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Technology / Re: Does regenerative braking have a hazardous complication?
« on: 27/04/2024 14:33:10 »
Hi.
There are also alternatives, like double de-clutching (double clutching in the U.S.): The strongest slowing down effect is caused within moments of lifting your foot off the clutch pedal when you change to a lower gear. This is when the engine, drive shafts on the engine side of the gear box and gear wheels in the gear box which were only spinning at (for example) 2000 rpm has to increase to 3000 rpm since you are initially at the same road speed but will now be in a lower gear. An option then is to shift gear to neutral, ensure the clutch pedal is then released, briefly touch the accelerator pedal to spin everything (engine and the gears in the gear box) and then clutch and shift again to the new lower gear. This isn't in the highway code either but it can be done and you will soon get quite good at it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_clutching_(technique) (that article talks about reducing wear-and-tear rather than application in racing).
Another level up again is to just change gear without even using the clutch pedal. You ease your foot slightly on the accelerator to reduce the pressure or contact force between gear teeth, then move the gear stick to neutral, then increase pressure on the accelator again (but it won't be any seconds, just milli-seconds because without any load the engine will pick up rpm almost instantly), then when the new gear is spinning at about the right rpm you'll push the gear stick again and engage the new gear while everything is still spinning. With a lot of practice (which involves a lot of terrible noises from the gearbox while you fail) you can perfect this. To practise this, the usual requirement is to use your dads car and be about 17 - 18 years old. Your dad will have enough money to get their gearbox repaired and re-built after all the times you failed and have broken gear wheel teeth while trying to enage a gear wheel spinning for 4000 rpm to another gear wheel that was only spinning for 2000 rpm etc. (and after-all, new drivers do make mistakes even while making less extreme racing gear changes). Once you own your own car, you won't try it again because the technique of double de-clutching is actually good enough and considerably cheaper.
Anyway, all of these driving techniques are fast becoming obselete because most new cars will be fully automatic. These days, they (automatics) are better and don't result in a loss of performance (e.g. fuel economy).
I suppose we should address the original question:
Does regenerative braking have a hazardous complication?
Possibly but the driver behind shouldn't be following that close. If they are then according to the highway code you must now adjust your own driving appropriately. For example, reduce your speed so that they can stop in their braking distance. It's not exactly what they deserve but it's what is safe and recommended. Her Majesty's Secret Service takes a dim view of it if we keep deploying the special counter measures on ordinary civillian drivers who were just too close.
Best Wishes.
[ These days Her = His but all the films are based on Her Majesty's Secret Service ]
In Ireland when changing down in a manual the recommended method is to lightly touch the brakesAs far as I know that's not written in the "highway code" booklet (for the mainland UK) or generally expected - but I have once had such advice from my driving instructor.
There are also alternatives, like double de-clutching (double clutching in the U.S.): The strongest slowing down effect is caused within moments of lifting your foot off the clutch pedal when you change to a lower gear. This is when the engine, drive shafts on the engine side of the gear box and gear wheels in the gear box which were only spinning at (for example) 2000 rpm has to increase to 3000 rpm since you are initially at the same road speed but will now be in a lower gear. An option then is to shift gear to neutral, ensure the clutch pedal is then released, briefly touch the accelerator pedal to spin everything (engine and the gears in the gear box) and then clutch and shift again to the new lower gear. This isn't in the highway code either but it can be done and you will soon get quite good at it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_clutching_(technique) (that article talks about reducing wear-and-tear rather than application in racing).
Another level up again is to just change gear without even using the clutch pedal. You ease your foot slightly on the accelerator to reduce the pressure or contact force between gear teeth, then move the gear stick to neutral, then increase pressure on the accelator again (but it won't be any seconds, just milli-seconds because without any load the engine will pick up rpm almost instantly), then when the new gear is spinning at about the right rpm you'll push the gear stick again and engage the new gear while everything is still spinning. With a lot of practice (which involves a lot of terrible noises from the gearbox while you fail) you can perfect this. To practise this, the usual requirement is to use your dads car and be about 17 - 18 years old. Your dad will have enough money to get their gearbox repaired and re-built after all the times you failed and have broken gear wheel teeth while trying to enage a gear wheel spinning for 4000 rpm to another gear wheel that was only spinning for 2000 rpm etc. (and after-all, new drivers do make mistakes even while making less extreme racing gear changes). Once you own your own car, you won't try it again because the technique of double de-clutching is actually good enough and considerably cheaper.
Anyway, all of these driving techniques are fast becoming obselete because most new cars will be fully automatic. These days, they (automatics) are better and don't result in a loss of performance (e.g. fuel economy).
I suppose we should address the original question:
Does regenerative braking have a hazardous complication?
Possibly but the driver behind shouldn't be following that close. If they are then according to the highway code you must now adjust your own driving appropriately. For example, reduce your speed so that they can stop in their braking distance. It's not exactly what they deserve but it's what is safe and recommended. Her Majesty's Secret Service takes a dim view of it if we keep deploying the special counter measures on ordinary civillian drivers who were just too close.
Best Wishes.
[ These days Her = His but all the films are based on Her Majesty's Secret Service ]
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