When and Why should we use B gears?

[NS633]

What are the uses of these gears?
B0,B1,B2,B3,B4 & B5?
And when should we use em?

 

[jaapv]

They are not gears, they are electric regenerating settings. The main use is to control your speed without braking when going downhill. Some use them to optimize fuel/electricity economy by switching between coasting (B0) and different levels of regenerative braking in traffic, but personally I have not seen that the effort is matched by the result when driving that way.

 

[NS633]

They are not gears, they are electric regenerating settings. The main use is to control your speed without braking when going downhill. Some use them to optimize fuel/electricity economy by switching between coasting (B0) and different levels of regenerative braking in traffic, but personally I have not seen that the effort is matched by the result when driving that way.

What's all with the paddle shifters?
Only for regenerative braking?

 

[anko]

Yep.

 

[greendwarf]

You can also use the B action on the gear stick - one pull takes you to B3, the next to B5 - to simulate engine braking as when changing down in a manual gearbox to slow the car. Also gives something to do with your left hand (on a right-hand drive car) to stop you fiddling with the damn MMCS :lol:

 

[HHL]

You can also use the B action on the gear stick - one pull takes you to B3, the next to B5 - to simulate engine braking as when changing down in a manual gearbox to slow the car. Also gives something to do with your left hand (on a right-hand drive car) to stop you fiddling with the damn MMCS :lol:

Yes.. they are there to simulate gears and are very useful for descends... nothing more. No amount of fiddling in normal driving will make a difference in economy.

 

[Kesto]

If you pull the left paddle for 3seconds it goes back to D drive equal to B2. This B2 is normal drive when we set off, regen is gentle . For town driving where there are lots of stop start you could try any level to slow you down depending on speed. I go down a long slope everyday when I go to work and gain 2 miles.

 

[greendwarf]

You can also use the B action on the gear stick - one pull takes you to B3, the next to B5 - to simulate engine braking as when changing down in a manual gearbox to slow the car. Also gives something to do with your left hand (on a right-hand drive car) to stop you fiddling with the damn MMCS :lol:

Yes.. they are there to simulate gears and are very useful for descends... nothing more. No amount of fiddling in normal driving will make a difference in economy.

Not quite on either count. My point was that the "braking" effect works in any situation where you want to slow the car - not just downhill. Also if you drive in B0 and a adopt a "coasting" style of driving up to things - corners, traffic lights etc. - i.e. not constant accelerating & braking as you would with a normal car, the effect of a smoother driving technique will improve economy. :mrgreen:

 

[SolarBoy]

Not quite on either count. My point was that the "braking" effect works in any situation where you want to slow the car - not just downhill. Also if you drive in B0 and a adopt a "coasting" style of driving up to things - corners, traffic lights etc. - i.e. not constant accelerating & braking as you would with a normal car, the effect of a smoother driving technique will improve economy. :mrgreen:

I love B0 and coasting, it's the thinking ahead for the next 30 or so seconds and doing something an ICE car can't do without going into neutral / pressing the clutch.

B5 is super-useful in 'slow traffic'.

 

[anko]

... and doing something an ICE car can't do without going into neutral / pressing the clutch.

Coasting in B0 is not real coasting either. The e-motors are still spinning and use about 20 - 25 Wh per kilometer to overcome internal (E-) drag (compared to 150 - 200 when doing 80 km/h steady, depending on conditions). At least an ICE can go into neutral, where ours can't

 

[Grigou]

But who uses neutral (or presses the clutch) in a normal car ?

 

[greendwarf]

... and doing something an ICE car can't do without going into neutral / pressing the clutch.

Coasting in B0 is not real coasting either. The e-motors are still spinning and use about 20 - 25 Wh per kilometer to overcome internal (E-) drag (compared to 150 - 200 when doing 80 km/h steady, depending on conditions). At least an ICE can go into neutral, where ours can't

So what does N do?

 

[anko]

It will stop the crawl behavior the car normally shows when stopped in ... D or Bx.
It may stop the motors from using power to eliminate E-drag (I am not sure about that). But in that case they e-motors will slow the car down.
It will definitively not disengage the e-motors from the wheels.

 

[anko]

Yes.. they are there to simulate gears and are very useful for descends... nothing more. No amount of fiddling in normal driving will make a difference in economy.

I think this is more an opinion than it is a proven fact . Please see below picture. It shows two decelerations (ignore the bit in the middle).

First one is using the brake pedal (blue trace depicts actual pressure in brake lines that deploy the friction brakes), while driving in B5.
Second one is using the brake pedal, while driving in B0.

The grey trace (speed) shows the first and third deceleration are quite comparable.
The pink trace shows how much wH (x10) is regened back into the battery per km.
The white trace shows how much kW is being fed back into the battery.
Green and red show how much braking force (torque) is applied by the e-motors.

Altogether, I think B5 must have a positive effect on energy recovery, unless one manages to never use the friction brakes.

 

[Grigou]

Certainly an interesting picture anko, but there is no need of measurement to feel the difference between braking in B0 an braking in B5.
And no need of sophisticated instrument to see the different power of regen on the MMCS screen !

So I don"t understand all these guys who say that when pushing the brake pedal the regen is the same with all Bx. Do we drive the same cars ? Maybe not ? :?:

 

[HHL]

Certainly an interesting picture anko, but there is no need of measurement to feel the difference between braking in B0 an braking in B5.
And no need of sophisticated instrument to see the different power of regen on the MMCS screen !

So I don"t understand all these guys who say that when pushing the brake pedal the regen is the same with all Bx. Do we drive the same cars ? Maybe not ? :?:

I think the regen braking when using the brake pedal is less in b0 and b1 but similar in all the higher settings.

 

[anko]

Certainly an interesting picture anko, but there is no need of measurement to feel the difference between braking in B0 an braking in B5.

Thanks. But now you are probably talking about 'coasting' in B0 versus B5. That difference is imho undebated, but not so much of interest. Question is (more or less): does B0 plus brake pedal equal B5. I think that is rather difficult to 'feel', and this is why some may think they are the same from a regen perspective.

I agree with you when it comes to macs. But this info is hard to share (in the proper context).

 

[anko]

Certainly an interesting picture anko, but there is no need of measurement to feel the difference between braking in B0 an braking in B5.
And no need of sophisticated instrument to see the different power of regen on the MMCS screen !

So I don"t understand all these guys who say that when pushing the brake pedal the regen is the same with all Bx. Do we drive the same cars ? Maybe not ? :?:

I think the regen braking when using the brake pedal is less in b0 and b1 but similar in all the higher settings.

This could be true. I only compared B0 versus B5. I am curious though why you think it is. Is it based upon what you see on the power meter?

Another, more interesting question would be: why did they do this? The only thing I can come up with is that they want to limit charge current under 'normal' conditions (to protect battery life). If that is true, there would be a trade off: optimal range or prolonged battery life. But I have never seen / heard any warning from Mitsubishi or the dealer that the use of higher B levels could have a negative impact on battery life.

 

[HHL]

Certainly an interesting picture anko, but there is no need of measurement to feel the difference between braking in B0 an braking in B5.
And no need of sophisticated instrument to see the different power of regen on the MMCS screen !

So I don"t understand all these guys who say that when pushing the brake pedal the regen is the same with all Bx. Do we drive the same cars ? Maybe not ? :?:

I think the regen braking when using the brake pedal is less in b0 and b1 but similar in all the higher settings.

This could be true. I only compared B0 versus B5. I am curious though why you think it is. Is it based upon what you see on the power meter?

Another, more interesting question would be: why did they do this? The only thing I can come up with is that they want to limit charge current under 'normal' conditions (to protect battery life). If that is true, there would be a trade off: optimal range or prolonged battery life. But I have never seen / heard any warning from Mitsubishi or the dealer that the use of higher B levels could have a negative impact on battery life.

Looking at the power meter, it seems that there is less regen in b0 and b1, I also conducted a highly scientific test by driving down a hill in normal "D", which is B2 and applying the brakes and then touching the brake disk, when I did the same run in B0, the disks where much hotter. so..... scientific proof.
I can't see an reason why they would have done this though. Does not make sense.

 

[anko]

I also conducted a highly scientific test by driving down a hill in normal "D", which is B2 and applying the brakes and then touching the brake disk, when I did the same run in B0, the disks where much hotter. so..... scientific proof.

:lol: :lol: