Anyone else using Premium fuel in the Phev?

[jaapv]

I still believe that attempts to maintain (very) high SOC all the time are defeating the purpose of the car, resulting in less efficiency.

Agree fully. And it brings no perceptible advantage, unless one has to climb a mountain at the end of the road.

 

[maby]

I still believe that attempts to maintain (very) high SOC all the time are defeating the purpose of the car, resulting in less efficiency.

Agree fully. And it brings no perceptible advantage, unless one has to climb a mountain at the end of the road.

I would prefer to keep it around 50%, but the car does not make this particularly easy - hence the habit of keeping in Save until I'm about 20 miles from my next charge.

 

[jaapv]

It all depends on one's use, I suppose. It is extremely rare for me to have 20 miles to play around with when coming off the Motorway, 0-10 Km is more like it.

 

[maby]

It all depends on one's use, I suppose. It is extremely rare for me to have 20 miles to play around with when coming off the Motorway, 0-10 Km is more like it.

I don't think it's motorway specific - I just follow the philosophy of trying to run the battery flat a few hundred yards from my destination. I know that does not always produce the absolute best fuel economy - I could drive ten miles at relative low speeds on petrol before joining the motorway and use up my charge in the last fifteen miles at high speed on the motorway - but the difference in fuel economy is really not very great and it is reassuring to know that I've got plenty of charge in the battery to give me that kick up the backside when I need to accelerate or to climb the hill on the approach to our town without the engine screaming. I usually have the satnav running and, when the distance to my destination is more or less equal to the estimated EV range, I turn off Save.

 

[jaapv]

The point is that the economic efficiency difference between EV and petrol is far better at lower speeds than at higher. There is not much to be gained by driving electrically over 100 Km/H if you are paying for your electricity.
So it makes sense to drive at Save on the Motorway and EV in (sub)urban traffic - choose your level according to the distribution of slow and fast roads. And, of course, as you say, arrive empty.

I must say I am a bit nonplussed at all these "screaming" posts on the forum. Didn't these people shift down when climbing a hill or accelerating fast when using a conventional car? Or have an automatic with kick-down? I tended to use the Revs on my previous cars as well...

If one wants torque without revs, a big lazy American V8 is much more suitable.

 

[maby]

...
I must say I am a bit nonplussed at all these "screaming" posts on the forum. Didn't these people shift down when climbing a hill or accelerating fast when using a conventional car? Or have an automatic with kick-down? I tended to use the Revs on my previous cars as well...

If one wants torque without revs, a big lazy American V8 is much more suitable.

I guess the difference is that I'm a long-time driver of big SUVs (horrible American term - read as 4WDs) - for a long time I drove Landrovers with 3.5 litres of V8 petrol under the bonnet and then switched to Landrovers and Landcruisers with 4 litres or more of turbo-charged diesel under there instead. The engine should not be breaking sweat till you are trying to get a two tonne trailer up to 70mph. My short wheelbase 3.5l V8 Landrover was particularly fun - it is the only car that I've ever owned that could do a four-wheel spin off the lights.

 

[Titan]

I must say I am a bit nonplussed at all these "screaming" posts on the forum. Didn't these people shift down when climbing a hill or accelerating fast when using a conventional car? Or have an automatic with kick-down? I tended to use the Revs on my previous cars as well...

If one wants torque without revs, a big lazy American V8 is much more suitable.

I'll admit I'm becoming more accustomed to it but I think the shock comes from sitting in near silence and then hearing "the banshee" Also, I am used to low reving engines with bags of torque.

On longer, out of EV-only range, trips my current pattern is now to not hit save until I've half discharged the battery. Today I did a 200 mile round trip and achieved 40.8mpg, so very happy.

 

[jaapv]

...
I must say I am a bit nonplussed at all these "screaming" posts on the forum. Didn't these people shift down when climbing a hill or accelerating fast when using a conventional car? Or have an automatic with kick-down? I tended to use the Revs on my previous cars as well...

If one wants torque without revs, a big lazy American V8 is much more suitable.

I guess the difference is that I'm a long-time driver of big SUVs (horrible American term - read as 4WDs) - for a long time I drove Landrovers with 3.5 litres of V8 petrol under the bonnet and then switched to Landrovers and Landcruisers with 4 litres or more of turbo-charged diesel under there instead. The engine should not be breaking sweat till you are trying to get a two tonne trailer up to 70mph. My short wheelbase 3.5l V8 Landrover was particularly fun - it is the only car that I've ever owned that could do a four-wheel spin off the lights.

Ah-there you are. Despite driving big sedans like Jaguars and Volvos in my pre-electric days, the fun cars for me have always been Morgans, Triumphs and MGs, things that one four-wheel drifts at high revs (hopefully at traffic-less bends ) and with engines between 1.6 and 2.2 liters... Triumph TR4 presently.

 

[maby]

...

Ah-there you are. Despite driving big sedans like Jaguars and Volvos in my pre-electric days, the fun cars for me have always been Morgans, Triumphs and MGs, things that one four-wheel drifts at high revs (hopefully at traffic-less bends ) and with engines between 1.6 and 2.2 liters... Triumph TR4 presently.

Hmmm, not for me - I generally try to keep the revs below 2500 if at all possible. There's nothing to beat a very large turbo-diesel on a proper automatic box. That said, the Outlander is able to give a good turn of acceleration without screaming its guts out provided there is a decent amount of charge in the battery. But a good poke on the throttle can pull the charge level down by almost a full bar and it does not recharge particularly quickly - hence if you let it go completely flat, it does not take long before the engine is screaming or turtling.

 

[jaapv]

Hmm.. Not my experience - when "flat" I can drive the car normally, no different from a half-full battery, and I dont hang about. I Never saw a turtle , just the pre-warning once when pushing it to extremes.

 

[anko]

This morning is temporarily activated Save at 80-ish % SOC, then at 60-ish %, then at 50-ish % and finally let the car do it's thing. Interesting to see how the car somehow seems to settle at lower SOC.

 

[greendwarf]

Hmm.. Not my experience - when "flat" I can drive the car normally, no different from a half-full battery, and I dont hang about. I Never saw a turtle , just the pre-warning once when pushing it to extremes.

But Maby will see a lot more hills than you on a daily basis :lol:

 

[maby]

Hmm.. Not my experience - when "flat" I can drive the car normally, no different from a half-full battery, and I dont hang about. I Never saw a turtle , just the pre-warning once when pushing it to extremes.

But Maby will see a lot more hills than you on a daily basis :lol:

Everyone will see more hills than him! I can't go a mile from my house without climbing at least one quite long and steep hill!

 

[anko]

I don't! :mrgreen:

 

[jaapv]

Hah! I have to get up a 10 m high dike each time I leave the street. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: