What is the most efficient driving mode for long commute?

[ozy]

I got the same results as @insightman. Started with a full tank and charge and switched to HV at hwy/Interstate. I also got 49 mpg on a 500 mile trip that was a round trip so topography and wind direction are cancelled out. I then used EV locally. If I wanted to squeeze the last drop or electron out of the possible efficiency, I would have switched to EV when in range of a destination charger. But I wanted to see what the gas mpg was in HV mode so I didn’t. BTW, I never heard the angry bees even on steep hills (only a medium-low sound like a gasmobile engine rpm increase downshifting for a hill), and had plenty of power at all times. It was interesting to see the algorithm switch between every possible energy flow seemlessly giving me the best performance and economy. Checking my hour meter, the ICE ran about 2/3s of the total HV trip time and so for 1/3 of the trip it was either regenning or being powered solely by the battery. Only went down one bar on the battery gauge for the whole trip. This car continues to amaze me.

OK. This is getting confusing. Of course, if I am going on a long 300 mile trip I can make a point of keeping the EV at the half charge point. But what about the folks who are doing a commute? Obviously they don't want to return home with half their EV charge. The conventional wisdom is to deplete the charge so you return home empty? Or is it? I haven't looked at the mpg aspect of this yet but I tend to manage my daily 66 mile commute by starting out in EV mode until I see that I've used about half the EV charge. I then move to HV mode until I get to work. When I leave work in the evening I start out in EV mode until I'm almost depleted (third bar) and then move to HV mode again. I usually wind up at home close to empty on the EV scale. I'm not sure if this is the most fuel efficient way of doing it but it's easy.

 

[KentuckyKen]

OK. This is getting confusing. Of course, if I am going on a long 300 mile trip I can make a point of keeping the EV at the half charge point. But what about the folks who are doing a commute? Obviously they don't want to return home with half their EV charge. The conventional wisdom is to deplete the charge so you return home empty? Or is it? I haven't looked at the mpg aspect of this yet but I tend to manage my daily 66 mile commute by starting out in EV mode until I see that I've used about half the EV charge. I then move to HV mode until I get to work. When I leave work in the evening I start out in EV mode until I'm almost depleted (third bar) and then move to HV mode again. I usually wind up at home close to empty on the EV scale. I'm not sure if this is the most fuel efficient way of doing it but it's easy.

I would think that as long as you’re not getting the angry bees’ high reving in HV that you’re doing fine that way.

I kept my battery full on my trip just so I could more easily measure the mpg. Your way of course uses more EV and would be more economical, and if I had a commute like that I would do it much the same way.

 

[jdonalds]

OK. This is getting confusing. Of course, if I am going on a long 300 mile trip I can make a point of keeping the EV at the half charge point. But what about the folks who are doing a commute? Obviously they don't want to return home with half their EV charge. The conventional wisdom is to deplete the charge so you return home empty? Or is it? I haven't looked at the mpg aspect of this yet but I tend to manage my daily 66 mile commute by starting out in EV mode until I see that I've used about half the EV charge. I then move to HV mode until I get to work. When I leave work in the evening I start out in EV mode until I'm almost depleted (third bar) and then move to HV mode again. I usually wind up at home close to empty on the EV scale. I'm not sure if this is the most fuel efficient way of doing it but it's easy.

The alteration I would suggest is on the return trip stay in HV. Monitor the EV Range you have left, and use your GPS to see how many more miles to your destination. When you have, for example, 10 miles of EV and 8 miles to go, switch to EV. This way you have a partially charged battery until you arrive at home.

 

[Ram1234]

My situation is like this, 48 miles commute, 24 each way. I am charging at home in the night and charging at work. Battery never go down below 40% because I am charging night and day times.Always driving in EV with Eco mode.

I am playing to drive in HV mode purposely twice a month for couple of miles to use ICE

Any problem to the car/battery reliability driving this way ?


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

[JustAnotherPoorDriver]

OK. This is getting confusing. Of course, if I am going on a long 300 mile trip I can make a point of keeping the EV at the half charge point. But what about the folks who are doing a commute? Obviously they don't want to return home with half their EV charge. The conventional wisdom is to deplete the charge so you return home empty? Or is it? I haven't looked at the mpg aspect of this yet but I tend to manage my daily 66 mile commute by starting out in EV mode until I see that I've used about half the EV charge. I then move to HV mode until I get to work. When I leave work in the evening I start out in EV mode until I'm almost depleted (third bar) and then move to HV mode again. I usually wind up at home close to empty on the EV scale. I'm not sure if this is the most fuel efficient way of doing it but it's easy.

I have a similar commute. I have a 75 mile RT with L2 charging and preconditioning at work and nothing economical at home (the joys of City living). I was using a similar strategy until it got cold. Now I have a simpler strategy:

• Use the ~25 miles of enforced HV to run the ICE when I need heat in the cabin (realizing that I can run heat a bit after it shuts off as long as the core stays hot)

Given the high cost of using the resistive cabin heat, this seems to me to be the most economical method. If you're in warm weather, of course, this does not apply.

 

[KentuckyKen]

My situation is like this, 48 miles commute, 24 each way. I am charging at home in the night and charging at work. Battery never go down below 40% because I am charging night and day times.Always driving in EV with Eco mode.

I am playing to drive in HV mode purposely twice a month for couple of miles to use ICE

Any problem to the car/battery reliability driving this way ?


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

I would say you should get great reliability. First, you are not coming close to possible depth of discharge issues on the battery. And you’re going beyond just depending on the System Checks to run the ICE periodically.
My only suggestion would be to make sure the ICE runs long enough to reach operating temperature. This will prevent any possible condensation problems. The algorithm will do this automatically, but can be defeated if your drive is very short after you select HV.

FWIW, I hardly ever have any trips long enough to enter HV, and I’m not selecting HV manually. I find what I assume to be System Checks and the “limited regen and protection from overcharging on a full battery causing ICE operation” to operate my ICE 5 minutes about once a month.
Since gas stays in my tank for 6 months or more, I add Stabil to it. (Even at the risk of @insightman adding Stabil to the list of products I’m shilling for!)

 

[weave]

I try to get to home near zero and sometimes pull in with 0.0 miles of EV left and feathering the accelerator when turning into my development after it switches to HV mode at 0.0 so it doesn't start the engine. Once I failed and the engine started just as I was pulling into my driveway so I let the engine run until it shut down on its own. It added about 2 miles of range back just idling in my driveway.

 

[David Towle]

OK. This is getting confusing.

It gets even more confusing if you care what you are paying for fuel. I never run the car on the highway in EV because for me it costs much more per mile than gas does. Up to 55 mph on local roads is the only time I use EV. I never try to use up all the battery.