having trouble understanding why range mode does not enable recuperation, or at the very least have it set to “auto”

If the whole point of range mode is to preserve battery, wouldn’t recuperation help in this endeavor?

Porsche has the opinion that coasting is more energy efficient compared to recuperation.

A simplified representation of what's going on:
Recuperation = recharge the battery with energy generated by the motor which implies friction losses in the motor(M) and losses due to the conversion(C) from AC(motor) to DC(into the battery)
Coasting = Bleed off the kinetic energy available in the moving car
Both have losses due to friction of the tires(T) and car in the air(A)

M + C + T + A is larger than T + A, unless both M and C are zero, which they ain't.
So coasting is more energy efficient.

Porsche has an engineering magazine, I recall having read about it, have a look at https://www.porscheengineering.com/peg/en/about/magazine/

 

[cgfrndpor]

Having trouble understanding why range mode does not enable recuperation, or at the very least have it set to “auto”

If the whole point of range mode is to preserve battery, wouldn’t recuperation help in this endeavor?

Although I wish the recup setting would 'stick'. even though it isn't chosen recuperation occurs whenever the brake pedal is pressed (unless extremely hard). Notice how little brake dust is on your wheels. (note, if the battery is fully charged, recup can't occur until some of the battery is freed up for charging, no matter what the setting)
Auto is great because it lets you coast with the foot off the accelerator unless the sensors see you are gaining on the car ahead too rapidly, it applies recup then to slow your rate of approach.

 

[W1NGE]

Having trouble understanding why range mode does not enable recuperation, or at the very least have it set to “auto”

If the whole point of range mode is to preserve battery, wouldn’t recuperation help in this endeavor?

Coasting works better as the car relies on friction to slow down and can take quite some distance to do so thereby saving some juice. Recuperation would change that significantly.

The other Range functions which are automatically deployed do their job quite well I'd say plus you can tweak some of the settings to suit.

 

[NC_Taycan]

@cgfrndpor nailed it. Recuperation is always used when slowing down. The hydraulic brakes don't activate until you are pressing hard on the pedal or the car's speed has gone below about 5 MPH. The recuperation settings on/auto only control how much recuperation is applied when you lift off of the accelerator.

 

[JimBob]

Recuperation in Range mode is a little incongruous. You can easily test this yourself.

If Recuperation is on the battery icon is displayed on the dash. When you switch to Range mode, the battery icon disappears. If you take your foot off the accelerator no recuperation shows. But find a down slope, put the car on cruise control and take your foot off the accelerator and if the hill is steep enough, the car will show recuperation. So it looks like there is a circumstance where the car in Range mode will use recuperation to slow itself down rather than just coast. ie when using cruise control.

With respect to auto, there are some circumstances where recuperation won't occur. This is in the manual. It is possible you could be surprised if you are expecting recuperation and then it doesn't occur.

You can also try to manage the recuperation yourself. Turn it on when going downhill and turn it off on flat stretches.

 

[buruburu]

For efficiency and range, I would agree with Porsche that be avoid regen if you can. Whenever you transfer one form of energy to another, you will also have loss as nothing is 100% efficient. When you convert kinetic energy back into electrical stored energy, I'm there are losses due to mechanical, thermal, and probably some form of electrical.

One way that you can test this is to compare how far you travel by coasting down from 60 to a complete stop. Then you can compare this distance to how much you would travel with the battery energy you can recharging by stop the car with regen from 60.

I remember reading somewhere that regen can only recoup about 30% of the energy which sounds reasonable to me, but I haven't seen any true scientific numbers on this.

On Cruise Control & Range mode, they're kind two different things. One is dictating how the vehicle uses its energy and how to conserve that energy while the other is dictating at what speed the vehicle travel at regardless of everything else.

I've tried auto regen and I personally don't understand it. I have no idea what its going to do, under what situation, and how much regen I'm going to get. If I don't know what it's going to do 100% of the time, I don't want to use it cause I don't know if I'm going to rear end someone.

 

[feye]

I've tried auto regen and I personally don't understand it. I have no idea what its going to do, under what situation, and how much regen I'm going to get. If I don't know what it's going to do 100% of the time, I don't want to use it cause I don't know if I'm going to rear end someone.

Auto regen gives you kind of one pedal driving. It coast when there isn't a car in front, and regens when you get close to a car like in ACC.

I personally never use any of the regen modes. Love coasting, love to be in control driving.

 

[jimithing]

For efficiency and range, I would agree with Porsche that be avoid regen if you can. Whenever you transfer one form of energy to another, you will also have loss as nothing is 100% efficient. When you convert kinetic energy back into electrical stored energy, I'm there are losses due to mechanical, thermal, and probably some form of electrical.

One way that you can test this is to compare how far you travel by coasting down from 60 to a complete stop. Then you can compare this distance to how much you would travel with the battery energy you can recharging by stop the car with regen from 60.

I remember reading somewhere that regen can only recoup about 30% of the energy which sounds reasonable to me, but I haven't seen any true scientific numbers on this.

On Cruise Control & Range mode, they're kind two different things. One is dictating how the vehicle uses its energy and how to conserve that energy while the other is dictating at what speed the vehicle travel at regardless of everything else.

I've tried auto regen and I personally don't understand it. I have no idea what its going to do, under what situation, and how much regen I'm going to get. If I don't know what it's going to do 100% of the time, I don't want to use it cause I don't know if I'm going to rear end someone.

I learned to love auto. I find I have to use the brake pedal far less often in traffic but it doesn't lurch slower, which I feel when it's set to "on." It simulates how you'd coast or downshift with a manual if the car in front slows. Just don't overthink it.

 

[cgfrndpor]

For efficiency and range, I would agree with Porsche that be avoid regen if you can. Whenever you transfer one form of energy to another, you will also have loss as nothing is 100% efficient. When you convert kinetic energy back into electrical stored energy, I'm there are losses due to mechanical, thermal, and probably some form of electrical.

One way that you can test this is to compare how far you travel by coasting down from 60 to a complete stop. Then you can compare this distance to how much you would travel with the battery energy you can recharging by stop the car with regen from 60.

I remember reading somewhere that regen can only recoup about 30% of the energy which sounds reasonable to me, but I haven't seen any true scientific numbers on this.

On Cruise Control & Range mode, they're kind two different things. One is dictating how the vehicle uses its energy and how to conserve that energy while the other is dictating at what speed the vehicle travel at regardless of everything else.

I've tried auto regen and I personally don't understand it. I have no idea what its going to do, under what situation, and how much regen I'm going to get. If I don't know what it's going to do 100% of the time, I don't want to use it cause I don't know if I'm going to rear end someone.

Not sure what it is about 'auto' that is not understandable.. It sort of works like 1/2 of radar cruise when your foot is off the accelerator. Nothing happens unless your foot is off the accelerator (like cruise does); at that point it monitors what is ahead and slows you down if you are gaining on the vehicle ahead too quickly, just like cruise. It is different because it won't speed you up if the car ahead moves out of the way, it will just end the slowdown and leave you coasting; you have to use the accelerator to speed up. Audi, which has a similar approach (surprise! but unlike Porsche your choice stays until changed) claims it is the most efficient mode because it prioritizes coasting as long as it is able and only applies regen if there is an obstruction looming. I learned to use it on an Etron and like it a lot.

 

[buruburu]

Not sure what it is about 'auto' that is not understandable.. It sort of works like 1/2 of radar cruise when your foot is off the accelerator. Nothing happens unless your foot is off the accelerator (like cruise does); at that point it monitors what is ahead and slows you down if you are gaining on the vehicle ahead too quickly, just like cruise.

I'll have to give that a try again and pay attention more when I get my Taycan back. I was assuming it be like 1-pedal driving which I've done plenty of in the Bolt.

 

[NC_Taycan]

The only thing I didn't like about auto was the car slowing down when I didn't expect it to - not to say it shouldn't have been slowing down - just that it was unexpected and therefore undesirable. The good news is that if you don't like auto you don't have to use it. If you do, you can.

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