PedroPhev
Standard Member
- Joined
- May 20, 2023
- Messages
- 42
- Reaction score
- 31
- Points
- 22
- Location
- Kings Lynn, UK
- Driving
- MG HS PHEV
We’ve just completed the outbound leg of our first long road trip in the PHEV. Lots of researching and planning to get refuelled and recharged at the optimum locations along the way. The trip took us from Norfolk UK to Portsmouth where we refuelled then fully recharged on a PodPoint charger while we ate at the Old Custom House at Gunwharf Quay, on the site of the old HMS Vernon (For those old matelots like myself who can remember back that far). So far we’d driven in hybrid mode a mix of mostly flat motorway’s and dual carriageway’s at 70 mph, 36 mpg average and 50% battery used, pretty much in line with what I’d expected.
We then boarded Brittany Ferries for a 32 hour, 11 pm sailing to Santander in Northern Spain. We landed at 8 am two days later still fully fuelled and charged and headed South on a 620 mile drive in one day to just East of Malaga. The first 60 miles are through a mountainous region with long steep climbs and descents with temperatures from zero to +6 degrees C. In this mountainous section in hybrid mode the alarming speed the remaining range disappeared was matched only by how quickly the battery disappeared. It looked like I would have an empty battery and need fuel within 150 miles! But as we descended onto level ground away from the mountains the remaining range rose rapidly and the battery even regained some charge on the slight downhill sections. The issue I now faced was the time it would take to recharge the battery along the way with a worthwhile amount of charge. We couldn’t afford to add two hours or more charging at each of two stops during an already 9 hour+ journey. I’ve read many comments on the forum about not using battery charging mode (using the petrol engine to charge the battery) due to the considerable increase in fuel consumption it causes. But I didn’t want to run with an empty battery, and I couldn’t afford the time for public charging, so I selected the medium setting of battery charging using the petrol engine. Firstly I expected to see the remaining range plummet due to the increased fuel consumption, and it did fall immediately but not by much. The rate the battery gained charge whilst cruising at 70 mph (115 kph) was very slow, maybe 3 or 4 miles of range in an hour. I stopped to refuel after about 200 miles (still with plenty of fuel left and about 40% battery charge remaining), average 35 mpg. From this point I left battery charging at the medium setting for most of the remaining journey, and abandoned any plans to use public charging. The average mpg remained at 35 for the rest of the journey.
Things I learned:
We then boarded Brittany Ferries for a 32 hour, 11 pm sailing to Santander in Northern Spain. We landed at 8 am two days later still fully fuelled and charged and headed South on a 620 mile drive in one day to just East of Malaga. The first 60 miles are through a mountainous region with long steep climbs and descents with temperatures from zero to +6 degrees C. In this mountainous section in hybrid mode the alarming speed the remaining range disappeared was matched only by how quickly the battery disappeared. It looked like I would have an empty battery and need fuel within 150 miles! But as we descended onto level ground away from the mountains the remaining range rose rapidly and the battery even regained some charge on the slight downhill sections. The issue I now faced was the time it would take to recharge the battery along the way with a worthwhile amount of charge. We couldn’t afford to add two hours or more charging at each of two stops during an already 9 hour+ journey. I’ve read many comments on the forum about not using battery charging mode (using the petrol engine to charge the battery) due to the considerable increase in fuel consumption it causes. But I didn’t want to run with an empty battery, and I couldn’t afford the time for public charging, so I selected the medium setting of battery charging using the petrol engine. Firstly I expected to see the remaining range plummet due to the increased fuel consumption, and it did fall immediately but not by much. The rate the battery gained charge whilst cruising at 70 mph (115 kph) was very slow, maybe 3 or 4 miles of range in an hour. I stopped to refuel after about 200 miles (still with plenty of fuel left and about 40% battery charge remaining), average 35 mpg. From this point I left battery charging at the medium setting for most of the remaining journey, and abandoned any plans to use public charging. The average mpg remained at 35 for the rest of the journey.
Things I learned:
- Even with battery charging mode selected the battery charge is not protected, if you ascend a long uphill climb at 70 mph the battery will deplete at a rapid rate.
- The rise in fuel consumption whilst charging the battery in battery charging mode is minimal (about 1 mpg on the journey profile described, in my experience).
- Driving for any length of time in a steep mountainous region will have a catastrophic effect on available range (I’ve been doing this journey for many years in diesel Skodas & BMW’s without noticeable range impact).
- Lane keep assist is great technology, keeping you safe on such a long motorway journey (in its lowest sensitivity setting). It can get a bit jerky at times but the blue button on the end of the top left stalk only takes one push to disengage it.
- Active cruise control is also a great safety feature, great on motorways and dual carriageways. But if you try and use it on fast single carriageways you will curse it at every gentle bend for scrubbing off speed or braking aggressively, even with the detection distance set to minimum.
- It is a superb cruiser, comfortable, refined, relaxing, effortless.
