Downshifting vs. Regenerative Braking

There's a very long drive down a hill with a stop sign at the end. When I had my Cheyenne RST with the V8, I'd downshift. With the PowerBoost, I'd brake.

Just today, I thought I'd downshift in the PowerBoost instead of braking. When I drove past the stop sign, I noticed it stayed electric much longer and ICE kicked in way later.

Would downshifting be preferred over regenerative braking?

 

Downshifting is regen braking. As long as the EV coach CHARGE isn't white you're regen braking.

 

Is downshifting more effective than braking whilst regenerating electricity?

 

Braking is more effective but you have to make sure you're modulating the brake pedal. If you get an OBD adapter you can monitor in real time.

 

These trucks are brake* by wire, hit the brake, and the truck should sort it out on its own.
It’s not perfect, but it’s programmed to do it.

 

It is pretty difficult to accomplish 100% regeneration on my dashboard since it's so steep.

The best I've gotten was 92% by keeping my foot on the brake the entire time, going 35 mph on 45 mph limit.

This time, there were quite a few cars and I did not want to impede traffic so I went 45 mph and downshifted instead and noticed that it stayed in battery mode for much longer.

That was why I asked.