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Most people say they use "L" gear or maximum regen when releasing the gas (throttle, power, go?) pedal and get better range. Are they just bad drivers and the regen is a bandaid? I've read about members here doing it as well.
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It may depend on the car but I don't see why using L for regen would help.
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Why would you
NOT want to drive in "L"? I use every trick I can to achieve better gas mileage, and this one comes courtesy of the manufacturer! It takes a bit to get used to if you haven't driven a car that has this feature, but after driving two Insights which I manually added brake regen buttons to there was no learning curve for me.
I always drive my Volt in "L", it functions basically the same way my brake regen button did in my Insights, but it's factory equipment that I didn't have to install myself and I don't have to press a button to make it work. Power is added back to the big battery as I slow, instead of being lost to friction.
I can feather the gas pedal and regen power back into the battery almost indefinitely on any slight downslope without losing a lot of momentum. There's a long, barely noticeable grade on my way to work that ends at a stop sign, and I've actually watched my car recharge a tenth of a kWh as I slow to a stop there.
That's free miles I'm adding back in that battery, people!
