Screaming up a steep hill?

[maby]

I agree that this is an unavoidable feature of the car. Unfortunately I think it's the compromise that has to be made to enable the substantial weight saving that comes with losing the gearbox.

It will be interesting to see how the Audi e-Tron compares when it eventually arrives as I understand that this car will retain a conventional gearbox allowing ICE to drive without any input from the electric motor at all. However, the fact that Audi are only claiming 30 miles EV range for a smaller car without four wheel drive explains why Mitsubishi did not go down this route.

....

Clutches and gearboxes have been the bane of my life over my years of motoring, so I'm very pleased to see the back of them. At its worst, we went through two clutches snd three gearboxes in the first three years of life of a brand new Landrover Defender.

 

[tlongdon]

Actually the solution in your case might be to speed up rather than slow down. I accept that might mean more screaming at first, but if the road is suitable for you to drive at 45-55mph then you could be running in parallel mode (ie. ICE driving the wheels directly, albeit probably supplemented by the electric motors), which will be much quieter.

I'm going to give this a go and report back. I'm happy to drive like a loon if it means I can listen to Desert Island Discs in relative quiet

 

[maddogsetc]

I agree that this is an unavoidable feature of the car. Unfortunately I think it's the compromise that has to be made to enable the substantial weight saving that comes with losing the gearbox.

It will be interesting to see how the Audi e-Tron compares when it eventually arrives as I understand that this car will retain a conventional gearbox allowing ICE to drive without any input from the electric motor at all. However, the fact that Audi are only claiming 30 miles EV range for a smaller car without four wheel drive explains why Mitsubishi did not go down this route.

....

Clutches and gearboxes have been the bane of my life over my years of motoring, so I'm very pleased to see the back of them. At its worst, we went through two clutches snd three gearboxes in the first three years of life of a brand new Landrover Defender.

Well there's still at least one clutch on the PHEV so I don't think we've necessarily escaped that yet...

 

[maby]

.....

Well there's still at least one clutch on the PHEV so I don't think we've necessarily escaped that yet...

Do we know what kind of clutch that is? Something I saw early on gave me the impression that it is a dog clutch rather than dry plate and hence less vulnerable to failure...

 

[maddogsetc]

.....

Well there's still at least one clutch on the PHEV so I don't think we've necessarily escaped that yet...

Do we know what kind of clutch that is? Something I saw early on gave me the impression that it is a dog clutch rather than dry plate and hence less vulnerable to failure...

Can't find anything definitive. Just described as a hydraulic clutch, eg here http://www.gkn.com/media/News/Pages/GKN-Driveline-Multi-Mode-eTransmission-on-the-Mitsubishi-Outlander-PHEV.aspx

But as it needs to smoothly engage and disengage whilst on the move I can't see how it can be anything other than a friction plate.

 

[greendwarf]

Whilst using Charge is never going to be an economical way of boosting the battery, if done when the ICE is operating at its most efficient (high speed cruising) then the cost is going to be negligible if it means you can use EV later when the ICE is going to be at its most INefficient e.g. up a steep hill.

 

[maby]

My standard practice now when out on a multi-day journey with no possibility of charging is to take I n a full charge before setting out and keep the car on "Save" all the time while away. Around 20 or 30 miles from home on the return journey, I turn Save off and use up my remaining charge. This way, I always have a responsive car and run close to best fuel efficiency.

 

[user 258]

.....

Well there's still at least one clutch on the PHEV so I don't think we've necessarily escaped that yet...

Do we know what kind of clutch that is? Something I saw early on gave me the impression that it is a dog clutch rather than dry plate and hence less vulnerable to failure...

Can't find anything definitive. Just described as a hydraulic clutch, eg here http://www.gkn.com/media/News/Pages/GKN-Driveline-Multi-Mode-eTransmission-on-the-Mitsubishi-Outlander-PHEV.aspx

But as it needs to smoothly engage and disengage whilst on the move I can't see how it can be anything other than a friction plate.

Hi,
I think the car's computer matches the engine speed (you can usually hear the revs start to drop) precisely to the road speed so that the clutch can engage. If they do this precisely enough then I can't see any need for any kind of friction plate.
Part of the reason I chose the Outlander PHEV over the Audi eTron was the simpler gearbox/clutch setup and simpler engine.
The eTron has a double clutch gearbox that both the engine (1.4 turbo) and electric motor drive through.
Kind regards,
Mark

 

[greendwarf]

My standard practice now when out on a multi-day journey with no possibility of charging is to take I n a full charge before setting out and keep the car on "Save" all the time while away. Around 20 or 30 miles from home on the return journey, I turn Save off and use up my remaining charge. This way, I always have a responsive car and run close to best fuel efficiency.

Aren't you losing out on the "excess" charge coming from the ICE if you put it into SAVE immediately with a full battery :?

 

[markogts]

Is this normal? Without a rev counter, can I assume I'm not destroying the engine? It sounds scary.

Let's put things in perspective: the 4B11 engine of the OPI is the same engine used on the Lancer Evo, where it delivers 217 kW at 6500RPM. Stripped off the turbo, limited to 4500RPM/87kW and fully controlled by software, I can't imagine this engine to have troubles at all. Just floor it when you need it :mrgreen:

 

[markogts]

The petrol engine is a bit underpowered

Which is correct for a hybrid car. Underpowered means it will run more often at full load, where it is more efficient. And having electrical assistance means it won't feel underpowered even if it is

 

[maby]

My standard practice now when out on a multi-day journey with no possibility of charging is to take I n a full charge before setting out and keep the car on "Save" all the time while away. Around 20 or 30 miles from home on the return journey, I turn Save off and use up my remaining charge. This way, I always have a responsive car and run close to best fuel efficiency.

Aren't you losing out on the "excess" charge coming from the ICE if you put it into SAVE immediately with a full battery :?

Not really. The car runs in serial hybrid mode most of the time, drawing from the battery and topping up from the engine. Yesterday, on a long motorway run at speeds between 60 and 70mph, it stayed in serial hybrid almost all the time, with the charge level just wandering up and down a bit. The car is responsive - today I got lost and had to climb a steep hill f r om a standing start - it accelerated away without difficulty snd none of this engine racing.

If, like the OP, you are going to be away from a charging point for days, just save your battery. Most of your driving is going to be on petrol anyway and the car is far happier with a full battery - use anything you've got left as you approach home.