Is Outlander the only PHEV without EV button?

[RobOwen]

The above works for me, but it is annoying when the ICE starts unexpectedly, (Heater left at 23degs by other half)

The main problem for me is starting a petrol engine for a minute or two, then switching it off, not good for any enine as it allows condensation to build up in the oil, and damages the cat.

What I do if I don't know how the car was left after the last journey or I know the heating is on is to double press the start button without my foot on the brake, that way everything fires up EXCEPT the dashboard "Ready" light and the ICE...I can then adjust the heating & ventilation so I can use EV mode to begin with (I regularly use this method with short dog walking trip where the ICE wouldn't have time to provide cabin heat).

 

[Lyra252]

The above works for me, but it is annoying when the ICE starts unexpectedly, (Heater left at 23degs by other half)

The main problem for me is starting a petrol engine for a minute or two, then switching it off, not good for any enine as it allows condensation to build up in the oil, and damages the cat.

What I do if I don't know how the car was left after the last journey or I know the heating is on is to double press the start button without my foot on the brake, that way everything fires up EXCEPT the dashboard "Ready" light and the ICE...I can then adjust the heating & ventilation so I can use EV mode to begin with (I regularly use this method with short dog walking trip where the ICE wouldn't have time to provide cabin heat).

Excellent idea, cheers, there should be a special licence for driving one of these!!

Chris

 

[anko]

He didn't say he didn't care - what he said was that he wasn't excited or upset.

He asked a question: "Does it matter whether it has one?" If would think that if somebody cared for the environment, the answer to that question would come automatically. Unless that somebody accidentally bought a 3Gx version or lives in Australia.

In general, I believe this topic is rather irrelevant to 3Gx owners, as IMHO an EV button wouldn't add any substantial value to their cars.

 

[Ozukus]

Doesn't actually matter to any of us, as no-one has an EV Only button, and you won't get a retrograde fit, so therefore no value added even to a GX4.

So it actually applies to any owner that in the future may wish to purchase another Outlander PHEV and would want this as an option.

 

[maby]

Does it matter whether it has one? I may be in the minority but I find it hard to get excited or upset my car has no EV button or the option to enforce pure EV driving.

So either you don't care for the environment or you don't understand the impact such button (or its absence) could have on the environment, even though it has been discussed extensively. Does that matter?

Edit: or you live in Australia :lol:
Edit: or you bought yourself a model without electrical heater

In the grand scheme of things, avoiding burning a cup full of petrol on a cold morning is of no importance whatsoever. If you care about the environment (personally it does not cause me lost sleep), then you would be buying a small pure EV with a battery range in excess of 100 miles, not a two tonne 4WD estate car with an optimistic EV range of 30 miles.

 

[anko]

Doesn't actually matter to any of us, ....

Why do you think it does not matter to me wether it has one or not? You don't make sense.

 

[maby]

Why do you think it does not matter to me wether it has one or not? You don't make sense.

if you're referring to my post, then I was not commenting on what matters to you, I was explaining why it doesn't matter to me.

 

[anko]

In the grand scheme of things, avoiding burning a cup full of petrol on a cold morning is of no importance whatsoever. If you care about the environment (personally it does not cause me lost sleep), then you would be buying a small pure EV with a battery range in excess of 100 miles, not a two tonne 4WD estate car with an optimistic EV range of 30 miles.

I don't know if you ever take a shower? I guess you do. Takes a lot of water and you can easily do without it. And although you use a lot more water for your personal hygiene than need to, you close a dripping tap if you see one (I hope). Why?

We are not talking about burning a cup full of petrol. We are talking about wasting a cup full of petrol. The fact that I am not willing or able to drive a small EV only car that doesn't meet my personal needs, doesn't mean I have to accept the fact that a cup full of gasoline is completely wasted!

 

[anko]

Why do you think it does not matter to me wether it has one or not? You don't make sense.

if you're referring to my post, then I was not commenting on what matters to you, I was explaining why it doesn't matter to me.

Wasn't. See update ;-)

 

[rtw]

In general, I believe this topic is rather irrelevant to 3Gx owners, as IMHO an EV button wouldn't add any substantial value to their cars.

Very true ... but neither would adding one to a GX4.

The real issue is the car's insistance on starting the ICE purely for the purposes of heating when an electric heater is present. The solution isn't a new button, surely it's just a software change ... unless the underlying reasons are more complex ... eg.

Could it simply be that the raw firmware for each component doesn't have any knowledge of whether it's in a GX3 or a GX4. So the GX4 behaves in exactly the same way as a GX3 at a component level and the electric heater is a 'bolt-on' which gives an additional heat source but cannot change any component level behaviour.

Are there any additional systems on a GX4 which fundamentally change core functions present on a GX3?

 

[anko]

In general, I believe this topic is rather irrelevant to 3Gx owners, as IMHO an EV button wouldn't add any substantial value to their cars.

Very true ... but neither would adding one to a GX4.

The real issue is the car's insistance on starting the ICE purely for the purposes of heating when an electric heater is present. The solution isn't a new button, surely it's just a software change ... unless the underlying reasons are more complex ... eg.

Hang on .... that is the whole idea. It is not so much that we want an extra button. We want to be able to prevent the ICE from kicking in for heating purposes. We want a button to have this "EV" effect. Whether that is a new button or e.g. the existing ECO button doesn't make a lot of difference.

Could it simply be that the raw firmware for each component doesn't have any knowledge of whether it's in a GX3 or a GX4. So the GX4 behaves in exactly the same way as a GX3 at a component level and the electric heater is a 'bolt-on' which gives an additional heat source but cannot change any component level behaviour.

That is an interesting line of thinking, indeed. But I don't believe it can be true. When outside temp is above approx. 7 deg C and you set the A/C to 18 or so degrees, the engine is not started. So, it must know it can rely on the electric heater to provide heat.

 

[rtw]

That is an interesting line of thinking, indeed. But I don't believe it can be true. When outside temp is above approx. 7 deg C and you set the A/C to 18 or so degrees, the engine is not started. So, it must know it can rely on the electric heater to provide heat.

Good point. Then a software change should be able to prevent the ICE starting for heating on a GX4 ... but then you'd probably want that as an option so it if was too cold for the electric heater to cope you could start the ICE ... which would require an extra button or a change to the ECO button ... or perhaps the Save button!

And around in circles we go!

 

[Bilbo59]

That is an interesting line of thinking, indeed. But I don't believe it can be true. When outside temp is above approx. 7 deg C and you set the A/C to 18 or so degrees, the engine is not started. So, it must know it can rely on the electric heater to provide heat.

Good point. Then a software change should be able to prevent the ICE starting for heating on a GX4 ... but then you'd probably want that as an option so it if was too cold for the electric heater to cope you could start the ICE ... which would require an extra button or a change to the ECO button ... or perhaps the Save button!

And around in circles we go!

Or leave as is and just reprogram ICE to kick at zero degrees instead of seven! Would be a good start for some at least!

 

[anko]

Please, no!!! The whole problem is caused by the fact that the Mitsubishi engineers decided on behalf of us that (approx.) 7 deg C was the right threshold at which to start using the ICE for heating. Apparently many of us are not happy with that, where some (in Australia) don't have a problem with that. So, it kinda depends on your personal circumstances and preferences.

Why move the problem instead of remove it all together by allowing the driver to decide?

 

[anko]

... or perhaps the Save button!

Save = on equals Engine is used for heating? Now and then I select Charge to force the engine to heat up before I cranck up the A/C. On longer trips only, of course. But then you are forced to drive around with a higher SOC (which is less efficient) and you can do this after you have used up 20% SOC. And on shorter trips, maybe I do not want to save my SOC but use it for driving.

 

[maby]

What's wrong with "Eco" = pure EV until the battery is exhausted, "Eco" + "Save" = the current "Eco" mode and "Save" on its own = the current "Save" mode.

While we are asking them for changes, I would like the option to move the low battery floor value up to 50% charge, and I would like this to be sticky. As I've already described, I spend quite long periods away from home with the Outlander and no opportunity to charge - I would like to be able to signal this to the car so that it keeps a fair reserve in the battery to cover climbing steep hills and demand for high acceleration.

 

[greendwarf]

What's wrong with "Eco" = pure EV until the battery is exhausted, "Eco" + "Save" = the current "Eco" mode and "Save" on its own = the current "Save" mode.

While we are asking them for changes, I would like the option to move the low battery floor value up to 50% charge, and I would like this to be sticky. As I've already described, I spend quite long periods away from home with the Outlander and no opportunity to charge - I would like to be able to signal this to the car so that it keeps a fair reserve in the battery to cover climbing steep hills and demand for high acceleration.

Isn't that what the Save button is for :?:

 

[maby]

What's wrong with "Eco" = pure EV until the battery is exhausted, "Eco" + "Save" = the current "Eco" mode and "Save" on its own = the current "Save" mode.

While we are asking them for changes, I would like the option to move the low battery floor value up to 50% charge, and I would like this to be sticky. As I've already described, I spend quite long periods away from home with the Outlander and no opportunity to charge - I would like to be able to signal this to the car so that it keeps a fair reserve in the battery to cover climbing steep hills and demand for high acceleration.

Isn't that what the Save button is for :?:

That is what the save button does, but it currently requires the driver to manage it each time he starts the car - I have on occasion forgotten to press the Save button and run my battery down days away from home with no opportunity to recharge. There is also this question mark over how well the car performs if you press save with a completely full battery - regen braking is less effective and it has been suggested that it may also be less able to store excess output from the generator. My current strategy for multi-day trips away from home is to drive in normal mode till the battery is down to something like 50 or 60%, then put it into save till I'm on the return leg home. This seems to work well - leaves the car running more or less like a Prius - but does depend on me remembering to do it. If we are asking Mitsubishi to tinker with the power management, then I would like to request a "sticky 50% save" mode for long trips away from charging facilities.

 

[anko]

What's wrong with "Eco" = pure EV until the battery is exhausted, "Eco" + "Save" = the current "Eco" mode and "Save" on its own = the current "Save" mode.

Sounds complicated. Personally I don't see the added value for such schema. I do see loss of current ECO + Save mode, which I happen to use quite a lot.

 

[anko]

That is what the save button does, but it currently requires the driver to manage it each time he starts the car - I have on occasion forgotten to press the Save button and run my battery down days away from home with no opportunity to recharge. There is also this question mark over how well the car performs if you press save with a completely full battery - regen braking is less effective and it has been suggested that it may also be less able to store excess output from the generator. My current strategy for multi-day trips away from home is to drive in normal mode till the battery is down to something like 50 or 60%, then put it into save till I'm on the return leg home. This seems to work well - leaves the car running more or less like a Prius - but does depend on me remembering to do it. If we are asking Mitsubishi to tinker with the power management, then I would like to request a "sticky 50% save" mode for long trips away from charging facilities.

You forget to activate Save. When made sticky, the next guy will forget to deactivate it. And so will you, at some moment :mrgreen:

But, if I may ask, what does this have to do with EV only button?