Charge mode

[Glen Tindall]

Sometimes, the car comes out of EV mode with the display "Charge mode". It can then be switched back into EV after a short time. Does this mean the 12v battery needs the ICE to run to keep up it's charge? Is the display just the battery management system taking control?

 

[FNMustangGTC]

Sometimes, the car comes out of EV mode with the display "Charge mode". It can then be switched back into EV after a short time. Does this mean the 12v battery needs the ICE to run to keep up it's charge? Is the display just the battery management system taking control?

This seems to normally happen when travelling down a hill for an extended period. Rumour has it that the ICE kicks in to help with the engine braking, as too much regen can make the batteries overheat. Otherwise, the ICE is also needed for cabin heating as it uses the coolant to supply heat.

 

[TWbm]

More often than not it's using heater other than on 'Low' or the demister that causes the ICE to kick in. Just using the AC system to cool the cab doesn't as it doesn't need heat. I see you're in Australia: I suspect it will happen less now you're coming into summer.

I'm 99% sure there is no alternator, the 12v is charged from the 350v system.

 

[Rajiv]

Reading all the blogs here, seems like a MG HS Plug-in is a great vehicle. Booked it back in May with delivery promised in September but still waiting. Any idea when is this vehicle arriving in Australia. Would love to have it soon.

 

[FNMustangGTC]

Reading all the blogs here, seems like a MG HS Plug-in is a great vehicle. Booked it back in May with delivery promised in September but still waiting. Any idea when is this vehicle arriving in Australia. Would love to have it soon.

I guess you should just chase up your dealer for any updates. You're getting the car at the right time of the year too, as running the aircon doesn't require the ICE to run whereas in winter, the ICE is needed to supply heat. I've had mine just on a year now and still very happy, especially for the price. I haven't put fuel in since April, though am planning a longer trip this weekend, so it'll get the chance to use up what's in the tank so I can put some fresh stuff in.

 

[ronmaz]

Reading all the blogs here, seems like a MG HS Plug-in is a great vehicle. Booked it back in May with delivery promised in September but still waiting. Any idea when is this vehicle arriving in Australia. Would love to have it soon.

Rajiv,
I'm in Victoria too, in Geelong. I ordered my PHEV in April and received it exactly 6 months later to the day, so yours could be any day now.

 

[Glen Tindall]

Will be interested in your consumption figures on your longer trip - it seems from this community that for a long trip, the most economical way is to leave the car in hybrid mode on the open road, and let the electric motor take pressure off the ICE. We are traveling to Melbourne next week, so I will try that method. Last time, I used the 63 kms battery, then just used the ICE. This gave me a consumption of 6.5 - 7 Ltrs/100kms, so will pass on the results. Distance from Adelaide to Melbourne, for our o/s community is 740 kms (460 miles)

 

[FNMustangGTC]

Will be interested in your consumption figures on your longer trip - it seems from this community that for a long trip, the most economical way is to leave the car in hybrid mode on the open road, and let the electric motor take pressure off the ICE. We are traveling to Melbourne next week, so I will try that method. Last time, I used the 63 kms battery, then just used the ICE. This gave me a consumption of 6.5 - 7 Ltrs/100kms, so will pass on the results. Distance from Adelaide to Melbourne, for our o/s community is 740 kms (460 miles)

I'm not going quite that far this time, but my experience (on a trip to the Gold Coast) is that once the battery is depleted, you'll get the figures you were seeing. They're not great, but they're not terrible for a large-ish SUV.

I suspect the most efficient method would be to keep the battery for lower speed areas - so when you go through a town and you're back to 60km/h limit, or at the start or end of the journey when you're in suburbia with stop-start traffic. I'll be using that method today - battery until Ihit the freeway, then ICE, then battery at the end of the freeway, aiming to time it so that the battery is fully depleted by the time I get to a charging station.