Hi Everyone, My commute is about 18 miles each way. about 4 miles local to freeway and 4 miles again once I am off freeway. I normally use EV mode till I get on the freeway and back to EV once I get off the freeway. Same going home. And I can't charge at work. My question is... I know ICE is not effective when cold... Should I turn on the HV before I get on the freeway? Will ICE burns more gas at highway speed when cold? How can I improve my MPG/MPGe?
I use EV from home to the on ramp. Then when I know I will not have to stop the car I switch to HV. You'll still use some EV as the ICE warms up for maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile. Then I switch back to EV when I know I won't be accelerating, I'm coasting to the off ramp, etc -- all based on traffic. Then I'm EV to my destination...repeat on way home except if I have excess EV miles I'll slow to 60 mph and use them up at the end of the freeway part of the trip. Mike
Your commute is only a little longer than mine, with slightly longer EV distances. Assuming that you have relatively flat road conditions, no long hills, it's probably best to continue using EV miles at presumably slower speeds before and after the highway, and switch to HV on the on ramp to the highway. The engine warms pretty quickly at highway speed and over the course of ten miles of highway driving it will be running quite efficiently within a few minutes if you let it. As you get used to switching between modes over the length of the entire commute you'll learn how to best use all your EV miles over the course of going and returning. Without charging at work you want to use your EV allotment when going slower both ways and run in HV at highway speed with the idea in mind that by the time you get back home you want only .1 EV mile left. My experience now is that I start the morning with around 16 EV miles charged and still have 10 to 11 still left when I park at the office, so I have too much remaining for the low speed EV runs going home, a few miles in the city and then the remaining once I leave the interstate at my home town. I've taken to burning off some of the extra for a mile or so on the interstate leaving the city and switch to HV at highway speed when the EV count drops to around 7 miles remaining on the battery. This has proven to be just enough to get home after leaving the highway.
My car shown around 14.x EV miles every morning when I leave my house. I normally run out of EV on the way from work even before the freeway... But try to use the EV for the HV/EV part when I get off the freeway all the way home. Too many lights, ICE kicks in during take off and glide with EV after... If I can charge at work, that will help out a lot.
When I am out of EV miles, just using HV mode. Use ICE to bring up to speed, then drive/glide with electric EV instead of ECO.
