Does anyone else play a "no friction brakes" game?

2063 Views 25 Replies 11 Participants Last post by bilrags_5251, 2 mo ago

ukemike

Discussion Starter · 11 mo ago

I love commuting in my Clarity. I can just barely get to and from work on a charge, but I can charge at work at a wholesale rate so I can easily make it with no gasoline use. While commuting I have started playing a sort of game with my driving. I try to avoid using my friction brakes. To make it a bit more flexible I do allow myself to use a slight amount of pressure on the brake pedal to increase the regen braking. I know that that does slightly engage the friction, but it's my game and I say that's allowed.

Obviously I don't take stupid risks to play the game, if I need to brake I do, and stop signs and red lights, especially on downhills, obviously require friction brakes. So I never succeed in a full commute with no friction. But I do this because it's fun, it encourages much more efficient driving, and I believe it makes me a safer driver. One of the big strategies to make this work is to not tailgate. Another is to try to anticipate when traffic will slow or stop and plan for it.

Before I changed jobs, my old commute had just one yield sign between where I parked and the freeway which had a metering light on the onramp. Then on the other end there was a light at the end of the off ramp but it is usually green. So if I was lucky I could theoretically have made it all the way home without using my friction brakes. I never did it, but I did each of the elements without friction, just never all on the same trip. My current commute probably would not be possible, but it's fun trying.

I play another related game, where I try to go as far as I can without buying gas. I've managed over 1000 miles twice. I often make over 500. Since January 24 of this year, I've only bought 16.5 gallons of gas, and I've had a 40 mile daily commute most days since then. If I only commuted I could go way further, but often on weekends I'll make several trips here and there without the chance to recharge and I end up using some gas in the afternoon.

So does anyone else do this? or something like it?

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ClarityDave

· #2 · 11 mo ago

ukemike said:
I love commuting in my Clarity. I can just barely get to and from work on a charge, but I can charge at work at a wholesale rate so I can easily make it with no gasoline use. While commuting I have started playing a sort of game with my driving. I try to avoid using my friction brakes. To make it a bit more flexible I do allow myself to use a slight amount of pressure on the brake pedal to increase the regen braking. I know that that does slightly engage the friction, but it's my game and I say that's allowed.

Obviously I don't take stupid risks to play the game, if I need to brake I do, and stop signs and red lights, especially on downhills, obviously require friction brakes. So I never succeed in a full commute with no friction. But I do this because it's fun, it encourages much more efficient driving, and I believe it makes me a safer driver. One of the big strategies to make this work is to not tailgate. Another is to try to anticipate when traffic will slow or stop and plan for it.

Before I changed jobs, my old commute had just one yield sign between where I parked and the freeway which had a metering light on the onramp. Then on the other end there was a light at the end of the off ramp but it is usually green. So if I was lucky I could theoretically have made it all the way home without using my friction brakes. I never did it, but I did each of the elements without friction, just never all on the same trip. My current commute probably would not be possible, but it's fun trying.

I play another related game, where I try to go as far as I can without buying gas. I've managed over 1000 miles twice. I often make over 500. Since January 24 of this year, I've only bought 16.5 gallons of gas, and I've had a 40 mile daily commute most days since then. If I only commuted I could go way further, but often on weekends I'll make several trips here and there without the chance to recharge and I end up using some gas in the afternoon.

So does anyone else do this? or something like it?

Oh yeah! I enjoy doing the same thing. The less you use friction brakes the more energy you are conserving and the less money you will be paying for fuel whether it’s gas or electricity.
And if you work at it a bit you might get your EV range up over 80 miles!

Speedometer Odometer Gauge Trip computer Mode of transport

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obermd

· #3 · 11 mo ago

In my Volt, all the time. I frequently bring the car to a complete stop on slight inclines using just L and the regen paddle. The Volt doesn't have one-pedal driving. In my wife's Clarity, not so much as it doesn't appear to support regenerative braking to the point where it will stop the car.

4sallypat

· #4 · 11 mo ago

Hypermiling.
Yes, I do that all the time - it's fun to use coasting, paddle regen and light braking.
The amount of wear on brake pads has been so low, my mechanic asked how the original brakes are only worn down 10% after years, 45,000 miles later....

Reactions: 2

EV Nerd

· #5 · 11 mo ago

If you let the battery get down to the point where the regen energy has somewhere to go, put the Clarity PHEV in "Sport" mode, and pull the left paddle a few times to turn on more aggressive regen. You'll see this on the DIC, with the chevrons illuminated under the word "Sport". The higher regen will stay engaged in Sport, while it won't in any other driving mode...it will disengage when you stop.

You'll have to feather the go pedal more, though. The Clarity PHEV will engage the ICE at a lower power input level (as indicated on the DIC) while in Sport, so it's a trade-off.

I always drive around town in Sport mode, with all the regen chevrons on the DIC illuminated.

To answer the OP question...yes...all of the time.

ClarityDave

· #6 · 11 mo ago

ukemike said:
I play another related game, where I try to go as far as I can without buying gas. I've managed over 1000 miles twice. I often make over 500. Since January 24 of this year, I've only bought 16.5 gallons of gas, and I've had a 40 mile daily commute most days since then. If I only commuted I could go way further, but often on weekends I'll make several trips here and there without the chance to recharge and I end up using some gas in the afternoon.

So does anyone else do this? or something like it?

Rectangle Font Screenshot Parallel Number

This is my best as far as that goes. 1996 miles between fill ups and even at that it took less than 3 gallons to top it off.

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MBossK4891

· #7 · 11 mo ago

ClarityDave said:

Is this an app, or some kind of custom spreadsheet?

obermd

· #8 · 11 mo ago

MBossK4891 said:
Is this an app, or some kind of custom spreadsheet?

That looks like fuelly.com, which I used with my Cruze but gave up on with my Volt since I routinely go over 5,000 miles (top was 12,703) between gas stops.

ClarityDave

· #9 · 11 mo ago

MBossK4891 said:
Is this an app, or some kind of custom spreadsheet?

It’s Fuelly. A handy app that allows you to track fill-ups, oil changes, maintenance, etc.

Reactions: 2

Moonmack

· #10 · 11 mo ago

I use Excel to track my fuel use, etc. 5826km = 3620 miles is the longest between gas fills, but I’ve exceeded 5000km multiple times. I have 62km to work (38.5 miles) so I can often reach work and back without gas. There’s a free charger at my work I can frequently use, and if it’s in use I can plug into the 110V block heater for the day. In the winter I can only make it 2/3 of the way without needing gas. The drive to work is nearly all rural highway so I almost never use friction brakes - just when I need to stop quick for a deer or moose.

ClarityDave

· #11 · 11 mo ago

Moonmack said:
I use Excel to track my fuel use, etc. 5826km = 3620 miles is the longest between gas fills, but I’ve exceeded 5000km multiple times. I have 62km to work (38.5 miles) so I can often reach work and back without gas. There’s a free charger at my work I can frequently use, and if it’s in use I can plug into the 110V block heater for the day. In the winter I can only make it 2/3 of the way without needing gas. The drive to work is nearly all rural highway so I almost never use friction brakes - just when I need to stop quick for a deer or moose.

If you’re driving on the highway you might experiment with cruising 5-10 mph slower. You’ll likely get better range out of it due to the reduced wind resistance.

Moonmack

· #12 · 11 mo ago

ClarityDave said:
If you’re driving on the highway you might experiment with cruising 5-10 mph slower. You’ll likely get better range out of it due to the reduced wind resistance.

Yes, driving about 3 mph under speed limit yields a fair bit better range than 3 mph over. It’s a bit difficult, however, with a one lane highway and a pickup truck right behind you, which happens often. The speed limit is mostly 100kph =~60mph.

HondaPhile22

· #13 · 11 mo ago

Yes, I do this all the time. I always start with the regen paddle and add braking as needed. The end of my morninng commute is a highway off-ramp. I get off of a 75-mph highway onto a long off ramp that ends in a hill that intersects with a sharp turn onto a farm to market road. From crusinig at 80mph, I can tap the regen paddle to disengage cruise control as I approach the ramp. By the time I reach the top of the ramp and the turn, I'm down to 30mph or so. Most days, I can navigate the entire transition from 80mph highway driving to the two-lane without using the brake pedal. And it always makes me smile.

ClarityDave

· #14 · 11 mo ago

HondaPhile22 said:
Yes, I do this all the time. I always start with the regen paddle and add braking as needed. The end of my morninng commute is a highway off-ramp. I get off of a 75-mph highway onto a long off ramp that ends in a hill that intersects with a sharp turn onto a farm to market road. From crusinig at 80mph, I can tap the regen paddle to disengage cruise control as I approach the ramp. By the time I reach the top of the ramp and the turn, I'm down to 30mph or so. Most days, I can navigate the entire transition from 80mph highway driving to the two-lane without using the brake pedal. And it always makes me smile.

Yep, it’s nice to know you are recovering that energy instead of simply converting it away to heat and losing it in the atmosphere. Using the brake pedal will theoretically do the same thing but when you use the paddle you know for sure that the friction brakes are not engaging even the slightest bit.

Reactions: 2

First Honda

· #15 · 10 mo ago

How do you know that your pads got engaged exactly?

ClarityDave

· #16 · 10 mo ago

First Honda said:
How do you know that your pads got engaged exactly?

I think it’s fairly difficult to know when/if the brake pads engage. We do know that the Clarity will try to use regenerative braking as much as possible but we also know that using the brakes aggressively at some point will engage the friction brakes. I think that’s why Honda gave us the paddles. For those of us that are more attuned to this the paddles provide a way of slowing the car knowing that the friction brakes are not engaging. For those of us who don’t have so much interest in this, well, the car does the best it can in trying to reduce the amount of friction braking that is done.

Reactions: 2

ukemike

Discussion Starter · #17 · 2 mo ago

First Honda said:
How do you know that your pads got engaged exactly?

Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I know because I had the car jacked up to rotate the tires, and while the front was up and the car was off I had my son spin each wheel while I applied pressure to the brake pedal. The friction brakes began to engage with just a slight pressure on the brake pedal.

Tom H

· #18 · 2 mo ago

Any concerns about keeping gasoline in the tank too long? Obermd recommends using it up once a year. In the cold & humid climates, it seems that moisture in the air would condense in the gas tank. As I recall, the solubility of water in air drops about 50% for every 16 to 20 °F decrease.

obermd

· #19 · 2 mo ago

Tom H said:
Any concerns about keeping gasoline in the tank too long? Obermd recommends using it up once a year. In the cold & humid climates, it seems that moisture in the air would condense in the gas tank. As I recall, the solubility of water in air drops about 50% for every 16 to 20 °F decrease.

The tank is pressurized so moisture isn't that big an issue. My recommendation for one year is based on the engineers at GM and what they did in the Volt.

EV Nerd

· #20 · 2 mo ago

Tom H said:
Any concerns about keeping gasoline in the tank too long? Obermd recommends using it up once a year. In the cold & humid climates, it seems that moisture in the air would condense in the gas tank. As I recall, the solubility of water in air drops about 50% for every 16 to 20 °F decrease.

It's a sealed system.

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