2014 mitsubishi phev battery range and seized calipers

[maby]

There is probably a lot of truth in what you say, anko - all range prediction is an inexact science, but the range of a petrol car is so great that the errors balance out. The EV range of a PHEV is very short and there is no time for errors to balance out.

 

[HHL]

There is probably a lot of truth in what you say, anko - all range prediction is an inexact science, but the range of a petrol car is so great that the errors balance out. The EV range of a PHEV is very short and there is no time for errors to balance out.

They could have used a much longer time frame for averaging to make the estimate, and it would actually be fairly accurate.
The figure of 200Wh/km I quoted earlier is fairly consistent in my driving, and no doubt for many others. I can predict when I get a very high reading, it usually happens when I have been driving mostly in hybrid mode and the last few km on my way home from one direction involves a drop in altitude of about 160m, this means there is very little power used and this will always produce a very high "available range" prediction. I have had 68km once!

 

[anko]

There is probably a lot of truth in what you say, anko - all range prediction is an inexact science, but the range of a petrol car is so great that the errors balance out. The EV range of a PHEV is very short and there is no time for errors to balance out.

They could have used a much longer time frame for averaging to make the estimate, and it would actually be fairly accurate.

That would maybe solve half of the problem, but to some it might introduce a much bigger problem. Imagine it would factor in consumption over the last 1000 km or so. After picking up a caravan at the beginning of your vacation it would take a 1000 km before you would get any useful reading. The same after dropping it off after your vacation.

And look at it this way: what do you need the prediction for? For me, it is not to know how far a full charge will get me. First, because I already more or less know how far it will take me before I even take off (and I believe so do others, otherwise they would not know how inaccurate the reading was :mrgreen: ). Second, because there is not much I can do about it anyway. No, I need it to be accurate towards the end of the trip, when I want to decide when to engage / disengage Save and or Charge mode. So, towards the end of the trip, I want it to factor in current driving conditions and not yesterdays driving conditions.

I think the issue (if it is an issue at all) is not specific for the PHEV. Instead, it is specific for PHEV drivers. As IMHO in this context the big difference between PHEV drivers and non PHEV drivers is that PHEV drivers are checking the estimated range all the time. In my previous cars, I only started looking at the range estimation when I was about to run out of fuel: do I need to stop at this gas station or can I skip this one and go for the next? So, I needed it to be accurate then. Perhaps on my daily commute of 2 x 40 km the remaining range would drop 30 km in the morning and 50 km in the evening. I probably would not notice it nor would it matter that much.

The above is maybe a bit black and white but it might get one thinking

Regarding the 68 km: People have reported even higher numbers than this. So have I. But again, I don't think it is a PHEV exclusive issue. While driving a diesel car with a 50 liter tank, in one occasion I have seen an estimated range of 2000+ km on a quarter tank of gas, while towing my 1500 km caravan over the motorway at 60+ MPH. No, not a typo. It was 2000+. After hitting to 1999 it went to ---- as it could not display a 2 on the first position.

 

[NightPHEVer]

Why would the rear calipers have seized then? Lack of use of handbrake (ie. leaving it in 'P' but never applying the handbrake)?, incorrect adjustment of handbrake cables?

Surely the calipers move every time the brakes are applied - I appreciate the rears do much less work than the fronts but even so, I still can't think what causes them to actually seize. Call me a conspiracy theorist but could rear caliper seizure (or partial seizure) be the actual cause of rear wheel bearing failure, which has occasionally been an issue with the PHEV I believe. The Mitsubishi main dealer I use actually checks the rear wheel bearings for wear when the PHEV is serviced. Whether this check was an instruction from Mitsubishi HQ I don't know.

I remember from my Jeep Cherokee days that partial caliper seizure (in the case of the Cherokee front calipers as it didn't have rear discs, and only after more than 10 years and high mileage) caused the wheel bearing grease to overheat and melt, thereby depriving the bearing of enough grease and wearing it out. It was easy to spot though as it affected steering and you could smell the heat - and if things got really out of hand - see the smoke! By which time the discs were probably warped too.

In the case of a PHEV though, maybe not so obvious if it's rear calipers. Although I'd have thought they'd still smell a bit. But why the seizure in the first place - I had a close look at mine and they seem to be a pretty robust and conventional design of caliper.