"Using "B" shift to save gas?

Your disk and drum brakes still get used in B mode, if you hit the brake hard enough or go below 8MPH. B mode lowers fuel economy since it also makes your engine spin to act as a jake brake, plus regen braking loses a lot more energy than coasting. There are TONS of posts about B mode, you can find more than you ever want to know. In general, its almost never needed, but useful to some people in traffic or other unique situations. You can get the same amount of regen with the brake pedal, b mode just changes the scale and spins the engine. Definately not a mileage booster thou.

Neutral is probably there for special sitations, towing, car washes, vehicle inop, etc. Some also use it to more easily coast (no arrows) to improve mileage (same as getting accel pedal to no arrow sitation). This is definately a mileage booster, but more for the truely comitted.

 

If you are slowing down, as when coming to a red light, you can shift it into B mode when it reaches 20mph and let is slow down the car. When slowing down, the engine shouldn't come on when you are below 20mph, but the generator will take more energy and put it into the battery. This way is very efficient. I try to do this as much as I can.

 

I use the brake pedal to slow me down, until I get to 20mph, then put it into B and coast to a stop. So after many months of doing this, Ive got the method down, where I leave just enough room to allow me to do this to the stop light or car in front of me. I start regen-braking very early, so I don't use the hydrolic brakes very much, just mostly regen-braking.

 

If you want more regen at a higher rate below 20mph, you can just press harder on the brake pedal and get the same effect as B mode. The most effective regen is "long and slow" , either foot off both pedals or light press on brake, no B mode. The MGs can create a LOT of charge at once (and therefore slow you down quite a bit) but the batteries will only accept so much at a time. As you try to stuff in more charge all at once, the batteries heat more and thus is less effecient (even if more total charge has been applied, a greater percent is now lost as heat waste). Again, you can get the same amount of regen braking using the brake pedal as B mode, B mode just changes the scale, making you start with a higher amount of regen immediatley.

Your friction brakes normally don't kick in unless you brake very hard, so anticipating stops, coasting, and slow and steady braking will likely give you a better MPG gain. Coasting (no arrows) gives you a huge gain, since you eliminate most of the heat losses like I described above. N Mode - MPG up! B Mode down!

FYI, I don't use N or coast much.. too much effort for me, personally.