Coasting: As soon as the driver releases the acceleratorpedal, the engine and electric motors are decoupled from the drivetrain and the engine is shut off, provided that the battery is sufficiently charged.
Battery regeneration: Whenever the driver releases the acceleratorpedal or applies the brakes, and the battery is insufficiently charged, the two electric motors act as generators and feed energy recovered from the brakes into the lithium-ion battery.
After announcing the earlier recalls Toyota made the unprecedented move of shutting production at six plants in North America and withdrawing from sale several models while it figured out what had gone wrong with its acceleratorpedal.
That reduced clearance may mean the driver's foot could brush the side of the brake pedal when going from the accelerator to the brake, thus increasing stopping distances and the risk of a crash.