EV/NEV w solar and regen?

[radioprius1]

Hi guys,

I've become very interested in NEVs lately because I live in an area with lots of 35 mph roads, etc, that would make a vehicle with a limited speed and range useful.

My question is do any of the NEV/EVs out there utilize regen like our Prius does? It sure seems if they had regen on decel and braking, and the solar panels on the roof, that it would greatly extend the range or time between charging. I know the current NEVs with solar roofs only get about 12% (or whatever) of their battery per day, but it's still something.

Any ideas? Thank you kindly.

[DaveinOlyWA]

yes most do, but its not always the best option. on my Zenn, i disabled it because when coasting, regen is like light braking, it slows the car down too much and takes more power to get back up to speed, plus regen limited my speed to about 38 mph.

without regen, i can coast my valley hill at up to 45 mph which is better for the run i need to make back up the other side of the valley. also, the charge monitoring system in most EV's are simply 2nd rate compared to the Pri's.

regening back to the battery usually causes more damage than its worth.

as far as effective recharging by solar panels on the roof, a few have converted Zenns and others to do just that. its far from cost-effective, but if your work commute is at the end of the EV's range and you cannot plug in, that would definitely be something to look at.

as for me, i do plug in at work and my commute is only 7 miles one way.