Is coasting to a stop more efficient than regen to a stop?

Martin D said:

I would love to see my wife use any method other than the one she uses. She really likes regen/L, but she also really likes the accelerator. So it seems like she is either accelerating or slowing down. To her coasting seems to be what she mostly wants to avoid LOL

It’s a good thing that a Bolt is so efficient that it really doesn’t matter how it is driven, it’s going to use less energy than about anything else that a particular driver is going to do when they drive it.

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For true. Some drivers treat the go-pedal as an ON/OFF switch. They're going to use more energy than those who drive ahead of the immediate space the car occupies, but less-so in the Bolt.

The rate of acceleration to cruising speed is immaterial, as long as it is followed by cruise. Those who accelerate faster, to a higher speed and then immediately have to slow are using more energy than if they stay in the flow, varying speed as little as possible.

It's interesting the EV6 reportedly has four modes of driving, from no regenerative braking to full regenerative braking. When I did my early test drive, I wasn't aware of this and didn't try all the possibilities.

I notice when getting into my work truck, a diesel, always unthrottled, so there's no compression braking, it's automatic to coast; when in the Bolt, it's automatic to use L mode and feather the one-pedal to best advantage.

jack vines

liresong said:

However, we’re not talking about a more important aspect & that is battery stressing. Drawing energy OUT of the battery while at 60MPH in L or D, AND then adding that same energy BACK INTO the battery while slowing & regenerating is a terrible thing to do. If the battery is to last 300,000+ miles, extracting energy from the battery while in D or L, AND putting energy back into the battery while regenerating is the thing…..NOT TO DO.
Who would have thought that doing nothing while coasting in Neutral could be so doubly good for the battery!

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Yes, No, Maybe. There is not yet sufficient data to prove coasting would reduce battery degradation over time. You say it definitely would. Another might say with equal confidence, "If coasting would extend the life of the battery and reduce GMs warranty liability, they would have built in a coasting mode."

jack vines

404 Not Found said:

Yes, coasting is good but hypermiling can stir up a lot of anger around you. In such situations it's helpful that the Bolt can stay at fairly high speed down an exit ramp and do strong regen at the bottom. This saves your brakes and aggravates no one. I would use coasting or regen depending on the traffic around me.

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For true. I'm on both sides of this debate. I'm on an urban arterial, two lanes in my direction and up ahead the traffic light goes red. I slow immediately; the car behind me changes lanes, passes and continues at speed up to the stopped traffic and brakes hard. I ease up beside him/her/they as the light changes and we pull away at the same time. I will never understand what he was thinking. My wife says, "Honey, he wasn't thinking at all; most drivers aren't, you know."

jack vines

liresong said:

Chevy Bolt drivers keep saying how reliable their Bolts are. Should be quite a few getting up to 250,000-300,000 miles by now. I’m thinking lots of drivers aren’t treating their EVs as if they were baby technologies & their babies aren’t getting above 250K to 300K mile mark.

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By what logic would one make that assumption? The average annual mileage is 13,500. By that measure, the oldest Bolt is six years and would have 81,000 miles. Yes, there are lunatic fringe outliers with families driving Uber 24/7, but lots of them above 300,000?

jack vines

liresong said:

Something is making batteries disfunction.

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And your reference for this is?

In almost six years here, the percentage of Bolt battery "disfunction" is lower than the engine failures on any ICE forum I've been on since the internet was a thing.

jack vines