PHEV... 500 mile round trip tomorrow. Any tips on maximising mpg?

[Nick72]

8 hours ago, nlee said:

Fairly standard that the Speedo over-reads around 5-10% or so versus GPS speed. It's been similar on all cars I've had. Legally, the Speedo cannot over read actual speed so they are generally set slightly higher than actual to compensate for all the variables than can affect the speedo like tyre inflation, wear etc.

Better that way round for sure.

[Nick72]

So the economy drive went out the window on the say back and I only managed 45mpg. I was enjoying my 1970s masterpiece of spacecraft engineering too much I'm afraid. Rocket ship in sheep's clothing. Doesn't seem to matter what speed you're already doing it still blasts off.

No problem with the knee and hard plastic centre console. Wearing my cords from the 1970s.

One thing though, how do I get the fog horn sound that others have. Feeling left out. I feel it would add to the industrial authenticity. 

 

[AndrueC]

Lol if your PHEV horn is anything like the Corolla's I feel your pain. The subject crops up often. I've liked the Corolla horn to sounding like an angry donkey 🙂

[Yugguy1970]

A sparrow farting.

Someone said on here it might have been due to the national character and I reckon they have a point.  The one on the Merc I had could have woken the dead.

[LynxE]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:57 PM, philip42h said:

You're going to doing 90% of the distance in HEV mode, and really want to save the EV 'power' for all the acceleration that you'll need to do leaving the ICE to simply maintain speed.

Absolutely agree, so does PHEV keep enough charge level to provide acceleration during such a long trip? Will it automatically maintain the minimum level for that? I mean 20% or something about, just for being confident that electric power won't let you down next passing?

[philip42h]

57 minutes ago, LynxE said:

Absolutely agree, so does PHEV keep enough charge level to provide acceleration during such a long trip? Will it automatically maintain the minimum level for that? I mean 20% or something about, just for being confident that electric power won't let you down next passing?

As Ernie has stated earlier

11 hours ago, ernieb said:

.... I’ve found that there seems little to be gained reserving the user EV range after all the car still has 30% of the traction battery left for full bore acceleration.

So, yes, the PHEV maintains ample reserves in the traction Battery to provide full performance on a long trip.

[Nick72]

1 hour ago, AndrueC said:

Lol if your PHEV horn is anything like the Corolla's I feel your pain. The subject crops up often. I've liked the Corolla horn to sounding like an angry donkey 🙂

It's a bit pathetic as a horn. It sounds a polite Japanese hello as opposed to a yob shouting get the f... out of the road.

[Nick72]

1 hour ago, Yugguy1970 said:

A sparrow farting.

Someone said on here it might have been due to the national character and I reckon they have a point.  The one on the Merc I had could have woken the dead.

Same. Had a Merc. No mistake.

[Nick72]

1 hour ago, LynxE said:

Absolutely agree, so does PHEV keep enough charge level to provide acceleration during such a long trip? Will it automatically maintain the minimum level for that? I mean 20% or something about, just for being confident that electric power won't let you down next passing?

I deliberately tried on a long trip absolutely caning it, hard acceleration after acceleration and up a steep motorway hill near Oxford. Blasted and blasted it. It was 'almost' on zero. But I could not zero it out. No loss of power at any stage. But then it tops up the hybrid reserve quickly when driving at constant speed or whenever just not accelerating.

[HSDish]

I suppose You have to take som pause/rest to drink tea,coffe or anything, maybe stretch Your leg and visit the toilet.

Search for public chargers along the rute, preferably free, along the way and stay there for extra charge

[Yugguy1970]

I remember when Mercs had that massive front wiper that didn't so much clear the screen as smash the water into the gutter over the poor untermensch as it passed.

[Roy124]

12 hours ago, Yugguy1970 said:

A sparrow farting.

Someone said on here it might have been due to the national character and I reckon they have a point.  The one on the Merc I had could have woken the dead.

You need it when doing 100 on the autobahn.😅

Father and son who serviced mine said they were doing near a ton when this larger 'driverless' Merc shot passed at about 140. Father called up son ahead of him to give him a heads up. 

The driver was a tiny man, hidden behind the steering wheel. 

[Flatcoat]

To be honest if it was a ‘normal’ diesel SUV 45mpg would be considered good for an almost 2tonne vehicle. Sounds pretty ok to me Especially without knowing the traffic, weather, load in the car etc. How was the car in other respects? Seat comfort, ride quality, noise, handling and so on? Did you get out the car at the journey end having had enough or still reasonably fresh? 

[TonyFR]

For what it's worth, I have done about 6500km since I had the car including a return trip to UK (over 2000km) and four 200km each way trips to high mountains. When I am blasting along French motorways (bliss compared to most UK motorways) I am doing 130kmh. I cannot drive long trips like that at low speeds! A major reason for PHEV for me is not having to worry about charging stops on long trips if it were pure EV. Anyway, I do all my short trips (i.e. the vast majority) using EV only. So my calculation gives me an overall petrol consumption of 4.4l per 100km. Putting that into good old mpg, it is about 64.2mpg.

[Stopeter44]

3 hours ago, TonyFR said:

Anyway, I do all my short trips (i.e. the vast majority) using EV only. So my calculation gives me an overall petrol consumption of 4.4l per 100km.

That's very good! I'm getting about 4,3l average, mostly short trips, since getting my Yaris IV, so getting similar from a car that's twice as heavy and with most likely more drag is phenomenal!

[TonyFR]

Maybe I wasn't clear, so apologies. I added all the petrol I have bought and computed l/100km for the entire mileage I have done INCLUDING the Battery powered mileage, so it's a mix of petrol and Battery power giving me that figure. I'm still happy with it though, considering that my long trips have been distinctly non-eco in style!

[Toomanytoys]

So, this is a cracking thread with lots of info that seems relevant to my scenario.

Sounds like TonyFR and I have similar driving style.. I am not one to sit at 56mph on trips.. I want to get where I am going..

Currently commuting 64 miles each day, mostly busy motorway.. 

Currently running a Subaru Outback 3.6 (took me ages to find one as only 184 were ever sold in the UK) and am getting an average of 30mpg. Comfort, performance, space, all weather/allroad capable and towing ability.

Am looking at BEV, but the range anxiety and recharge rates may not be acceptable for the usage.. (20k a year and more..) so looking at PHEV as a possible solution..  

If the RAV4 can deliver decent mpg and performance on a run, the BIK maybe be worth the cost over BEV. Of course won't tow as much I guess but most of the other factors would be there.. plus the better environmental cost..

The only way I can afford to go this route would be through the LTD co as a company car, hence the BIK importance.. 

 

[Nick72]

14 hours ago, Flatcoat said:

To be honest if it was a ‘normal’ diesel SUV 45mpg would be considered good for an almost 2tonne vehicle. Sounds pretty ok to me Especially without knowing the traffic, weather, load in the car etc. How was the car in other respects? Seat comfort, ride quality, noise, handling and so on? Did you get out the car at the journey end having had enough or still reasonably fresh? 

Perfect in all respects.

[Nick72]

23 minutes ago, Toomanytoys said:

So, this is a cracking thread with lots of info that seems relevant to my scenario.

Sounds like TonyFR and I have similar driving style.. I am not one to sit at 56mph on trips.. I want to get where I am going..

Currently commuting 64 miles each day, mostly busy motorway.. 

Currently running a Subaru Outback 3.6 (took me ages to find one as only 184 were ever sold in the UK) and am getting an average of 30mpg. Comfort, performance, space, all weather/allroad capable and towing ability.

Am looking at BEV, but the range anxiety and recharge rates may not be acceptable for the usage.. (20k a year and more..) so looking at PHEV as a possible solution..  

If the RAV4 can deliver decent mpg and performance on a run, the BIK maybe be worth the cost over BEV. Of course won't tow as much I guess but most of the other factors would be there.. plus the better environmental cost..

The only way I can afford to go this route would be through the LTD co as a company car, hence the BIK importance.. 

 

Prepare for a whole world of pain with the current BEVs. The 270 mile claims are really 150 to 180 miles in winter motorway driving. And every time I'm on business I check out the chargers. All full, people waiting, or they are broken. And when they are available expect 30 to 60 mins to charge in the real world. 

So if your trips are never more than 150 miles round trip you're fine. If not, a whole world of pain. Another 3 years of tech and infrastructure development required. Perhaps 5.

[ernieb]

I'd love to have a BEV but I could not put myself through the anxiety of depleting range.  

I only have the experience of the PHEV but have seen just how much the impact of speed/weather (temperature and wind) can impact on range. I've had an RAV4 PHEV EV range as low as 35 miles and as high as 55 miles but with the comfort of knowing that the ICE will seamlessly kick in.

This has been aired before but from my prospective the UK charging infrastructure has a long way to go, too many different accounts needed, charging systems and poor maintenance. 

[Roy124]

Ernie, that range variation will be there no matter what motor system is used. 

In use I now believe the Corolla HEV offers little better economy over other comparable power to weight ratios. My older 2.5 tonne diesel would return just under 50 mpg and the Corolla 1.8 no better when factoring in its lower weight. 

I guess a similar self charging and PHEV should produce a better consumption provided you ran its Battery to empty and then plug in to recharge. 

[Toomanytoys]

Yeah, my thoughts are similar.. need a 350+ quoted range to get the desired/required 200+

At the mo (next 5 months) I can plug in at work.. after that, I won't know till I know where I am working.. can't plug in at home (no off road parking but have a Tesco 2 min walk away with points) and can't realistically plug in at my workshop as it's on a pay as go system from my landlord. So I am reliant on public charging points.. 

As been said, chargers seem quite unreliable...

So PHEV is looking likely.. if the BIK etc works out.. 

Otherwise it may have to be a cheapy small car and continue with claiming the mileage allowance.. 

[Cyker]

Right now EVs are only really good if you don't really need to drive, or if you can charge at home (and/or work, or somewhere that gives free charging!) and the EV you want can get you to the majority of your destinations and back without having to charge externally. The latter case almost makes them a no-brainer as the savings on fuel are incredible.

If you need to charge publicly tho', like most people will, it's still a massive PITA as you need a smartphone and 4 billion different apps to be able to access all the chargers - They STILL haven't made all of them accept a contact-less card like they were supposed to be doing, and a lot of the ones that do gouge you with higher rates than if you use the app. And as ernie mentions, that's assuming the damned thing even works (We've had electricity for literally centuries - I don't understand how they can still be messing this up!)

Public charging also tends to be very expensive, and while still generally cheaper than petrol and diesel, it's now only a bit cheaper - Certainly not enough to recoup the difference in cost between a BEV and HEV/ICE within the lifetime of the car. In fact, prices have shot up so much that if you take one of the thirstier BEVs and use public charging only, the 'fuel' costs are now as expensive or even more expensive, than the most efficient HEVs and diesels!

 

[Roy124]

Cyker, we have an extensive network of stop over points. The nearest is 50 miles then we have two more within 150 miles of that and finally about 150 mile further. 

My wife has lots of brothers and sisters and one daughter well placed.  The other, now in Eastern Netherlands less well so. 

Brilliant, except not one could offer anything except a 13 amp supply. The last thing we would want is to have to park up at a charging point near each of them.  In fact the brother in Cheddar probably doesn't have any nearby. 

Therein lies the rub for domestic and leisure users. 

It occurs to me that our cross channel ferry's and the tunnel could offer charging en voyage except the demand could soon exceed their generation capacity.  On the ferry, connecting, and disconnecting more than a few would be difficult and could they charge an unattended vehicle? 

Charge points on the train would be easier to manage but what about capacity? 

[ernieb]

 

I regularly charge mine and most of my local mileage is on EV, interestingly the MyT app reports that since I’ve owned the car May ‘21 and 6k+ miles that the overall equivalent mpg, petrol+EV, is 117mpg?