Energitic

I think you are in the right ballpark. For comparison: The Opel engineer who was responsible for the development of the regenerative braking system of the Chevy Volt/Opel Ampera claims that they are able to recover about 80% of the kinetic energy (which he says is industry-leading efficiency). http://www.opel-blog.com/2011/07/21/maximale-rekuperation/

I don't think the fan draws air from the cabin when it's charging. At least I can't feel any air moving through the vent in the rear. Would be pretty bad when charging outside in the sun, since the interior can get much hotter than the outside air ... Generally, I try to charge overnight only, especially in the summer months. The air in my garage is cooler then (which should help to keep the battery cooler), and it'll help keep the grid from being overloaded during the peak times in the afternoon, which can be a problem here in CA in the summer. Also, since we now have two plugin vehicles, I'm considering switching to a time-of-use rate with my utility company.

No harm done. I can appreciate why you want to research this, and it's better to be safe than sorry. FYI, the sequence of events is like this: When you push the button, the charger in the car quickly reduces the current it draws from the EVSE. Then it signals the EVSE to disconnect the power (which is now safe to do without arcing) via the pilot signal. So when you hear the relay in the EVSE click, the current has already been reduced. Then it shuts down it's own internal charging system (which includes turning off the LED ring). EDIT: Sorry, I screwed up the quoting somehow ...

Unfortunately the full specification is only available against a fee, otherwise I'd point out the exact place in the documents for you. Of course, if you don't believe me,feel free to keep pressing the button for 2 seconds. :)

It's in the SAE J1772 specification. I studied it last year when I built a charger for my wife's Prius Plugin.

100ms is roughly the time a blink of an eye takes. ;) It is very difficult to push the button and disengage the AC lines that quickly. Don't worry, the plug is designed to be pretty much foolproof.

Bill, you are correct that pressing the latch button is detected by the charger in the car. The button disconnects the "proximity" signal, which is one of the two control signals on the J1772 connector (the other being the "pilot" signal). The proximity signal is used for several purposes: It allows the car to disable the drive when a charger cord is connected (to prevent driving away and damaging the port), and to gracefully shut down the charging process when the user is about to remove the plug. Among other things, the car is required to immediately (within 100ms, if I remember correctly) stop drawing significant current when proximity is disconnected. If the current were suddenly cut without graceful shutdown, it could indeed lead to unwanted voltage spikes and arcing in connector and power relays. However, due to the 100ms requirement, it is not necessary to hold the button for 2 seconds. You also gain a little time due to the fact that the plug is designed to break the control signals first before the "hot" AC connectors (they are on the two shorter pins in the plug). Everything will be fine unless you rip out the plug extremely fast. ;)

Hm, I guess that makes the FFE an ideal Pizza delivery vehicle. :) Thanks everyone, at least I now know that my FFE is not the only one. I think a good solution would be to have a cargo tray there with about 2-inch "walls" on the back and sides to keep things from sliding into the gap.

Interesting. So perhaps someone DID forget to put in the liner. Here two pictures of the left back (the right side looks like that as well):

Hi all, new 2014 Energi owner here. Very happy so far. :dance: The technology works great, and the car drives well and fits my commute perfectly (~12 miles roundtrip, which I can easily drive all-electric). Living in ever-congested Silicon Valley, the HOV stickers are a huge plus. I also like the interior fit and finish. However, there is one exception: The interior of the trunk. Besides being small, it looks really unfinished, like someone forgot to put the lining in the back. If you put something as big as a handbag on the "top shelf" of the battery block while loading, and forget to take it out before driving off, it can easily drop through the openings in the sides, never be seen again and do who knows what damage. :headscratch: Has anyone thought about a way to close the gaps? The "top shelf" would be useful to store smaller items like toolboxes and such, but obviously it is not safe to use ...