OK, so everbody knows the HCH will do a stealth regen on the highway and also with the lights on.

We don't seem to get the highway regen, since only 1/2 the engine is on and that's too busy pushing the car most of the time, although you can see some regen when it makes sense- momentarily when you crest a hill before the engine adjusts to the reduced load, etc.

I'm talking about a Goldilocks pack- say, 3-4 bars. Not so high where IMA is just splooging assist, or so low where the engine is always recharging a little.

Has anyone noticed a stealth regen with the lights on? I definitely feel a change as I flip them on/off. The engine is certainly loading up a little although no regen bars are lit- hence the stealth part. Our SoC displays are pretty coarse- only 6 bars (how many are on the HCH display?), so it may take a long time to see a full bar change if it is charging. But at night (lights- duh) I don't see the bars climb, even after 1/2 hour on level highway with no call to IMA. The HCH appears to recharge fairly quickly with lights on.

It seems that the HAH only regens enough to replace the energy lost to the lights- maybe a 'refinement' from the HCH algorithm? I sort of like the HCH's ability to 'charge on demand-' it lets you prep for spots ahead where you know you could use a lot of IMA.

Thoughts/observations?