I had the HV controller firmware update done earlier today. Wow! We rarely take our Think on freeways. But, I made an exception on the ~20 mile trip home from Eurostar so I could experience/evaluate the new Firmware. Comments: D(rive) mode. Car accelerates like it has a turbo. Put your foot in it and the car scoots forward with a firm push on the back/kick in the butt. Car easily accelerates up to 70 MPH. I ran an informal "reality check" on a ~1/2 mile long hill on a surface road. With the earlier firmware, starting from a dead stop, I could get up to and sustain 40 MPH. With the new firmware I had reached 60 MPH and still accelerating when I crested the hill. Wow! The energy use gauge was down to the orange dots which I had never seen before. Top speed is alleged to be 78 MPH. I saw 70, and could feel some acceleration still available when I punched it. E(conomy) mode. Allegedly, the starting from 0 MPH torque curve and regen curves have been reprofiled to give more startup torque and regen. This maybe so, but I'll admit if this it so, it's not a slap in the back of the head like the changes to D. I believe that I can feel a greater deceleration from regen, but it's subtle. Since I drive for minimum energy use, before the upgrade I rarely used the full acceleration capacity of the car. I can't say I feel greater acceleration from 0 MPH. If it's there, I guess it will be useful from time to time. In E, the car tops out at a gutless 60 MPH on the flat. I expect that I will continue driving in E for the vast majority of the time in our mostly urban driving regime… and waiting for -- or simply making up -- the most transparent/juvenile excuses to drop into D and punch it just for the fun of it! x Remind me, what does GTO stand for…G(??) T(hink) O(??) Hahaha! ;-)
