What's the purpose of Recuperation on the Settings screen?

[SWORDER]

Recuperation on my 2021 Taycan Turbo S has been turned off since I took delivery in June 2021.

Recuperation, as my sales rep explained, is the process of converting the friction and heat of the braking system back into electricity and using that power to charge the battery. It takes place automatically every time I brake, regardless of the recuperation setting.

Today I toggled it ON out of curiosity. When activated, the car slows down noticeably when I take my foot off the accelerator; not enough to reduce safety but enough to cause some mild nausea on long drives if I fail to keep the accelerator sufficiently depressed. I can no longer effortlessly "coast."

I'm curious what purpose this mode serves given that, even when turned off, the recuperation would still occur when I brake. Is additional energy savings accrued when recuperation is toggled on?

Consider a hypothetical case where I'm going 40 mph, see a red light in the distance, and know I'll inevitably need to come to a complete stop. It's intuitive that a predetermined amount of "braking force" (however that's measured) needs to be exerted to facilitate the stop, regardless of the recuperation mode. Wouldn't the recuperative gain from the braking process then be the same regardless this setting's toggle state?

If so, why would one ever toggle this on?

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[Hirschaj]

I use it all the time in slow traffic so I don’t have to constantly move between throttle and brake. You can turn it on and off using the button on the steering wheel.

 

[Hirschaj]

Also, there is an auto mode if you long press the button that provides a mixture of coasting and recoup. If the car senses it needs to slow down due to some traffic ahead of you it will automatically use recoup to slow down. That is handy sometimes.

 

[Tooney]

 

[mjw930]

Regen (recuperation) has nothing to do with converting friction and heat from the braking system into electricity. Regenerative braking is achieved by the car turning the electic motors into generators when you lift off the accelerator or step on the brake. The generators require force to fight the magnetic field controlled by the Electric Power Control Unit. The higher the field the more force is needs so the more braking force is applied. Your mechanical brakes are controlled by another system and are blended into the braking action as needed. Typically, aside from track use, EV’s mechanical brakes can last for 100,000 miles or more.
The regen settings control that balance between regenerative braking, mechanical braking and coasting.

 

[tchavei]

Recuperation on my 2021 Taycan Turbo S has been turned off since I took delivery in June 2021.

Recuperation, as my sales rep explained, is the process of converting the friction and heat of the braking system back into electricity and using that power to charge the battery. It takes place automatically every time I brake, regardless of the recuperation setting.

Today I toggled it ON out of curiosity. When activated, the car slows down noticeably when I take my foot off the accelerator; not enough to reduce safety but enough to cause some mild nausea on long drives if I fail to keep the accelerator sufficiently depressed. I can no longer effortlessly "coast."

I'm curious what purpose this mode serves given that, even when turned off, the recuperation would still occur when I brake. Is additional energy savings accrued when recuperation is toggled on?

Consider a hypothetical case where I'm going 40 mph, see a red light in the distance, and know I'll inevitably need to come to a complete stop. It's intuitive that a predetermined amount of "braking force" (however that's measured) needs to be exerted to facilitate the stop, regardless of the recuperation mode. Wouldn't the recuperative gain from the braking process then be the same regardless this setting's toggle state?

If so, why would one ever toggle this on?

Have you ever driven an ICE car? Honest question.

On a manual (shift stick) ICE car (no idea on automatic since I've never drove one), when you lift your foot from the throttle, the engine will act as a mild brake since the drive train is connected to it through the clutch. Less gas = less propulsion = little above natural deacceleration since the car is dragging the engine along.

When I test drove the taycan the first time, it felt like I was depressing the clutch each time I lifted the foot from the accelerator pedal. I didn't mind and adjusted in less than 5 minutes but I assume others won't feel the same. The regenerative button basically adds that ICE feeling of mild deacceleration while recovering a small part of energy in the process. I believe it could come handy in city traffic but I really liked the extended coasting on the highway.

Regarding efficiency, I'll let that for the pros.

Edit: actually, thinking about this, using your engine to brake in an ICE car is an art by itself. My brakes last 80k+ as I love downshifting before taking curves and work with the clutch rather the brakes to negotiate the right speed. Doubt I'll be able to do that the same way with the Taycan.

 

[Marmolata]

my understanding is the recuperation mode you referring to is for previous ev drivers that come from tesla or other "one pedal" driving. This is strictly for them so they feel comfortable. this is how their cars drive...like golf carts ?

i actually like to use it as a downshift button, i press the button on wheel and car starts slowing down, like downshifting in a manual transmission. say down a long hill or decelerating off ramp.

regarding energy, it actually worse than coasting, which is why it is turned off by default in range mode. it never will convert all kinetic energy back into battery, so just letting car coast is more efficient.

 

[xyeahtony]

some people want instant recuperation when letting go of the "Gas" pedal. That is how every other EV drives basically. And from anyone who drives a manual transmission car, its a similar feeling when you let off the gas.

 

[SWORDER]

Have you ever driven an ICE car? Honest question.

On a manual (shift stick) ICE car (no idea on automatic since I've never drove one), when you lift your foot from the throttle, the engine will act as a mild brake since the drive train is connected to it through the clutch. Less gas = less propulsion = little above natural deacceleration since the car is dragging the engine along.

Yes, I'm familiar with ICE. I actually drove nothing but 911s prior to the Taycan. (Well, my parents did give me a Toyota Cressida in my teen years but I've tried to block that era from my memory.) And indeed, I do remember downshifting with the left paddle and how it would brake the car.

Thanks for the answer. What you're saying makes sense.

 

[SWORDER]

some people want instant recuperation when letting go of the "Gas" pedal. That is how every other EV drives basically. And from anyone who drives a manual transmission car, its a similar feeling when you let off the gas.

Gotcha. The Taycan is my first and only EV so the feeling seems foreign to me. Presumably if I kept it on I'd grow accustomed.

 

[SWORDER]

Regen (recuperation) has nothing to do with converting friction and heat from the braking system into electricity. Regenerative braking is achieved by the car turning the electic motors into generators when you lift off the accelerator or step on the brake. The generators require force to fight the magnetic field controlled by the Electric Power Control Unit. The higher the field the more force is needs so the more braking force is applied. Your mechanical brakes are controlled by another system and are blended into the braking action as needed. Typically, aside from track use, EV’s mechanical brakes can last for 100,000 miles or more.
The regen settings control that balance between regenerative braking, mechanical braking and coasting.

Excellent explanation. Thank you!

 

[W1NGE]

Recuperation on my 2021 Taycan Turbo S has been turned off since I took delivery in June 2021.

Recuperation, as my sales rep explained, is the process of converting the friction and heat of the braking system back into electricity and using that power to charge the battery. It takes place automatically every time I brake, regardless of the recuperation setting.

Today I toggled it ON out of curiosity. When activated, the car slows down noticeably when I take my foot off the accelerator; not enough to reduce safety but enough to cause some mild nausea on long drives if I fail to keep the accelerator sufficiently depressed. I can no longer effortlessly "coast."

I'm curious what purpose this mode serves given that, even when turned off, the recuperation would still occur when I brake. Is additional energy savings accrued when recuperation is toggled on?

Consider a hypothetical case where I'm going 40 mph, see a red light in the distance, and know I'll inevitably need to come to a complete stop. It's intuitive that a predetermined amount of "braking force" (however that's measured) needs to be exerted to facilitate the stop, regardless of the recuperation mode. Wouldn't the recuperative gain from the braking process then be the same regardless this setting's toggle state?

If so, why would one ever toggle this on?

The Taycan has 2 types of recuperation one of which can't be switched off (so you will have been using it without potentially realising it).

1. Braking recuperation - available and active all of the time - active when you press the brake pedal and add energy back into the battery.

2. Overrun recuperation - available on command - same effect as lifting off the throttling in a gas / ICE vehicle - slows the car down gradually when you lift off - effective when driving on twisty roads to enhance the driving experience - less efficient at adding energy back into the battery.

Read the owners manual for more information.

 

[whitex]

my understanding is the recuperation mode you referring to is for previous ev drivers that come from tesla or other "one pedal" driving. This is strictly for them so they feel comfortable.

Taycan recuperation is not even close to Tesla one pedal driving, so you must have just believed someone on the internet who didn't know what they were talking about. Taycan recuperation braking is very weak compared to a Tesla.

Taycan recuperation is useful to keep a set speed and to keep up with traffic, saves having to hit the brake pedal to slow down a little. You can even coast with recuperation on, but it requires more precise foot control. Another way think about it - lightweight engine braking.

 

[or1]

And regarding efficiency for braking recuperation and overrun recuperation: there is no difference for the same retardation. Both use the exact same motor-as-generator approach, just with different activation.

There is a long thread about this somewhere else here. Personal preferences vary, but with some agreement that coasting (no overrun recuperation) is a bit more efficient because that avoids the about 20% energy-losing round trip with retardation and acceleration to a somewhat larger extent. At least for most drivers.

 

[SteveGTS]

Taycan recuperation is not even close to Tesla one pedal driving, so you must have just believed someone on the internet who didn't know what they were talking about. Taycan recuperation braking is very weak compared to a Tesla.

Taycan recuperation is useful to keep a set speed on keep up with traffic, saves having to hit the brake pedal to slow down a little. You can even coast with recuperation on, but it requires more precise foot control. Another way think about it - lightweight engine braking.

Absolutely, I am hopefully in my last month of Tesla ownership and drive most of the time with one pedal, the Taycan is nothing like it, I found it a bit disconcerting the first time I drove one, it felt like the car was running away from me in the dealer's forecourt, even with recuperation on. It didn't take long to get used to, just the initial experience was surprising.

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