Pressing button B: Citroën's e-Dispatch

LONG TERM TEST

Citroën e-Dispatch Pressing button B

There are a number of buttons and switches that the driver can use to control the way in which the e-Dispatch uses and creates electrical energy. Firstly, there is a small lever with P, R, N and D detents, to control the single-speed transmission. To the left is a threeway switch offering Eco, Normal and Power settings.

The van always starts in Normal, which reduces the drive motor power to 80kW and 210Nm of torque. Switch to Eco and that drops further to 60kW and 190Nm, while also reducing the output from the heating and air conditioning systems. Opt for the Power setting and you get the full 100kW and 260Nm, for maximum pulling power. While I have tried all three, the van performs perfectly well in Normal, so that is where the setting tends to stay.

There is one more button, marked B, that sits below the gear selection switch. This controls the amount of brake force regeneration, or energy recuperation, the driveline generates. Without the button, the van will coast when you lift off the throttle pedal, making it ideal for faster stretches of road and longer distance travel. Click the button and when you lift off the throttle the van starts to slow, as the system grabs as much energy as possible from the braking process.

Or at least it does most of the time. There have been a few occasions when pressing the B button seemed to have little or no effect at all, which prompted me to think that something was not functioning properly. However, this only happens when the battery has just been fully charged.

I have realised that, as the electric motor operates as a generator during regeneration, if there is nowhere for the energy to go when the battery is fully charged, it is not possible for the braking function to operate fully. As the battery level starts to drop, so the braking function becomes more noticeable again. SAFETY STEPS