Best driving modes for best efficiency?

[Topcat]

Dear All

Just taken ownwership of my new 2015 PHEV and although the manual tells you about the various buttons (ECOmode, charging, save and regen B1-B6) and what they do it doesn,t seem to tell you specifically what type of driving situations these are suited too, to get the best efficiency for driving. Could you all fill in the "blanks for idiots" for the scenarios below. Thanks

A) Start-up and sitting at rest?. I guess nothing is running until Drive selected

B) Stuck in a slow moving traffic jam?

C) Driving on the School/shopping run around town accelerating to no more than 40mph/65kph and frequently stopping at traffic lights

D) Driving on a dual carriage way between 40-50mph/65-80kph

E) Any speed between 50-70mph/80-110kph on a British National speed limit or motorway

F) Being naughty and and driving +70mph/110kph when road conditions allow on a motorway.

G) When the battery range block is getting near low.

I) Any other scenario I haven,t put.

many thanks again
Topcat

 

[richr]

I'd say to just drive it and see how it performs. Set the instrument panel mode to the one that shows the power flow so you can see what it's doing. As with a normal ICE car, best economy is when you're gentle with the acceleration and plan ahead to avoid wasting power.

The computer control of power source is reasonably good and aimed at best fuel economy so for most people you don't need to force it into any particular mode most of the time. You need to balance comfort and ease of driving against religious pursuit of maximum EV range for example.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

Just stick it in 'D'.

That will allow the car to do all the thinking and you can enjoy it as you get to know it better. Once you know it, I'd suggest that then is the time to start playing with settings.

 

[Mitch]

Just drive, the car will choose the right settings

 

[Topcat]

Thanks to all those that have replied. Maybe my question heading shouldn,t have included the words best efficiency as it sounds like I am only intrested in maximum economy. I just want to drive an enjoy my car but learn to. But I do like to learn fast

So would still like someone to take a stab at some answer please.

many thanks
Topcat

 

[jdsx]

Dear All

Just taken ownwership of my new 2015 PHEV and although the manual tells you about the various buttons (ECOmode, charging, save and regen B1-B6) and what they do it doesn,t seem to tell you specifically what type of driving situations these are suited too, to get the best efficiency for driving. Could you all fill in the "blanks for idiots" for the scenarios below. Thanks

A) Start-up and sitting at rest?. I guess nothing is running until Drive selected

B) Stuck in a slow moving traffic jam?

C) Driving on the School/shopping run around town accelerating to no more than 40mph/65kph and frequently stopping at traffic lights

D) Driving on a dual carriage way between 40-50mph/65-80kph

E) Any speed between 50-70mph/80-110kph on a British National speed limit or motorway

F) Being naughty and and driving +70mph/110kph when road conditions allow on a motorway.

G) When the battery range block is getting near low.

I) Any other scenario I haven,t put.

many thanks again
Topcat

It's slightly more complicated than you indicate, but I'll have a go...

The car will default to EV mode, and if your journey (before you can re-charge) is less than EV range (roughly 20-25 miles depending on ambient temperature), then it will use EV mode unless you either 1) put your foot down or 2) require heating (this means approximately more than 7 degrees C higher than ambient temp*). It can run in EV mode up to about 75mph as long as the acceleration is not too great.

If your journey is longer than EV range, then your objective is to try to get the car running in EV mode when less than 45mph, and on ICE (petrol mode) when above about 45mph. So if you are on a longer journey, you can press 'save' above c45mph. You should generally avoid 'charge' unless towing or in the mountains, although the exception to this is if you are on the motorway (above 45mph) on a long run and can use the EV miles thus gained in an urban area later on.

The use of regen paddles (B0-B5) is really up to personal preference. I love them and try to use B0 as much as possible, using B5 to slow down in heavy traffic. My wife just puts it in D (equivalent to B2) and drives. I don;t think there is much difference in efficiency between the two.

Eco mode does very little, IMHO. It slightly changes the point at which the ICE starts when you put your foot down.

* if the ambient temp is less than about 8 degrees C, you should try to pre-heat using the app if you can.

HTH

 

[ThudnBlundr]

^^
Agree with jdsx :mrgreen: Basically what I would have said, except I tend to use B5 (it's B0-5, not B1-6) most of the time around town, and use the ACC on the motorway, which seems to manage the 'B' levels for itself

 

[Topcat]

Many thanks for those top answers guys

Could you tell me about that pre-heating and an app. Never heard of that before

 

[ChrisMiller]

There's a phone app (not available for GX3 models, I believe) that allows you to turn on the heating remotely (or set a timer for it) using battery power only. The same app lets you set a timer for charging, as well.

 

[richr]

You don't need the phone app (and many people find it doesn't work on the latest versions of Android or iPhone anyway), you can set heating/cooling/defrost and charge timers on the MMCS screen directly. But yes, if you've got the base model (GX3H in UK) you don't get the electric heater so no-preheat.

I've currently got mine set to turn on defrost at 6:20am Monday to Friday. That means when I get out to the car at 6:30am the windscreen is clear of ice and the cabin isn't freezing cold.

Of course, if it's not plugged in to charge, then this will use battery power to run the electric heater/aircon, so you need to make sure you turn off the timers if you don't want it to do that. It won't start the engine, only use battery power.

 

[VillageIdiotDan]

Somewhere I read someone saying they occasionally drive around in B5.

Doesn't B5 feel laboured under acceleration, like it's charging while you accelerate which to me feels counter productive

 

[nils944]

I use B5 for driving around town, that way the energy to slow the car can be regenerated rather than losing it to heat from using the brakes. B5 is the closest thing to "one pedal driving" that the PHEV has.

On secondary roads and highways I try to use B0 to make the most of momentum, since there is inevitably some energy loss in the regen process.

The above process is mostly for ***** and giggles since it probably doesn't make much difference than just leaving it alone (i.e. the B2 default).

 

[ChrisMiller]

Doesn't B5 feel laboured under acceleration, like it's charging while you accelerate which to me feels counter productive

I often drive in B5 (lots of downhill sections where I use it to hold the speed). I don't believe it has any effect on accelerator response, though the Eco button certainly does.

 

[MartinPHEV]

Putting the car in Eco remaps the accelerator pedal to help keep you out of the ICE cut in point. At full throttle it has the same output as non-ECO.

Depending on MY some of the higher B settings turn on the brake lights when decelerating (B4 & B5 on mine).
Using the brake pedal brings in the regenerative braking long before the friction brake so don't get too paranoid about using it.

I drive ECO + EV + B3 around my local rural area but Normal + Normal + B0 on fast main roads. There's no regen' in B0 and in fact the system bleeds about 500W into the rear motor to overcome stiction. If you anticipate well you just spend a lot of time coasting with occasional B+ to keep your speed under control on downhill sections. For this reason you'll find your cruise control (if you have it) a bit choosy about the B setting when engaging.

Hope this helps.

 

[greendwarf]

Somewhere I read someone saying they occasionally drive around in B5.

Doesn't B5 feel laboured under acceleration, like it's charging while you accelerate which to me feels counter productive

No, because it can't do both at the same time - i.e. put energy into the battery from the Regen/braking whilst taking it out to accelerate. Pressing the accelerator instantly cancels the Regen what ever B setting you are in.

 

[maby]

Somewhere I read someone saying they occasionally drive around in B5.

Doesn't B5 feel laboured under acceleration, like it's charging while you accelerate which to me feels counter productive

No, because it can't do both at the same time - i.e. put energy into the battery from the Regen/braking whilst taking it out to accelerate. Pressing the accelerator instantly cancels the Regen what ever B setting you are in.

Exactly - B5 simply converts the car to "dodgem mode" - press the pedal to go and release it to stop.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

I don't think there's a problem with any of the iPhones for the app, only with the latest versions of Android.

TLR: Use whichever 'B' level suits you.

The longer explanation is that increasing the 'B' level does a couple of things:

1. Remaps the throttle, so you need extra movement to maintain the same power level. You can see this by keeping the accelerator pedal steady uphill and upping the 'B' level: the power output drops unless you press harder. Because of that change, people often think that the car is losing power somehow, particularly through regeneration when this is physically impossible.

2. It increases the regeneration available from releasing the accelerator. In B0 it actually powers the motors slightly to remove drag when you lift off the accelerator. In B5 it allows over 30kW or regeneration when the pedal is released and the SOC is suitable. You don't have to use the full regen power available, as you can vary how much you recover by how far you release the accelerator beyond the "coasting" point. Note that a fullish battery can accept little power, so the regen is much reduced till the battery is around 85%

3. It increases the regeneration available from braking. In B0 it generates a few kW when you press the brake pedal. Any further braking comes from the friction brakes, and energy is wasted as heat. In B5 it can generate over 40kW when the SOC is suitable, so far more energy is recovered into the battery before the remainder is wasted as heat. Note again that a fullish battery can accept little power, so the regen is much reduced till the battery is around 85%. Up till then, much of the braking will be done by the friction brakes. This is often a good thing, as it removes the thin layer of rust that often occurs on disks left overnight or longer.

Because it remaps the throttle, the "coasting" point also moves. In B0, you simply coast with your foot off the pedal. In higher 'B' levels, you need to press your foot on the accelerator more to coast, but it is still easy to do. You can see when it's coasting because the power meter is horizontal. That's why driving round in B5 is not an issue, because you can coast if you want, but you also have far greater control over the car if required without changing the 'B' levels.

In theory, the car should be more efficient in B5, as less energy is wasted using the brakes and more is recovered into the battery. In practice, many people's driving styles aren't suited to using B5 in that way, so they prefer B0. In practice, the differences between using B5 "properly" and simply using B0 to coast are difficult to measure, so it comes down more to which style suits the driver better.

 

[VillageIdiotDan]

Somewhere I read someone saying they occasionally drive around in B5.

Doesn't B5 feel laboured under acceleration, like it's charging while you accelerate which to me feels counter productive

No, because it can't do both at the same time - i.e. put energy into the battery from the Regen/braking whilst taking it out to accelerate. Pressing the accelerator instantly cancels the Regen what ever B setting you are in.

Exactly - B5 simply converts the car to "dodgem mode" - press the pedal to go and release it to stop.

Oh crap, I'd better get my car looked at as the acceleration definitely feels different on B5 versus B0