Best / most efficient regen braking setting?

Chris Bronsdon said:
I've owned my MG4 for over a year and had always previously set the regen braking at the lowest level - 1.
I don't like the highest setting, especially on motorways as the car decelerates rapidly without (I assume?) turning on the brake lights.

I've just discovered the adaptive regen setting and found it worked well on a long journey.

What do others use?
Any suggestion on what is the most efficient setting?
Click to expand...
Personally i use many settings. In the heavy traffic in the morning i use eco+one pedal. Then on regular traffic i use default regen 3+eco. When there isn't much traffic i leave everything default and when in highway i use regen 1. Personally i used to the auto stop of the car thus i dont mind..
 
Been driving ev for over 12 years and always use the strongest setting for regen then use the throttle to control how much force it uses. By feathering the throttle you hold it in a position to get less regen, when easing off keep some pressure on the throttle -this you can monitor on the power gauge. 0 on the power gauge is coasting then by lifting the throttle just a little you will will see 5% regen for example. It’s not an on/off switch with just maximum available- you have lots of control this way too.
 
I don't like that I have to keep going into the time - consuming menu to locate and activate the OPD every time I get back into the car, is there any other way it can be switched on permanently ? It's so irritating.
 
OPD in town and Level 3 otherwise.
Every now and then I drive without OPD in city traffic, so I don't forget what it's like using the brake pedal, I found it alarming driving another car after prolonged OPD.
Note: Beware with heavy regeneration deceleration in slippery/wet conditions!

C

Thread 'One pedal driving interaction with ABS on slippery slope'

Today I was on a street with steep downhill incline, I was using one pedal drivimg, but when the ABS kicked in the car just lunged forward (cancelling the hold of the car from the motor) until I pressed the brake pedal.
Scary! I recommend not using one pedal driving on slippery downhill situations

BTW, SNOW driving mode cancels one pedal driving, guess it's related!?
  • csimeon
  • abs driving interaction mg4 one pedal one pedal driving pedal
  • Replies: 29
  • Forum: MG4 EV Forum

I would think that OPD is the most efficient energy consumption? most regeneration?
(all other driving habits alike)
 
Phil said:
Here is one of my regular trips, of the 10 kWh used I get 3 kWh regen which pays back some of the 1kWh my A/C used (it’s fairly hot here in Oz atm). I rarely adjust my driving mode from Normal.
View attachment 34481
Click to expand...
You're not kidding...28 deg at 8.30am 😅 It's 6 deg but feels like 0 with a NE wind here🥶I notice your energy consumption screen is the other way round , the 'doughnut' is to the left and energy consumption to the right on mine. The buttons are in the same order. Why have you intelligent battery heating on🤔🙂, does it get really cold at night🤔
 
csimeon said:
I would think that OPD is the most efficient energy consumption? most regeneration?
(all other driving habits alike)
Click to expand...
That's my feeling as well. but others ague that on a straight road any pedal variation will cause losses.
Without regen, the car won't slow and speed up as much, so will be more efficient. This sounds feasible if you have an unsteady right foot.
I've yet to experiment with this because I just enjoy OPD too much.
Also selecting eco mode would make any speed variation less.
Next time on a long straight drive I may try this if I remember.
 
tonybridge said:
I use Regen 3 all the time, can't be faffed to keep changing it :-D

But I like ReintjeWA's suggestion of using A on motorways - I like the AAC, but not the way the MG4 drives like a 15-year-old!
Click to expand...

As per @tonybridge!

If you can moderate your throttle smoothly, level 3 is OPD anyway!

Well it is for me.

I very rarely need to brake at all if that's the mood I'm in.

The throttle reacts just like your Scalextric did when you were a kid. (IMO)
 
Garmor said:
When I switch on OPD my regen level is S. What does this mean and is it more than regen 3.
Click to expand...
I always assumed the S = Stop in other words the regen has the ability to stop the car rather than other levels which allow it to crawl between 2-3 mph
 
I change coasting regen to 1 when driving in slippery conditions like below 0C, especially if it’s very wet/heavy rain at the time.
Generally I drive with it set to 3.
On country lanes I find 2 the better overall setting especially in conjunction with Sport mode. Sometimes regen level 3 can be very effective with Sport brake mode to help shift the brake bias away from the front and aid with turn in.
On motorways I use regen A or 1 or 2 depending on the conditions.
Regen 3 (or S) is potentially the most efficient.
I also find that Regen 3 in ECO mode seems to generate a greater regen effect sooner.
Having said that, high coasting regen combined with an unsteady foot is less efficient.

Battery state of charge as well as its temperature will affect how strong each regen level is.
 
Last edited:
I use level 3...

1. if I want lower regen then I move my foot less
2. I don't need to start cycling through buttons to increase the regen level if there is an unexpected delay ahead. I did try level 3 on slower roads and level A on motorways but I prefer just reading ahead.
3. level 3 initially felt rather abrupt and heavy on the pedals but as you get used to the car it all becomes undemanding
4. Reading the road, anticipating and acting early leads to very gentle application of regen
5. It's harder to get the same range of effects when you want them with any other setting although you can usually do it just by being heavier footed.

Aside on Star Buttons: I remap one of my star buttons to the parking camera. I would like to use the other star button for loading up a driver profile (or turning of LKA) but in the absence of that feature it's driving mode just in case I need SNOW mode. The AC button doesn't do anything I need to regularly change, if it gave fast access to heated seats/steering I would find it useful.
 
I use Level 1, and have the mode switch on a star button to move it from 3 asap
Main reason is release and coast, not triggering the brake lights, as it caps at -5% regen, so can happily remove foot from pedal going down hill, some slight regen to keep within the speed limit, but not blinding the person behind :)
Then if more regen is needed a slight push on the brake will do just that - brake and warn others.
 
Garmor said:
When I switch on OPD my regen level is S. What does this mean and is it more than regen 3.
Click to expand...
I thought I read it stood for Strong, but could just as easily be Stop, because it brings you to a complete stop.

Is it stronger? 🤔 I use it almost always, and usually notice I've forgotten because the "brakes" don't feel as good. "why aren't I stopping, why aren't I stopping? 😱". I don't use 3 regularly enough to knowledgeably compare.

Mind you, sometimes I'm in OPD and have the same reaction - regardless of charge. The strength doesn't feel consistent. Meh. I still prefer OPD. 🤷‍♂️

I'm confident foot braking also starts regeneration, after strong foot braking (supplementing OPD into a fun downhill hairpin) brought up the biggest regen I've seen on the dash - over 20 green. More than I see using OPD alone at the same location.
 
Joules said:
You're not kidding...28 deg at 8.30am 😅 It's 6 deg but feels like 0 with a NE wind here🥶I notice your energy consumption screen is the other way round , the 'doughnut' is to the left and energy consumption to the right on mine. The buttons are in the same order. Why have you intelligent battery heating on🤔🙂, does it get really cold at night🤔
Click to expand...
It’s warm here but not as warm as past summers. Did realise my household thermometer for outdoors was near the air conditioner unit which was ‘inflating’ the temp by 3-4 deg though😂Battery heating is still on from winter as it can get to -5 or lower on frosty mornings here. 🥶

tonybridge said:
I use Regen 3 all the time, can't be faffed to keep changing it :-D

But I like ReintjeWA's suggestion of using A on motorways - I like the AAC, but not the way the MG4 drives like a 15-year-old!
Click to expand...
Me too…I find the braking/deceleration at that setting is as good for driving as I need without using the brakes much at all.
 
In my (short) experience:
  • Custom mode > one pedal + pedal sensitivity 'sport'.
That makes the car brake more intensely as you release the pedal. I use it instead of the brake pedal 90% of the time (which is often not enough on the default 'normal' pedal sensitivity).

Also take into account if the battery is over 90%, regen will regen less to protect the battery.
 

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