I have been reading the board for about 2 years now and most people love the car. I finally bought a 2014 sparky yesterday. should be getting it next week some time. now, i read a few posts about the braking problems which people didnt mentioned for 2 years. I decided to download the manual online and read it while im waiting for my car. on 9-25 of the owners manual they talk about how the braking works:
"Regenerative Braking
Regenerative braking takes some of
the energy from the moving vehicle
and turns it back into electrical
energy. This energy is then stored
back into the high voltage battery
system, contributing to increased
energy efficiency.
The hydraulic disc brakes work with
the regenerative braking to ensure
effective braking, such as when a
high braking demand is requested.
The braking system is computer
controlled and blends the
regenerative braking with the
conventional hydraulic disc brakes
to meet any requirements for
deceleration. The controller
interprets the braking request and
uses regenerative braking,
conventional hydraulic braking, or a
combination of both as necessary.
Because the controller applies the
hydraulic brakes through its high
pressure accumulator, you may
occasionally hear the motor‐driven
pump when it recharges the system.
This is normal.
See Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators on page 5-6 and Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5-29. In the event of a
controller problem, the brake pedal
may be harder to push and the
stopping distance may be longer.
I have a few questions: are all brakes in cars computer controlled? 2.they mention the CONTROLLER picks which way to brake- regen,hydraulic, or both. the last sentence says if the controller has a problem the pedal will be harder to push and stopping will take longer. does all that mean a chip/contoller manages all braking.Is the controller a computer chip or something completely different. how is this different than your basic toyota corolla brakes. if the controller breaks shouldnt it go to a default old school braking.
"Regenerative Braking
Regenerative braking takes some of
the energy from the moving vehicle
and turns it back into electrical
energy. This energy is then stored
back into the high voltage battery
system, contributing to increased
energy efficiency.
The hydraulic disc brakes work with
the regenerative braking to ensure
effective braking, such as when a
high braking demand is requested.
The braking system is computer
controlled and blends the
regenerative braking with the
conventional hydraulic disc brakes
to meet any requirements for
deceleration. The controller
interprets the braking request and
uses regenerative braking,
conventional hydraulic braking, or a
combination of both as necessary.
Because the controller applies the
hydraulic brakes through its high
pressure accumulator, you may
occasionally hear the motor‐driven
pump when it recharges the system.
This is normal.
See Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators on page 5-6 and Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5-29. In the event of a
controller problem, the brake pedal
may be harder to push and the
stopping distance may be longer.
I have a few questions: are all brakes in cars computer controlled? 2.they mention the CONTROLLER picks which way to brake- regen,hydraulic, or both. the last sentence says if the controller has a problem the pedal will be harder to push and stopping will take longer. does all that mean a chip/contoller manages all braking.Is the controller a computer chip or something completely different. how is this different than your basic toyota corolla brakes. if the controller breaks shouldnt it go to a default old school braking.