[lethostigma]

Has anyone else had the meter say that your battery was charging while you coasted in neutral? Also does anyone know if it makes a difference what gear I coast down a hill in, as it pertains to maximizing the charge acquired? If I'm coming to a stop at the bottom of a hill, I have many choices of gear that I coast in.

 

[Will M]

It seems like second gear gets the greatest charge out of the unpowered descent on a hill. For myself, I go with the lowest gear that feels appropriate for the hill I'm going down. Third gear, for example, holds my speed at 35 on a specific hill in my morning commute that happens to have a 35 mph speed limit.

 

[Armin]

Has anyone else had the meter say that your battery was charging while you coasted in neutral?

Yes, after a recal, when the SoC is near empty, the car will charge the hybrid battery even while idling the engine at a stop.

Also, if rpm is over about 3000, the hybrid battery will be charged, no matter what else is going on (unless it's full). But that would be unlikely to happen while coasting in neutral, unless you step on the gas.

 

[Tim Maddux]

I have also seen the battery charge light up in cold weather (0-10 degF high temperatures) after first starting the car, even with SoC very close to full. My guess is that it was trying to warm the battery pack.

 

[Guest]

Hi Lethostigma:

___My short term experience is similar to Tim’s. The first time I saw forced charging at low/lower RPM’s was the other day when it was ~ 6 degrees F outside and I had just fired the Insight up to head off to the dealer. It was hard to drive the Insight without some type of charging with any letup on the accelerator. This is something I try and avoid if possible given the 2 bars from full is the lowest I have ever seen the SOC gauge. I have read that during cold periods, the Insight’s logic forces charging to warm the battery pack up a bit.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:1l2ip8d3][email protected][/email:1l2ip8d3]

 

[james]

Another time I see charging in (briefly) neutral is when I'm driving up mountain roads, and upshift coming out of curves. It will charge for that fraction of a second that I'm between gears with the clutch in.

 

[Guest]

Another time I see charging in (briefly) neutral is when I'm driving up mountain roads, and upshift coming out of curves. It will charge for that fraction of a second that I'm between gears with the clutch in.

It does that to "smooth out" the engine.

 

[james]

Yeah, I'd figured that.

 

[Willie Williford]

Today I did another "test" to see if I could get REGEN while coasting in neutral. YES IT DOES. The IMA battery was app. 3/4 full at the time.
I had just crested a hill in 5th gear at 75 mph. As I began to descend down the "grade", I shifted into neutral and took my foot off the accellerator. The tach droped to app. 950 rpm (normal idle speed)after that. I coasted for 30 seconds and the REGEN indicator suddenly showed 4 bars. The rpm of the engine went to app. 1300 rpm as I contnued to coast (with my foot off of the gas pedal).
I coasted for 2.3 miles untill I reached the bottom of the grade on level ground. During the coasting the 4 bars remained lighted and the rpm stayed at 1300 rpm and the 12V battery was receiving 13.8 volts at all times. I also reached a top speed of 87 mph as I never hit the brakes.
The REGEN bars disappeared and the rpm went to zero when the vehicle went into idle stop on the level section at app. 8 mph. The IMA battery showed almost full (2 bars down), the 12V battery showed 12.8V and as I put the engine into first gear everything worked as usual. . :twisted:

 

[lethostigma]

Willie,

That sounds like how it happens on my car. Glad to hear that my car isn't the only one doing it. I coast in neutral a lot, maybe not the safest technique but it really helps to make up for my tendency to be a bit of a lead foot.