What am I doing wrong?

welcome!
some owners are seeing the same problem, there are some circumstances where you can't keep the engine off.
you can't use the front defroster.
how many miles charge did the indicator show? you need more than a few. if they told you they charged it for an hour, but you didn't see the ev miles, they might have been wrong. i had the same trouble during a test drive.
all the best!

 

The car powers up in EV mode if the battery has enough charge. Pressing the middle button puts the car into HV (hybrid vehicle mode) where the engine runs or not depending on warming up/acceleration/heater/etc.

Charging the car for an hour gives you maybe 5 miles of EV (assuming supplied 120V EVSE cable). Just power up the car and enjoy a very short EV drive. If you accelerate hard that 5 miles might last only 1 or 2 miles.

 

the car starts out in default EV Mode so you don't need to push any buttons but if climate is on you need to set the ECO climate button on or in this cold weather ICE will kick in

 

I have the Advanced model so this has the 11 inch screen. On that screen located near the bottom is the word Climate, click on that, then see if Auto is set, then at the bottom of the climate menu is a button called ECO set that on, this should prevent ICE from coming on.

 

Simple answer: NO....and YES.....in that order.
Others will supply details that you don't really need to know.

 

If it is in true EV only, your dash should display EV mode with a square around it. You either have to have to climate control turned off or in ECO setting and your front defrost button is turned off. Your DRIVE mode button will only effect how efficient the car runs in HV mode and won't effect it staying in EV mode. Also make sure the ambient temperature is above 14 degrees or the ICE could kick on. With a decent amount of charge to start with and with these perimeters covered, you should be staying in EV mode until the EV miles are depleted and/or you drive above 84 mph.

#1 in Easley,SC

 

Doesn't matter if you have the Flux Capacitor installed

 

It might. I forget to buy that accessory with mine.

#1 in Easley,SC

 

I see you are in PA. I am next door in Delaware. I drove mine for a couple of weeks when I picked it up in late December with the climate control set to "Auto" and the temperature set to 72. The climate control was not in "Eco" mode and the outside temperatures were in the 20's most of the time. The engine never came on. So long as you don't have the front defroster on I think it needs to be a lot colder. However, "Eco" climate control does help keep the engine off.

The car turns on in EV mode. If you toggle to HV it will want to run the engine until it warms up even if you try to go back to EV. Same thing in EV mode, if the engine comes on for whatever reason, it wants to stay on until warmed up.

 

you need to set more parameters to your claim, like is your car outside? Or is it in a garage? The engine came on for me yesterday and it was 28 degrees F. (front defroster off, climate on. ECO off)

 

No I don't.

You seem to have the one car that loves to run its engine. Mine is mostly in a unheated garage, but it has been outside overnight in weather down below 20 several times - no engine. Last night it was 19 F here, the car was outside, starting it at 6:30 AM at 21 F, the engine did not come on until the EV miles read 0.

There is some factor we haven't discovered with your car or there is something broken that has not been discovered. I have never had my engine come on when I did not expect it in the 2.5 months I have had the car.

 

or to put it another way, get it all straight in your head before buying one.

 

I hope you are being facetious, because this is not the case at all.

For you:
Charge the car
Don't press any buttons
Keep the defroster off
Drive

 

PrimeCandidate,

Your summary is incorrect.

Look above the Speedometer for the mode you're in.
If the Prime is in ECO and in EV Mode, the ICE will stay off. I've had my Prime for 1-1/2 months and the ICE has only run if I deplete the battery or turn on the Front Defrost.

In EV Mode, I can quickly accelerate or drive up to 84 mph and the ICE stays off. I love it.