In cold temps, ICE turns on at the begining of a trip when I have plenty EV. Why?

Well, yes. If you need to use gas anyway, might as well make good use of it (as in, make use of the normally wasted heat too).

Actually, I meant it as in a little gas used is more than no gas used.
If the expectation is that there is no problem getting somewhere without using gas, and you use any gas at all, that expectation is not met. It's a very small amount, that yes, probably isn't worth worrying about, but expectations are expectations.

I'm sure there's a good reason anytime the engine comes on (even if it's a bad reason, such as a faulty sensor), but I'd much rather use gas when I know I need it anyway, or at least have a good reason to use it despite not "needing" it for that particular trip.

 

i went to work tonight, 27 degrees out. max 47mph, ice stayed off, recharged at work and drove home. my wife took it this afternoon at 40 degrees for 9 miles, so the battery was probably a little warm to begin with. to me, there is something wrong with jimbo's car, or he was just dropping one on us.

 

Tonight I drove to a Boy Scout District Committee meeting across town (about 3.1 miles). 32°F outside. Drove like there was an egg between my foot and the accelerator pedal. Ice did not come on but the bar never went beyond 1/5th the way over. On the way home I was careful for about the first mile, then began to push it bringing the bar almost up to pwr level. ICE still did not come on.... I think the battery temp may be one big reason for the ICE firing early when the temp is cold.

 

Here's a whole new cans of worms to feed this discussion...

 

bisco: do you keep your PIP in a garage at home? And did you start out going 47 MPH?

 

this is best answered by going back to last winters thread on this subject and my detail of the ice coming on at the same point every sunday morning on the way to church. as for yesterday, yes, car is in garage, probably 50 degrees or so, wife takes it in the afternoon to the supermarket, back roads and 20-25mph average i would guess. back in the garage to recharge and then my commute which is 20mph for 1000', 40mph for 4 miles, 47mph for 2 miles and 30 mph for 1 mile. then the reverse on the way home.

 

That sums up the situation well. The point of being a PLUG-IN HYBRID is often lost to the perception of EV being the ultimate goal. The point is to deliver the best balance of features, not to maximize electricity use.

My commute home this evening started with 7.7 miles of EV, despite the temperature only being 28°F outside. So what if the I was able to climb to steep hills and drive along at 50 mph without the engine starting. That's nice, but the entire trip was 17 miles long and I needed heat after awhile. So, I fired up the engine on the 55 mph portion. When I got home, the average for the day (recharging both at home and at work) was 118 MPG.

What reason is there to be disappointed about that? Heck, it was only 19°F on the commute to work this morning. What other vehicle the same size & cost could deliver that under those conditions?

Let's not forget about overall emissions either. Engine heat is also used to cleanse what comes out of the tailpipe.

 

Because you used EV-Boost, only 6 miles were registered as EV mile. It does not matter as you got cabin heat and 128 MPG consumption which translate to 0.131 gallon.

Overall, you got outstanding ~75 MPGe with electricity accounted.

 

I was surprised to come out to a 2 hour+ cold soaked (23 degrees) car and have it run in EV no problems.

XT1060 ?

 

whoo hoo, going 60MPH with your car parked outside in 23 degree temps. going up a steep hill! way to go!

 

If temp is set to low, with 1-2 fan bars showing the ICE should not come on. The ICE will start if the heat is turned on, or the defrost systems. Also, very important, the air flow must be directed to the face. Why? Who knows. Ask Toyota. As stated by others, temps between 40-50 F seem to initiate the ICE. Your 1st. Sentence: One cannot initiate the heating portion of the HVAC without turning the fan on. Cabin heat starts with, fan on, heat button depressed, or defroster. Any one of these = ICE ON. What you are referring to " Ambient air " , I think you mean OAT, Outside air temperature. As experienced by others on this forum, the car has no concern about passenger comfort, inside temps. If one wants to be warm and cozy, one must run the ICE. Fortunately living on the desert eliminates this problem, but, it does get cold overnight.
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If we could understand these anomalies!

Winters must be interesting, driving the PIP.

 

My winter coat does just fine

 

yes, 2 hours is no prolemo. battery is already warm and doesn't cool as fast as you do.

 

Where exactly the heat button is located? Cannot find it in my car.

 

I know it's pretty dense, but I would guess it gets pretty close to ambient after 2-3 hours.

 

mine has never come on unless it sits overnight. but that's in an unheated garage. and even then, it only comes on if i have a downhill at the beginning of the drive which i think is too much regen at low temp. other than that, i can go for a drive at 10 degrees no problem with the ice coming on at all. and once i've driven it, it never comes on, even if it sits outside all day.

 

OK, You got me there! Technically there isn't ONE, but at least 4 controls that will affect air conditions, the cold, hot option, ( desired temp) the rear, front window defrost option and one more also with a heat or defrost sign that will also control and or adjust temperature within, Oh, I forgot to mention the fan switch. I could go to the owners Manual so that my vernacular is exact, so I'm just winging it. The main point is that they can all cause the ICE to come on even with a full charge.

You just have a cold natured car Bisco.

Are you turning on the engine switch?

my Winter coat was confiscated when I came to CA, they said I didn't need it anymore.

 

"Where exactly the heat button is located? Cannot find it in my car."

Giora - thanks for asking that. I had no idea either !
Driving my wife to the train it was 28 degrees and she asked about heat. Bought last March and haven't used it so I'm looking and looking... after a couple minutes she said - "I get it, you'll burn gas won't you!"

on a related note, not happy about these NE temps. EV range now at 11.8 and I was pushing 17 this summer

 

What part of Greenland are you in?

 

Just love winter! It's great isn't it! Your wife's pretty smart! my wife wears snowmobile gear!