Quote:
Originally Posted by ckw_64
I've noticed this mode after a few weeks of driving (didn't know it had a name) and have become pretty good at using it and keeping it there. I can definitely feel when the car is going into this mode, a drop in noise (which is hard to detect in an already quiet car!) and a gentle drop in power. I've found that it triggers mostly when I am on a flat surface running at speeds of 45-60. I can sometimes manually 'force' it (or maybe I'm tricking myself) but most of the time it starts after 15-20sec of no pedal movement and constant speed. I've treated it just as I would e-mode...it won't stay in this mode if the accelerator is pressed to hard.
|
That's it! Your there! It will "trigger" on a grade, but the necessary speed is higher on an up and lower on a down. I suspect it is related to torque demanded in some way because almost every time I have seen it, it started when I was backing off on the accelerator or starting a downgrade without any demand for acceleration. Once it is in this mode, you can use very small adjustments on the accelerator to anticpate small rises or uphills, and to "bank" better MPG on dips or small downhills, but it absolutly wil not tolerate any big inputs in the pedal --in either direction. Doing so will cause a mode change.
Incidently, there is also a false indication of this mode in the 42-45 miles per hour range under low torque demand. The same speedo panel indications of power from both sources, but in this case, if you back off a little more the computer will go into EV mode. I think there is a small region in the computer's software at these speeds where it keeps the ICE at its own version of "Idle" at around 1260-1280 or so while actually also turning on the traction motor -- sort of "almost EV mode". The confirmation of this false mode is that backing off the accelerator a little more will immediately move the MPG indication to the Eco position.