Using the "B" levels.

[BIKERMGA]

I have been driving in "D" mostly for the past 3 months since we purchased this 2019 car, but am now using "B5". While there are many forum references to when to use the "charge" and "save" buttons, there has not been much discussion about utilizing the "B" paddles. In "D" the car is in "B2", but changing to "B5" greatly increases the braking effect. However, I do not see any significant battery recharging in the "B5" setting.

What do other owners think and feel?

 

[AndyInOz]

I really should save my response to this question because I seem to post it a lot.

If descending a hill, the B settings are a way to stop the car from accelerating without riding the brakes.

In heavy traffic, I prefer the B5 setting because it means that the car stops quicker, and I need to press the brake pedal less.

Some forum members have found that driving with regenerative braking turned on increases their fuel consumption.

I'm guessing that is because you'd have to be me more precise with your control of the accelerator pedal to prevent the car from braking, and you don't get to coast as easily as you can with the regenerative braking turned off.

(From memory the D setting is equivalent to B2, but you can specifically select B0)

Finally, you shouldn't expect to see much gain in the battery unless you have regenerative braking turned on for a very long, very steep descent.

 

[greendwarf]

As Andy says, you would have to do a very long down hill to see any noticeable increase in battery but the guessometer will more quickly show an increase in EV range due to the combination of regen and coasting. However, each bit of regen, whether from B5 or normal brake pedal use helps improve overall economy, as in the Prius.

Personally, I drive mainly in B0 to make use of coasting, especially in London traffic and flip the paddles to get the same engine braking effect I would use with a manual gearbox. However, I have found driving in B5 useful on unregulated twisting country roads, where the instant braking and acceleration before and after bends give a more enjoyable driving experience.

 

[michael8554]

Pretty much agree with everything said above, with some small tweaks.

Using no charge at all is more efficient than any regen setting, so I use B0 and coasting a lot.

In really slow, frequently stop-go traffic, I use B5 to save my brake foot, but B0, coasting, and gentle braking, is probably more efficient.

 

[BIKERMGA]

So reading these responses, I get the impression that B0 is the preferred setting. However, when I said that there does not appear to be any battery recharging in B5, I meant over a longish drive of more than 30 minutes in traffic, not instantaneously on one short downhill run.

With the B5 setting, I find that almost no braking is required when coming up to a red light, if you let off the accelerator as soon as you know you are going to have to stop. So, is B5 and no braking generating more or less charge than B0 and steady braking, when driving in traffic?

Also, I have found that I do not need to use the central control stick to switch to B driving. Just pulling on the paddles while in D will give you B3, B4, B5, B1 and B0 settings. So why is there a B position on the stick at all?

2019 Sterling Silver GT
Surrey, BC, Canada (about 40 minutes south of Vancouver)
Owned since November 2019
Retired drug dealer


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[greendwarf]

There is no "preferred" setting, I'm afraid. you will have to work what works best for you, depending on your driving style, the topography of where you driving (hills etc.) and traffic conditions. However, the joystick works well for drivers like me who come from manual gearboxes and need something to do with our left-hand - i.e. to simulate "changing down" to get engine braking. I only use the paddles to manage declines to keep within the speed limit - and, of course, the right hand one to get to B0 from D/B2, for coasting.

Physics means there is no practical difference in the regen from B5 to a stop against B0 and using the brakes over the same road, with same battery levels and initial speed.

One reason you are very unlikely to see any battery increase over time in normal driving conditions, is because, if you are in EV then the "excess" energy is used to drive the car instead of using battery and if using the ICE then the same happens by turning off the engine for short periods. So you will only see any increase in the battery if you are a long downhill section (or in "charge" mode).

 

[AndyInOz]

...

How do I add this signature to all messages, and what is the UCP?

The UCP is the User Control Panel, (see the link on the top right hand corner of the screen, just below 'Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Forum'

Click on 'Profile' then 'Edit Signature'

 

[ChrisMiller]

Living in the Chilterns, I have a lot of local 1 km 15% hills. Coming down one of those and using B2-B5 to control speed I will generally see the estimated mileage tick up by 1. Sometimes it's 2, sometimes 0, but I think that just reflects rounding errors.

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[BIKERMGA]

Thanks for your comments. By "preferred" setting, I meant preferred by other drivers who have commented above.

Using B5 as a slowing method in traffic will probably extend the life of the brake pads.

Obviously using the ECO mode reduces performance. Is it documented anywhere by how much and what is affected?

 

[Nibbo]

B5 all day, there is nothing but hills and bends where I live in the Cotswolds (UK).
When going down long steep hills I find it amusing that everyone is wearing out their brake pads while I generate electricity :mrgreen:
That of course all changes when I go on the motorways, then its usually B3 or less depending on the traffic.
B5 is a bit harsh in terms of speed reduction and it may catch out the unsuspecting tailgater behind that may not notice you are slowing down.

 

[michael8554]

Physics means there is no practical difference in the regen from B5 to a stop against B0 and using the brakes over the same road, with same battery levels and initial speed..

Agreed. New owners need to appreciate that braking has to be gentle, or the real brakes will be applied.

 

[mbasjm]

I try not to leave it on any single setting as I drive, but I adjust it as a go along. I'll have it low when I'm accelerating (I'm not sure, but I feel that if it's high it will mean a more difficult acceleration which will consume more electricity than it generates) and I'll have it high when I'm braking, or I adjust as I'm coasting.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

You can coast in any 'B' setting by modulating the throttle pedal, which is fine for short periods but could get tricky if I tried holding the pedal constant for longer. While I can see the benefits of coasting in B0 for long periods, there just aren't any roads round here that would allow me to use it. I tend to use B5 all the time, but then I use the ACC when travelling longer distances which manages the regen by itself

 

[michael8554]

B0 coasting is not about long downhill stretches, it's about short stretches that add up.

The PHEV is heavy and has a lot of inertia, so as soon as you take your foot of the accelerator, it just keeps going, even on stretches you don't realise are downhill.

And on typical UK minor roads, more often than not you'll need to brake for a junction before you've run out of coasting.

 

[greendwarf]

B0 coasting is not about long downhill stretches.

Hmm, depends where you live. I have quite a few long downhills on my drives round London but yes traffic lights and pedestrian crossings can bugger up a good coast. Hampstead to Camden is one

 

[BIKERMGA]

MBASJM raises a good point in his post above.

Does driving in a high regen number, e.g. B5, increase motor resistance and make acceleration more difficult/use more battery?

 

[AndyInOz]

MBASJM raises a good point in his post above.

Does driving in a high regen number, e.g. B5, increase motor resistance and make acceleration more difficult/use more battery?

No, because the accelerator pedal over-rides the B setting.

 

[michael8554]

B0 coasting is not about long downhill stretches.

Hmm, depends where you live. I have quite a few long downhills on my drives round London but yes traffic lights and pedestrian crossings can bugger up a good coast. Hampstead to Camden is one

I should have said "coasting is not ONLY about long downhill stretches".

Are you really coasting Hampstead to Camden, or gently braking/regen ?

 

[greendwarf]

B0 coasting is not about long downhill stretches.

Hmm, depends where you live. I have quite a few long downhills on my drives round London but yes traffic lights and pedestrian crossings can bugger up a good coast. Hampstead to Camden is one

I should have said "coasting is not ONLY about long downhill stretches".

Are you really coasting Hampstead to Camden, or gently braking/regen ?

Well, yes, I have to brake/regen over some stretches to keep within the 20mph speed limit. Actually it is the low speed limit in much of London that offers more coasting opportunities than areas with higher average speeds - underlining the point that the PHEV is primarily a city car. :mrgreen:

 

[ThudnBlundr]

MBASJM raises a good point in his post above.

Does driving in a high regen number, e.g. B5, increase motor resistance and make acceleration more difficult/use more battery?

Absolutely not! Nothing changes in the way the motors are used and in the way the battery powers them.

Changing the 'B' setting remaps the throttle, so that the coasting point requires more throttle pressure and more regen is available. In B0, the coasting point is when the pedal isn't pressed at all and no regen is available. In D/B2, the coasting point moves so that some pressure is required to coast and some regen is available when the throttle is released. In B5, it moves even further so that more pressure is required to coast and max regen is available when the pedal is released.

As I said, I use B5 most of the time, which allows me to coast short distances when I can, but also gives me full regen when required. No flapping of paddles required. It's the best of both worlds :mrgreen: