[SmartSaves]

I tested braking and decelerating (MY21 40i, 07/2020 iSTEP) by observing energy flow screen. I wanted to see when the battery is being charged and when the electric motor assist kicks in (for all driving modes). Here are my non-scientific findings:

1. When you brake to slow down, ALL driving modes charges battery using brake regenerative system.

2. When you decelerate, ONLY Eco Pro driving mode doesn't charge battery (all other modes does). Eco pro goes into coasting when I decelerate. Didn't see/feel any regen activity on the screen.

3. Interestingly, I didn't notice any instances of assist from the electric motor when I started driving from a standstill. However, the electric motor assistance kicked in many times when I was in may be around 4the to 5th gear (around 50 km mark). When the car is in Ready status and I start to drive, I was expecting the first few seconds the electric motor will assist the car to move forward and then ICE takes over thereafter, but it wasn't the case as per the energy flow screen.

Conclusions: When braking, the ECO pro or Eco pro individual mode has the least amount of shudder or brake pulsating feel. Perhaps BMW has different regen algorithms for different driving modes. Really wish we had a choice to set our own regen percentage.

When we code the ASS option off, I believe it doesn't stop the regenerative charging process. It simply turns off the auto start stop function (saving fuel), thats about it.