EV+ plotting

[dedwax]

Like most drivers, I have several frequently repeated routes. For example, the 1.5 miles from home to the market/post office/hardware store plaza. So I get the benefit of EV+ at both ends of the out and back.

 

Here's the question. Does anyone know how close EV+ locations can be? If I make the shorter trip to the pizza joint, EV+ is not activated on the return leg, so there must be some limit.

 

On my market run there is a stop light half-way that short cycles in my directions, and I notice that having to stop and then drive away (using ICE to mollify following traffic) really puts a dent in the mpg results, as opposed to EV cruising through when green.

 

So I'm thinking, if I have to stop anyway, why not turn the car off and then on before proceeding. In a half dozen trips, the damned stoplight would become an EV+ zone.

 

Unless adding the EV+ zone halfway nixes the EV+ at either or both ends.

 

If we could determine how far apart EV+ zones can be, a lot of commutes might benefit from such trickery, no?

[fotomoto]

You can force learn an EV+ location by power cycling (turning car on/off) 11 times in a row.   Not sure you could do that in the time span of one traffic light signal though!  LOL

[ScubaDadMiami]

No idea on any limit of how close EV+ locations can be from one another.

[hybridbear]

Interesting idea! I've found that EV+ for us nearing home doesn't work when we're coming home from Target (.7 miles away) or from the grocery store (.9 miles away), but if I drive home from work (1.3 miles away) it does but it is delayed in activating and doesn't turn on until I'm about 1 block from home.

[fotomoto]

You can force learn an EV+ location by power cycling (turning car on/off) 11 times in a row.   Not sure you could do that in the time span of one traffic light signal though!  LOL

 

Oh I forgot something else that's important to this method;  If you don't continue to stop and power cycle at these new forced learn locations, the EV+ program will drop them.  Also IIRC, there is a limited number of locations it can store (5?). 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Good to know about losing EV+ locations.  When I recently brought my C-MAX in for service at a dealer that was disappointing, the next time I passed that dealership, I saw that EV+ was activated.  (I guess that they have a way to add locations during service, because I never go by that area, and that was the first time I had ever been there.)  That is one location that I surely want to lose!

[Tdefny]

It is fun to explore EV+, but I am not convinced how useful the feature is in the Hybrid. It does allow you to run lower as you approach a familiar destination because it knows it normally shuts down there and that the ICE will charge it at start up. This is more useful in the Energi because it will likely be charged while at rest so the ICE will not need to come on. In fact, you have to force it on if you want to run when the battery is full.

 

The other side of EV+ is that the car knows when it is about to enter an EV+ area and will actually run the ICE in advance to build up enough charge. Thus, I am not sure there is benefit in training it for familiar waypoints between home and the local store.

 

Even so, it would have been nice if they added an EV mode for the Hybrid, where the ICE won't run until there is no choice. I guess they want the ICE to run for a full warmup if it runs at all.

[ScubaDadMiami]

I am not seeing ICE run in any way out of the ordinary in the area just before an EV+ zone.

[wab]

Off Topic a little OR maybe just the opposite of the topic.

 

Now that it’s winter in N TX. bbbrrrrr it’s cold.

I would like to turn hybrid OFF, these cars seem to get pretty good mpg when they aren’t generating (high ice all the time).

[jmckinley]

I think we need both options, a way to keep the electric motor off and at other times, a way for keep the ICE from coming on.  Right now it's cold outside and I could make it all the way to the grocery store and back on pure EV, but I really have to baby it to keep the engine off. Later model Priui have an EV only switch as do the Energis.  Don't see why the CMax couldn't have the same feature. There's a wire in there somewhere that just needs a switch in it, all we have to do is find it.