Need advice for a long trip without access to charging.

Yes. If the EV charge is 1% or higher it doesn’t matter how it got there. I think I started using Charge mode here to ensure it happened quickly.

 

If there is no elevation change, then either traffic slowing/regeneration or pulse and glide are your other options at this speed.

 

there's no free lunch. if it were charging the battery on the highway, it would be costing you gas money

 

Energy isn't free, If you're driving along on a flat road at 50mph, to charge the battery you'll have to use more gas (that's basically what charge mode does).

I'm guessing you're looking for a less aggressive charge mode. You'd have to turn it on and off between charge and HV to get that effect. However it's probably better to let it run at a constant rpm to maximize efficiency so I'm guessing charge mode is the best option.

 

Tested it today on a drive. Car in HV mode, but running in EV going down a hill. Shifted to "B" mode, ICE immediately came on and revved up to be the brake. In EV mode, car still running in EV, this does not happen.

 

so the only question left is how much more regeneration in ev with b vs hv with d

i have never used b, but it's pretty flat around here.

 

A lot. When you select B in EV mode, it's like stepping on the brakes.

 

but if you needed to slow down, stepping on the brakes would regenerate more as well

 

That's true.. However, on a long downhill it's easier to put the car in "B" mode and you likely won't have to touch the brakes. You decrease your rate of slowing with the accelerator, essentially setting up one pedal driving.

 

I thought this was gonna be the shortest thread ever: what to to do if you can't plug in, just drive it? Nope.

 

lol, the shortest threads are the ones no one notices.

 

Do we ever let a thread go short?

 

A few observations from my recent vacation trip.

1. Using charge mode on the Interstate did not help at all. In fact, I almost never use it. I also saw little benefit at 60 mph, but it did seem to help a little.
2. You can gain EV range going down big hills even starting at 0% (depleted). But it won't show any range until it suddenly says 0.6 miles or something like that. So it takes a BIG hill.
3. I tried B mode, but didn't like it unless I wanted to keep the charge since you have to be in EV to keep the ICE off in B mode. (Yes, you can stay in EV and use it up, but you have to remember to go back to HV at the right time if you want to keep some charge.) So, for example, when I came down off Grand Mesa with 10% at the top, I left it in D and just dragged the brakes a little as needed while keeping it in HV. It charged to 98% before I got to the bottom. I then drove slightly downhill for about 10-15 miles in HV with ICE off and then back up hill on I-70 for about 20 more miles (still in HV) before the ICE started back up.
4. Dragging the brakes seemed to me to recharge just as fast as B mode and was easier to control.
5. Keeping some range in the battery, as @Tideland Prius mentioned, also seemed to help my fuel economy. I didn't notice, though, that 30-50% helped any more than 10-15%. At speeds under 70 mph, the car seems to do its own imitation of charge mode by cycling back and forth between HV & EV on its own. Having the extra juice seemed to allow it to go longer between mode changes. It was awesome at 60 mph.

 

I found that I preferred B mode and one foot driving with the throttle only. Shifting between EV and HV is a pain though - I wish there were a steering wheel control or paddle for this.

 

Nice that we have a choice and can choose whichever we prefer.