Going uphill and charging the battery?!

[emanuelbinnun]

I live in a very hilly area and find that while going uphill the car alternates between charging the battery and getting battery assist. This doesn't make any sense to me as this is a net loss of energy. I get less during the assist than I input into the battery during charging because the charging process isn't 100% efficient.

Would be very happy for an explanation of this strange behavior.

All the best

Emanuel

[Willie Williford]

"Assist" and "regen" is mainly dictated by the "load" on the engine. What you are seeing is NORMAL, depending on your driveing technique. The "charge" in both batterys is also another major factor. Wait till you discover the "hidden charging", it will drive you nuts. Only solution is to drive and experiment with driving techniques while watching the gauges and you will learn what is happening with the IMA system. In "hilly" area, momentum is your favorite tool.
Search this forum for tons of information.

HTH
Willie

[emanuelbinnun]

Hi Willie

Thanks for your help. I will start to experiment based on your suggestions. If this is normal, then my question is why is it designed like that. It doesn't make any sense from a fuel saving respective.

All the best

Emanuel

[Jayemtee]

It does make sense. You need to think a little outside the box to fine tune your driving skills. Use the tools presented to you on the dash. Obviously the car isn't tailored to every driving condition, but the idea is the same.

As you go down the hill, build up speed to make it up the next hiill. This charges the battery going down and you don't waste any power going up. As you fine tune your skills, you will carry a little power going up the hill so the momentum doesn't bleed off too soon. You might even have to use a lot of assist to make it up over the crest.

Regardless, don't try to maintain a constant speed. Anticipate how much power you will need. Plan your stops far in advance. Watch your indicators and don't waste gas or energy.

[Cobb]

Keep in mind the hybrid battery and system doubles as your alternator. So, the car uses what it considered excess power from the gas motor to keep that topped off for use. Unlike the prius we have a meter to tell us how much of the power is going where. The prius does something similar when its gas motor is in use and the battery is low.

Also, the meter that shows the battery capacity is delayed. Its usually lower than what it shows.

For the most part, that is "normal".