So while doing a few nice long coasts, I tried to ascertain the D vs N facts. Going along an even decline at 45-65 mph with gas pedal feathered to eliminate regen. I see RPM=992, HP=4.8. Then quickly shifting to N gives me RPM=1100, HP= 2.6. Huh ??? Is this real or a problem with how Scangauge reads HP. IF the data is real then coasting in N should use less gas than the equivalent feathered coast in D. 5 tries at this all produce the same result. If true this says that the software guys protected the MG! better in N than in D, but why the drop in HP used - that makes no sense. Ted
It sounds plausible. In both cases the ICE should be running, consuming a small amount of gas to keep turning. The control setpoints are probably somewhat different, since there is no strong reason they need to be identical. In D there is probably a small amount of power being sent to the wheels or the HV battery, accounting for the increase in HP. Scangauge isn't perfect, and probably misses this subtle distinction. Tom
my post here is really unhelpful, but it seems as though i read somewhere not that long ago that neutral actually uses more gas than coasting while in gear. your tests sort of proved that by having lower RPMs while in gear. i can't speak to the HP issue, but I'm pretty sure the lower the RPMs, the less gas used.
FYI, There are discussions about gallons/hour number at greenhybrid.com. It seems Scangauge has some limitations. Ken@Japan
