Australian ROAD TRIP.

[gwatpe]

Have just completed one stage of my extended Australian road trip, leg 1,from Adelaide to Brisbane. This was 2200km with no opportunity for plugin recharging, with one section just over 500km between petrol refueling.

Automatic SAVE mode was mainly used, with short sections in major towns, NORMAL mode was selected temporarily. I did notice that over time, maybe 3-4 hours of operation, the battery did increase in stored bars from 10bars to 14bars. The last section was a steep uphill [13%] on the Landsborough Hwy, and this was driven at 70-80kph in parallel hybrid mode, for 8km, with about 350m climb. Battery bars did drop down to around 9, but climbed back about 3 in the last 30km while still in SAVE mode, on steep undulating terrain.

A few minor observations.

AM radio reception, ABC 891, is all that can be received away from major centres, and the Electrics in the car in periods of EV mode, and REGEN, wiped out the reception. Seems like there is minimal, inadequate EMI suppression, for the car as supplied to Australian Consumers.

Passenger had need to release the seat belt for a period while driving on a long highway section with no traffic. The PHEV decided to bring up some additional warning messages on the drivers dash. Not just the red light and beeps. ACC and ASC and the FCM exclamation were displayed. These were service required warnings. Had no effect on the driving of the PHEV. Powered down at the next petrol refill and the warnings were gone. Have not reappeared. Seems like the computers in the PHEV can get confused and throw up warnings. Will see if there are any messages stored when the car is serviced for 15000km next week.

PHEV returned 7.9-8.2L/100km for 1700km of driving at 110kph and 7.3L/100km over the last 500km at 100kph. The battery was essentially carried for the ride, and provided hybrid and EV operations when demands allowed.

My last car, would have returned 11-12L/100km on gas and around 10L/100km on petrol.

This trip is a trial for a longer trip later to the Northern Territory, and Western Australia in the coming months. Had a reserve of 40L petrol and a spare wheel in addition to camping chattles. PHEV seemed unimpaired for power and is a comfort to drive, even for longer stretches. The replacement HID high beam lights and the additional driving lights made the night sections a pleasure to drive. Had probably 500m of like day, with up to 1000m roadside reflector visibility. There was a huge amount of road kill, probably over 2-3 per km. Mainly kangaroos. We saw hundreds of animals, including kangaroos, and goats, and wild pigs, and sheep and were easily able to slow, having been able to see them like in the day. The day had other animals like EMU and eagles and crows, the latter feeding on the road kill.

Just need to get the bugs cleaned from the front panels. Did find that washing the windscreen regularly helped by not letting them bond for too long on the glass.

Still have the drive home via Sydney. another 2600km.

 

[greendwarf]

Excellent - I did a similar journey in a Camry on our last visit in 2012. I don't think most of us Europeans appreciate just what it is like to drive such distances unless perhaps they have travelled across the US.

 

[Grigou]

Excellent - I did a similar journey in a Camry on our last visit in 2012. I don't think most of us Europeans appreciate just what it is like to drive such distances unless perhaps they have travelled across the US.

:shock:
I did 5400 km in my last trip to Spain, last summer.
Same to Sweden in 2004, to Croatia in 2009 ...

And I did 1900 km last week, just staying in France

 

[gwatpe]

I would think that it is relatively easy planning travel with one hour to somewhere and one hour return every day at highway speeds to and from work. Very easy to clock up 1500km in a week. I suppose the difference is when you may only see 50 other cars coming the other way in a 1200km section of road, and the travel was all in the same direction with no travel on the same road for the 2200km, and the roads were not motorways, but mainly single lane.

My PHEV that only occupies a single space in the garage can provide me with almost free running costs while at home, also is a cost effective long distance vehicle, when no recharging is on offer. Having the PHEV power ON in SAVE mode really takes the pressure off the driver to remember to preserve the battery and makes the PHEV essentially like a normal car to drive when needed. The recharging cord has come along for the ride so far and I don't expect to be able to use it until I return home.

Will possibly need to use the CHARGE button on the way home to bring the battery level back up. Still above half at the moment, so no immediate need yet.

 

[greendwarf]

Excellent - I did a similar journey in a Camry on our last visit in 2012. I don't think most of us Europeans appreciate just what it is like to drive such distances unless perhaps they have travelled across the US.

:shock:
I did 5400 km in my last trip to Spain, last summer.
Same to Sweden in 2004, to Croatia in 2009 ...

And I did 1900 km last week, just staying in France

As gwatpe points out it is the lack of traffic (or much else at times) etc. that makes it such a different driving experience, rather than the actual distance travelled. If you haven't done it you won't really understand.

Of course in urban areas its just the same apart from Melbourne's "hook turns" :lol:

 

[gwatpe]

Of course in urban areas its just the same apart from Melbourne's "hook turns" :lol:

Just love those "Turn right from the left side of the road" turns. Actually logical when only one car wants to make the right turn as it prevents blocking of a normal through lane. Probably a little dated now, but Melbourne is Melbourne.


Another interesting snippet.

Am presently house sitting and friends offered me to use their car. Modern Toyota Corolla, a few years old. Just checked the onboard computer on the Corolla and the recorded mileage was 7.6L/100km. Have just refuelled my PHEV, and the last drive, about 80km still in SAVE mode on the same roads has returned 6.8L/100km. Will be driving my PHEV as the economy is better. Very hilly, so maybe this impacts a normal car more.

 

[Grigou]

As gwatpe points out it is the lack of traffic (or much else at times) etc. that makes it such a different driving experience, rather than the actual distance travelled. If you haven't done it you won't really understand.

Of course in urban areas its just the same apart from Melbourne's "hook turns" :lol:

Sorry, you said "I don't think most of us Europeans appreciate just what it is like to drive such distances unless perhaps they have travelled across the US."
My reply was just that it is easy to travel 1500 km in Europe in 2 days, for example.

You didn't spoke about the traffic, roads, scenery etc ... If we speak of that sort of things, all I can do is to agree with you, of course !

I have travelled too in the West US and Canada, it certainly gives an idea of this kind of travel, but only a little one ...

 

[gwatpe]

Have just returned home after the first leg of my road trip. PHEV drove like a normal car again for the return trip. Passing trucks on a narrow highway used to be a problem with my last car when it was loaded up. PHEV has no issues with acceleration for passing. Just put the boot in and go. The SAVE button mod worked flawlessly. The main issue is with the small petrol tank. On one occasion, was unable to refuel, so had to try and get to the next major town. Chose not to refuel from the jerry can, and opted to use the battery instead. Ended up with a depleted battery, but was able to use a portion of the remaining fuel in the tank that was unavailable until the battery was depleted. The refuel warnings were a bit tedius. After refuelling, the PHEV took 200km of 100kph driving to bring the battery back up to 3/4 in CHARGE mode.

If the petrol tank was just 10L bigger in capacity would be more suited to an Australian market.

A few times later, I opted to refuel 10L from the jerry can rather than let the PHEV deplete the battery.

If only we had the LAP times menu in the MMCS to check fuel economy in changing road conditions.

My driving light mods were fantastic and worth every cent and minute of my time to install. Just need to work on the paddles to cancel the cruise control now.

The next stage of my trip will be more testing.

 

[NAPpy]

Just need to work on the paddles to cancel the cruise control now.

I'm with you on that one!

I'm interested in what you achieved in the terms of l/100km.

On the way down south on a recent trip I used saved and the disengaged when coming into <80kmh zones.

On the way back I just let it do its thing.

No noticeable difference really.

NAPpy

 

[gwatpe]

Have now added another 11000km in the next stage of my Road trip.

The Stuart highway, a 3000km "Sunday drive" from Adelaide to Darwin. Sealed road I have traveled on many times, but in not quite the same comfort. Ventured out to Jabiru on the Arnhem Hwy, again in relative comfort on a sealed road. Managed to get to JimJim falls, in Kakadu National Park. Better to just google this. The road in was 55km unsealed and very rough, like you sometimes see on National geographic adventure films. Was surprised by my PHEV on the corrugations and rocky sections. Last 5km was 5-10pkh with many body scrapes. A bit more clearance would have been nice. Had to reduce tyre pressures to make the ride bearable on the corrugations. Will be looking into a different tyre when the originals are done. This camp site was dominated by Toyota 4X4's, of the Sahara types. Had a few creek crossings up to 600mm deep with a rough rock, "bumpy" river bed. PHEV was not phased. Used the EV mode for an amazing, quiet drive compared to the the lunking diesels we could hear as we drove the track. The 5km section was just a worn 2 wheel track with deep sand sections and tree roots with rocky outcrops and the creek crossings.

Travelled to Katherine on the Kakadu Hwy and Stuart Hwy before heading west on the Victoria Hwy. Had a detour to the Flora river on a 60km rough bush stock route track. The "Bull Dust" tested the seals on the doors and the tailgate. Some sections were hundreds of metres long and up to 300mm deep. Like holes filled with dust instead of water. Very testing of the seals, as the vehicle twists and the doors move about on the seals.

Continued west to Kununurra on the bitumen and down the great northern Highway to the turn OFF to the BUNGLE BUNGLE ranges. The 65km road in is VERY rough and corrugated with many steep entry creeks and sharp corners with rocky quartzite outcrops, to the extent that caravans are not allowed on it and camper trailers are discouraged. Trailers are not allowed on tracks within the national park. Many visitors travel on organized 4X4 bus tours.

Back on the highway to the TANAMI Rd turnoff. This is a poorly maintained road that goes 1000km to just north of Alice Springs, passing through Rabbit Flat about half way. The PHEV won't make it without spare fuel. Headed down this road for 150km to the turn off to "Wolfe Ck Meteorite crater". Several other vehicles had turned around, commenting that the road was the worse they had traveled on. The road was very rough. We used spare fuel we carried, so the PHEV still had a battery reserve at the next fuel stop. PHEV coped well with the lower tyre pressures. The GPS has been pretty useless with roads, including the major unsealed highways, either not being shown at all, or only at the 250m setting. Hopefully this will be resolved at another MAPS update. We have many dots on the map now with no roads shown anywhere. Maybe Mitsi only classify a road as one that has a bitumen top.

Back to the sealed highway for a bit, and turned OFF and headed up to the GIBB River road. This is a main road "unsealed" that is not in the maps database either. The GIBB River road held up as another very rough caravan breaker road. We stopped on a link road, equally as rough to visit some of the attractions like "Tunnel Creek", a creek that has created a cave under a mountain range, and "WindJana Gorge", an attractive gorge through an ancient range.

We are back on the bitumen now for the majority of the trip down to PERTH. Not much internet access where we are travelling. Will try and upload some pics when service is more stable.

 

[Neverfuel]

What an amazing write up - look forward to hear about the last part of your incredible road trip. You certainly seem to have put the PHEV through its paces, is there anything that has caused you course for concern on the journey?

 

[gwatpe]

Here is a pic of a sunset in Broome WA the other night.

 

[gwatpe]

There were many highlights of the road trip so far.

Some of them were.

Driving at night. The camera through the windscreen has missed the picture somewhat.

a Queensland waterfall

a frosty morning in the mountains west of Sydney

Sunset over Fannie Bay, DARWIN

Sun on the Western Kakadu escarpment

JimJim falls had stopped flowing. Still an Awesome place. The rock in the middle of the falls at the top is the size of a 2 story house. about 500 feet drop.

some rocks on the side of the JimJim gorge.

looking for fish in one of the rock pools in JimJim gorge

Kathleen Falls on the Flora river

Boabab trees in the Kinberley.

Parked under a Boab.

An interesting odometer reading

Morning at Lake Argyle. Man made lake for irrigation and hydro power

Sunset in the Kimberley. The vertical effect was amazing.

Some Livistonia palms, remnant species from Dinosoar days in Echidna gorge at Purnululu, "Bungle Bungles"

Midday at Echidna gorge, Purnululu

Beehive mounds at Purnululu

snap

Rock pool reflections in Cathedral gorge, Purnululu.

The Wolfe Creek meteorite crater was eerie.

Some of the locals to avoid on the road.

and water crossings

and more red dirt road

Saw the stairway to the moon effect on the tidal flats in Broome, WA.

And the stairway to the sun effect at the 80 mile beach.

One of the many beaches in Western Australia with no persons in sight anywhere.

saw this GPS screen a lot

This road trip is about half way done now and has shown that the PHEV is not just a car for economical city driving. As long as there is a half decent track or road, and some driver discretion is used, then the PHEV can get you to some special places. I am sure that the PHEV could be driven on a beach, even though I will not be doing it. The body clearance does effect the terrain that can be negotiated, but if the driver is prepared to select the right route, is may be possible to get to a special place. I have not taken the PHEV to the Mitchell Plateau, as I know the road is beyond the PHEV, and I did not have enough fuel for the round trip, even with 40 extra litres. Deep water would also be something to avoid, although a short crossing with the water lapping the bonnet has resulted in water in the fog ights. Have some issues with the GPS as a map to guide the driver. Looks like only bitumen topped roads are shown in a highway speed scale. Some "main" unsealed highways do not show up at any scale. My aviation maps on the iPad at least still worked. Maybe need to mount the iPad over the top of the MMCS.

Did have some messages appear on the dash on some really rough road sections. May still be some connectors in the miles of wiring in the PHEV that are prone to glitches. PHEV operation was not really affected.

The Sticky SAVE button mod made my PHEV like a normal car with the many stops and starts. Battery reserve for the tough sections was always enough to avoid excess series hybrid operation. PHEV had enough power to maintain at least 70kph on all but the roughest sections of roads. The really rough parts the PHEV dropped back into series hybrid, but at a low power, so not too much of a problem, and for the steep sections and creek crossings I just pushed the SAVE button to go back to NORMAL mode for an EV ride. Not having to worry about buttons when starting and just driving and changing when required made my driving a real pleasure.

Still about 7000km to go.

 

[gwatpe]

back at home again for a while. PHEV now has over 34000km. Will update some pics.

 

[Titan]

Look forward to the pics Good to know you and the PHEV got home. That's quite a trip.

 

[greendwarf]

I'm insanely jealous :twisted:

 

[gwatpe]

Have just crunched the last of the photos. Here is a selection for the last few weeks.

The last photos ended in Broome. Continued down through the Pilbara region and the west coast down through Perth to Cape Leuwin and then across to Esperance and back up to Norseman and then across the Nullarbor.

We saw many sunsets over water. Hera are a few.

the arrow is pointing to VENUS

We had rain and more frost

drove on some long straight roads like this one

and the GPS display.

Went beyond the GPS maps on a national highway. "GIBB RIVER HIGHWAY" the road did not show on the GPS.

and the road is sign posted, but is not black topped.

came across many quirky signs
this one is one hole on the Nullabor golf course.

and the warning and info signs

and some images

fabulous beaches

attractions on the way

Great Australian Bight

lighthouse at the south western corner of Australia

Blowholes

one in the ocean

and another 35km from the ocean connected to a cave system

Lounged about a bit

some red dust

negotiating some ruts

saw some memorabilia

the first commercial wind farm turbine, now decommissioned

and some modern units

and some locals

got to play in some amazing sand

and new sands encroaching on old

we had a personal space at the hotel in Perth :lol:

It is possible to get 5 leaves, even when driving 15%EV

The PHEV works really well when recharging is unavailable and the system recharges the battery to 15 or more bars on the ICE. SAVE maintains the battery level and on extended driving times, seems to fill the battery up like CHARGE mode.

managed to get to 34000km now

and were greeted at home by a full rainbow

Just now need to detail the car to remove the red dust from the door seals and sand from the carpets.

 

[1Engine]

Great Information
Thanks

 

[gwatpe]

Happy to help a fellow aussie PHEV driver.

I know a lot of forum readers have looked at my picture posts without any comments. I guess the bulk of readers are mainly interested in BIK savings or seeing another PHEV while out.

I am able to report that my PHEV did not break down in the over 20,000 km traveled in around 3 months. The average petrol consumption was just over 8L/100km. Equivalent vehicles of a non hybrid design would probably have used 50% more fuel.

My mods to battery operation modes made the trip possible with minimal driver frustration when a button had been forgotten to be pressed at a particular time. The mods to driving lights allowed safer night time driving.

The next mod for the cruise control operation has been brought forward to a priority as its benefits on longer drives with traffic is now more obvious.

Car is still in SAVE mode as winter with low solar yields is making plugged recharging a poor option.

Last "June" saw 4 plugged recharges, with none for "JULY". Will just have to see how many times August will allow.

 

[karl]

Thanks for the pictures!

It looks fantastic and very exotic from a swedish perspective