Advice for a long drive

[Maxi]

I am a new owner of an Outlander and require advice.
I am about to take on a long drive (450 miles) that is predominantly motorway.
What is the best way of maximising mileage per gallon?

 

[zzcoopej]

I am a new owner of an Outlander and require advice.
I am about to take on a long drive (450 miles) that is predominantly motorway.
What is the best way of maximising mileage per gallon?

Enjoy the drive, the PHEV does a great job of fuel economy by itself.
If you plan it correctly, just use the SAVE button on motorway (>65km/h) if you have some local road sections later on, as pure electric is most efficient at <65km/h.

 

[greendwarf]

As the car will be using the ICE most of the time, the same principle applies as with any vehicle - the faster you go the greater the consumption. So if you are happy to drive at 60mph it will be cheaper than at 70mph, as the car does not have an aerodynamic shape - more like a giant brick. :lol:

Personally, I also find that cruise control makes it easier to maintain a set speed (no involuntary speeding up and slowing down) and thus a better consumption. :idea:

 

[mellobob]

I drive once a month on a 100km trip (about 250km by the time I'm home again) on a 2 lane hwy. In the summer I get about 6.6L/100Km. And, yes, I use the a/c and enjoy the trip. I keep my speed just over the limit at 110km/hr, use cruise control and enable <SAVE> so I have some electric juice to use in the city. In the winter: I'm using the heater (a lot), have snow tires, etc ... still I get 7.9L/100Km.

BTW, 6.6km/100 is 42.8 mpg for our British friends and 35.6 for the USA. Not sure what size gallon the Aussies have?

 

[zzcoopej]

BTW, 6.6km/100 is 42.8 mpg for our British friends and 35.6 for the USA. Not sure what size gallon the Aussies have?

Gallons are only for "44 gallon drums" here in Oz. Aussies are metric.

 

[mellobob]

BTW, 6.6km/100 is 42.8 mpg for our British friends and 35.6 for the USA. Not sure what size gallon the Aussies have?

Gallons are only for "44 gallon drums" here in Oz. Aussies are metric.

Here, in Canada, we are just confused We are supposed to be metric and our distances are in Km and we buy gas by the liter. But, at the lumber yard we get 8 foot 2x4s and 4x8 foot plywood; in the grocery store we have a mixture of signs...some show the price in pounds, other in kilos. All a stupid mess 'case the gov. won't regulate properly.

 

[zzcoopej]

Here, in Canada, we are just confused We are supposed to be metric

I guess your proximity to USA is the issue. Here in Australia we have no proximity, only a heritage link to UK.

 

[kpetrov]

If you use SAVE, be sure that it engages parallel mode. My do not and keeps the vehicle in series mode which is a waste.

 

[ChrisMiller]

If you use SAVE, be sure that it engages parallel mode. My do not and keeps the vehicle in series mode which is a waste.

The driver has no direct control over which mode is in use, it's decided by the car's electronics. Parallel mode uses a direct drive from the engine to the front wheels, and so is only available at sufficiently high speeds (so that the engine isn't under-revving), typically ~45mph/70kph. At most speeds (below ~75mph/120kph*) maximum power is via series mode (as the revs at which parallel mode forces the engine to run don't correspond to maximum power output), so if you floor the throttle the car will go into series mode.

You can demonstrate this (where road conditions are safe to do so, like joining a relatively empty motorway) by flooring the throttle from stationary - the car will remain in parallel mode up to ~75mph. With more gentle use of the accelerator, the car will select parallel mode as soon as it's available (~45mph).

I haven't experimented to see if the use of Save/Charge changes this description, but I don't see why it should.

* these numbers could be slightly different for the newer models with the 2.3l engine, but I think the principle is unchanged

 

[Fjpod]

On a long drive, I have gotten in the habit of running my battery down to about half, then switch to charge mode as long as I am riding above 45 mph at a steady pace. I let the battery charge to the max, as I frequently encounter slowdowns and don't want to get caught short of battery. As the battery reaches maximum charge, the instantaneous mpg actually starts to get better as more power is going to the wheels. Lastly, I try to arrive home with a flat battery.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

Don't forget that the charging gets less efficient as the battery gets above 60%, so the ICE might not be able to run in its most efficient envelope. So I do much the same as you, except that I switch to SAVE if the battery gets too full.

 

[user 3575]

Don't forget that the charging gets less efficient as the battery gets above 60%, so the ICE might not be able to run in its most efficient envelope. So I do much the same as you, except that I switch to SAVE if the battery gets too full.

+1 works for me

 

[kpetrov]

If you use SAVE, be sure that it engages parallel mode. My do not and keeps the vehicle in series mode which is a waste.

The driver has no direct control over which mode is in use, it's decided by the car's electronics. Parallel mode uses a direct drive from the engine to the front wheels, and so is only available at sufficiently high speeds (so that the engine isn't under-revving), typically ~45mph/70kph. At most speeds (below ~75mph/120kph*) maximum power is via series mode (as the revs at which parallel mode forces the engine to run don't correspond to maximum power output), so if you floor the throttle the car will go into series mode.

You can demonstrate this (where road conditions are safe to do so, like joining a relatively empty motorway) by flooring the throttle from stationary - the car will remain in parallel mode up to ~75mph. With more gentle use of the accelerator, the car will select parallel mode as soon as it's available (~45mph).

I haven't experimented to see if the use of Save/Charge changes this description, but I don't see why it should.

* these numbers could be slightly different for the newer models with the 2.3l engine, but I think the principle is unchanged

The driver has no direct control but the vehicle show you in which mode you are and if in SAVE it keeps it in series like mine is doing better switch to CHARGE then parallel is certain in speed over 41mph. (under some conditions of course)
https://www.facebook.com/kbpetrov/posts/10218787302894911
I am not arguing when maximum power is available here. The question was regarding the most efficient way to drive it on the highway.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

That's odd. In SAVE, ours will use either parallel or series depending on the speed, just like normal.

 

[kpetrov]

Yep, it is odd. It's and that the same vehicles have a problem with ICE kicking in all the time when temperatures drop.
From what I know so far the problem is resolved after battery reset, smoothing and DBCAM procedure.

Anyway, this problem made my vehicle perfect to test the difference between parallel and series mode.

 

[Fjpod]

Don't forget that the charging gets less efficient as the battery gets above 60%, so the ICE might not be able to run in its most efficient envelope. So I do much the same as you, except that I switch to SAVE if the battery gets too full.

I agree that the battery takes less charge as it gets full, but some recent experimenting I have done with a Scanguage 2, shows that although the charge rate is slowing down, the instantaneous MPG goes up, so the energy is not going to waste,it goes directly to the drive wheels... Not a bad thing.

 

[kpetrov]

Don't forget that the charging gets less efficient as the battery gets above 60%, so the ICE might not be able to run in its most efficient envelope. So I do much the same as you, except that I switch to SAVE if the battery gets too full.

I agree that the battery takes less charge as it gets full, but some recent experimenting I have done with a Scanguage 2, shows that although the charge rate is slowing down, the instantaneous MPG goes up, so the energy is not going to waste,it goes directly to the drive wheels... Not a bad thing.

I thought if you go with a constant speed and the charge rate is slowing down the good thing will be if the instantaneous MPG goes down as well!
The energy that go to the drive wheels should be constant.

 

[Fjpod]

Don't forget that the charging gets less efficient as the battery gets above 60%, so the ICE might not be able to run in its most efficient envelope. So I do much the same as you, except that I switch to SAVE if the battery gets too full.

I agree that the battery takes less charge as it gets full, but some recent experimenting I have done with a Scanguage 2, shows that although the charge rate is slowing down, the instantaneous MPG goes up, so the energy is not going to waste,it goes directly to the drive wheels... Not a bad thing.

I thought if you go with a constant speed and the charge rate is slowing down the good thing will be if the instantaneous MPG goes down as well!
The energy that go to the drive wheels should be constant.

So... the data from the scanguage does indicate that power to the drivewheels goes up slowly and steadily as the battery approaches full charge. Your foot on the accelerator is much more a factor for sudden changes.

 

[AndyInOz]

Also the cruise control if you're using it.

I've noticed that mine is much more aggressive on the pedals than me, and results in a less smooth ride.

 

[Trex]

I agree that the battery takes less charge as it gets full, but some recent experimenting I have done with a Scanguage 2, shows that although the charge rate is slowing down, the instantaneous MPG goes up, so the energy is not going to waste,it goes directly to the drive wheels... Not a bad thing.

I thought if you go with a constant speed and the charge rate is slowing down the good thing will be if the instantaneous MPG goes down as well!
The energy that go to the drive wheels should be constant.

So... the data from the scanguage does indicate that power to the drivewheels goes up slowly and steadily as the battery approaches full charge. Your foot on the accelerator is much more a factor for sudden changes.

Sorry but I think you misunderstand what is happening in parallel mode. The clutch engages the petrol motor to the front wheels and that is it. There is no variation in the amount of power going to them from the drive battery level going up. Only thing that is varying is the amount of power going to the generator and because you are letting the battery charge reduce from getting it full you are probably putting the petrol motor in a less efficient area of operation. Hybrids like the Phev rely on having room in the drive battery to put that petrol motor into its most efficient area of operation where the throttle valve is fully open and induction losses are reduced. So if the load on the petrol motor to keep the speed you are travelling at is not enough to have the throttle valve fully open and there is room in the drive battery the Phev will generate electricity to charge up the drive battery and put extra load on the petrol motor and thus put it into a more efficient area of operation where the throttle valve is fully open to reduce those induction losses. It can then shut down that petrol motor after a certain amount of charge has been put in the drive battery and then travel in EV mode and use no petrol at all. If the drive battery is full or near full all you are doing is keeping the petrol motor running longer and not letting the Phev behave its most efficiently. The instantaneous fuel consumption may be showing lower while the motor is running but you need to look at the average fuel consumption over time where if it is behaving at its most efficiently when the petrol motor can charge up the drive battery in the shortest amount of time (when the drive battery is at lower levels) and then shut down and go into EV mode and repeat. The fuel consumption I am sure you will find will be lower over the length of the trip if you let the Phev behave in its most efficient way.