Is it really water temperature that matters??

[littlebitfarm]

Today  I had a quick errand to run. Car had sat outside all day, about 40º outside. Drove the 2.5 miles to my destination. Water temperature barely got up to the first line, never managed EV mode. 24 MPG. Was probably parked there 10 or 15 minutes. Parked against the building so no wind effects. Get in the car. Temperature doesn't even register on the gauge but I am EV. Temperature never made it up to the first line on my 2.1 mile trip. I stayed in EV probably 80% of the time. 77 MPG!! Both drives 30 mph on flat roads, only about 3 stops each trip.

 

How was I able to run in EV when the radiator temperature didn't even register? 

[C-MaxJaxon]

I have EV mode engage immediately on the first drive of the day as long as the outside temp is above freezing and the battery charge isn't too low. I usually keep the heat turned off and the heated seat on until the engine is warmed up some. That is the secret to running in EV mode when the engine is cold.

[littlebitfarm]

My heat is off every day and the car is garaged every night. Sometimes I make it halfway down the drive before the ICE kicks in  but sometimes it kicks right on. The mpg on my 4.1 mile trip to work in the morning sucks at winter temperatures. Below 30 MPG.  I have the middle grill foamed off. I need to foam off the lower grill. With my short trips and winter temperatures my battery is staying full.

[C-MaxJaxon]

I get EV mode to engage a couple times every day on my 2.3 mile drive to work, even when the temperature is quite cold. The first time is after about 1 mile where there's a right turn at a stoplight. I can always get EV+ to engage as I'm approaching the parking lot where I work.

 

If you watch the Empower screen, does it ever give the blue outline showing that EV is available? I can drop into EV at will by letting up on the accelerator briefly and then keep it there until the battery gets low by being careful with the pedal. Taking off from a stop or accelerating fast enough that you don't impede traffic is where it's difficult to stay in EV.

[littlebitfarm]

I get EV mode to engage a couple times every day on my 2.3 mile drive to work, even when the temperature is quite cold. The first time is after about 1 mile where there's a right turn at a stoplight. I can always get EV+ to engage as I'm approaching the parking lot where I work.

 

If you watch the Empower screen, does it ever give the blue outline showing that EV is available? I can drop into EV at will by letting up on the accelerator briefly and then keep it there until the battery gets low by being careful with the pedal. Taking off from a stop or accelerating fast enough that you don't impede traffic is where it's difficult to stay in EV.

I can get EV to engage on the way to work. Probably after I've driven about 3 miles. But by the time I've driven another  3/4 miles the water temperature drops below the first line and the EV  shuts off.

[From Speed6ing 2 C-Maxing]

If I reset the avg mpg 1 mile after my commute starts each morning and afternoon, then I can easily get 50-60mpg for the other 9 miles of the commute. It's the first mile of both commutes that kills my mpg. My avg for my commute as a whole is 36-39mpg.

[C-MaxJaxon]

I've never seen EV mode shut off unless the battery is low, as long as I keep the climate control off. When my battery runs low in the first EV mode after a cold start, the engine will restart and keep running for 1-2 minutes until the catalytic converter (?) warms up again before returning to EV. It will sometimes do that several times on longer drives in cold weather. We need to poll other owners and find out what the normal behavior is.

[JohnTrigger]

I've never seen EV mode shut off unless the battery is low, as long as I keep the climate control off. When my battery runs low in the first EV mode after a cold start, the engine will restart and keep running for 1-2 minutes until the catalytic converter (?) warms up again before returning to EV. It will sometimes do that several times on longer drives in cold weather. We need to poll other owners and find out what the normal behavior is.

 

Above is what I see as well.  I don't see ICE after engine start until I am out on the main road, and once it has engaged the first time, it stays engaged a little longer than normal til the vehicle is warmed up.  Vehicle is garaged, and outside temps in the 25-35 deg range on AMs typically so far this winter.  I don't use defrost unless I need to for a few seconds to clear the fog.

[ptjones]

I've never seen EV mode shut off unless the battery is low, as long as I keep the climate control off. When my battery runs low in the first EV mode after a cold start, the engine will restart and keep running for 1-2 minutes until the catalytic converter (?) warms up again before returning to EV. It will sometimes do that several times on longer drives in cold weather. We need to poll other owners and find out what the normal behavior is.

I also agree  ICE doesn't start until battery is low or you push to hard on accelerator pedal. The problem is that the battery is usually low coming home although I still can sometimes make it a 1/4mi to a stop sign. I'm still working a way to charge battery, it would be nice to go 2mi before ICE came on.