Hybrid Issues

[Con9]

Hello everyone. I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this question, but am curious about what is going on with my truck. It’s MY23 and I got it in July after waiting 627 days since I ordered it in Nov 2021. I have been incredibly pleased wit it and loving every time I get to drive it but about 2 weeks ago it started to behave differently. The window for electric driving has shortened dramatically. For the first month and a half, when I turned on the truck, it was automatically in electric mode, and did not switch to gas hybrid mode until around 30 MPH. No however, when I turn it on it’s automatically using gas, and won’t even give the option for electric mode until have driven it for a while and then slow down. I switch to Eco mode each time I drive to try and help give more opportunities for electric. So to summarize, I went from alot of electric driving (under 30 MPH, when it cranked up, a lot of options to use it when driving under 50) to now it barely gives me the option to do so (cranks up in hybrid mode, if it does offer a window to use electric, it is super small before it goes back to hybrid, unless I brake almost to a stop it doesn’t offer electric under 30 MPH). I have bot the EV coach and Brake coach turned on and use them to try and optimize my driving. Anyone else have this issue or know that is going on?
Thanks-

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[cyberdog]

Any chance anything else has changed, such as the weather, knowing we're had a cooler or almost cold spell on the east coast this past week. If the heat is on, the engine will start and run until the coolant reaches temperatures high enough to generate cabin heat, and then run to maintain the hat as necessary. AC or defroster of course pulls from the HVB, making the amount of pure electric driving shorter. - Just looking for the obvious first, as there are some simple things which can affect the Hybrid drivetrain with respect to when/how often the ICE runs. How long is the trip, on really short trims, the engine may not reach full operating temp as quickly with the cooler fall weather, if the temps have dipped.

I've noticed that pressing the pedal beyond about the first mark on the power gauge will start the ICE, whether HVB is charged or not, as will trying to accelerate up hill. How fast you can accelerate on electric only is also lower in ECO mode than Normal, I'll stay in normal until I get to the main road at the end of the street, and then tap 4 times for ECO, allowing me on most mornings to make the main road without the ICE kicking on. (Which then runs until there's slightly better than one full bar on the temp gauge....Lariat, so it's a bar gauge).

There's an app in the radio head unit that can show the whether electric is being sent to the battery to charge, or when electric is fed to the traction motor. Have you used it, and does it reflect the battery actually charging?

What sort f mileage are you getting per the dash? Just because the motor seems to run more, it doesn't mean it isn't getting the expected mileage.

 

[MAVRICK]

All of the above + ... is the A/C on when you start your vehicle? ... if so, it is likely to switch the ICE on straight away to handle the extra start up load and keep it going for a while ... the engine may shudder for a moment at start up when it tries to run on electric but the computer says: ICE you are on ... take over for a while.

 

[Con9]

So I live in Mississippi and it July-August it was over 100 degrees pretty much everyday so I had the AC running non stop. But the strange thing is, I had no problems then. It has only been in the past 3 weeks or so when things have gotten “cooler” (high 80s low 90s) that i have seen the steady gradual decline of electric driving. I do usually have the AC on by default, so it’s on when I crank up the car. I have noticed that sometimes I enter into electrific driving but the EV coach gets confused and still says I am using gas. I drive 15 miles to work everyday, never get over 60 MPH. Used to I get half of that electric. Now it’s more like 3 miles at best.

 

[GPSMan]

Hard to say without being there.

I'd suggest turning the climate control off completely for a few days. Sometimes heat or AC will get stuck "0n" and you won't realize it.

Also if you drive home the last mile on pure electricity, battery will be close to empty when you park. So you won't have battery power to drive on the next day. I'm fine with this! I want this to happen!

The engine has to warm up at some point. It likes to warm up while charging. But not in the first minute or so. It waits to charge until the catalyst is warm. If the battery is high or full next time you park it, it can't charge while warming up. If you hit a stop light it's forced to do nothing while burning gas to warm up.

If you have to burn gas at a stoplight, would you rather it charge at the stoplight or do nothing?

 

[Waterick]

Maybe GPSMan, you can say if the cooler weather creates the ICE start condition to keep the HVB at an optimal use state temperature wise. (I know you have all the Data.)

 

[GPSMan]

I've never had mine colder than about 45 degrees. I "think" it takes tailpipe heat, to heat water, for the battery loop, until about 60°F.

Have not studied that too much.

P.S. I don't think it will force engine running until sub-freezing though.

 

[OneAlienBoi]

Hello everyone. I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this question, but am curious about what is going on with my truck. It’s MY23 and I got it in July after waiting 627 days since I ordered it in Nov 2021. I have been incredibly pleased wit it and loving every time I get to drive it but about 2 weeks ago it started to behave differently. The window for electric driving has shortened dramatically. For the first month and a half, when I turned on the truck, it was automatically in electric mode, and did not switch to gas hybrid mode until around 30 MPH. No however, when I turn it on it’s automatically using gas, and won’t even give the option for electric mode until have driven it for a while and then slow down. I switch to Eco mode each time I drive to try and help give more opportunities for electric. So to summarize, I went from alot of electric driving (under 30 MPH, when it cranked up, a lot of options to use it when driving under 50) to now it barely gives me the option to do so (cranks up in hybrid mode, if it does offer a window to use electric, it is super small before it goes back to hybrid, unless I brake almost to a stop it doesn’t offer electric under 30 MPH). I have bot the EV coach and Brake coach turned on and use them to try and optimize my driving. Anyone else have this issue or know that is going on?
Thanks-

Extremely consistent with going into the cooler weather and not really an issue. The hybrid is more eager to turn the engine on immediately as the temps start to drop.

 

[Silver23]

I've never had mine colder than about 45 degrees. I "think" it takes tailpipe heat, to heat water, for the battery loop, until about 60°F.

Have not studied that too much.

P.S. I don't think it will force engine running until sub-freezing though.

there is a heat exchanger on the tailpipe. I can't image what else it would be used for.
(if the "think" in your statement meant you were not sure)

 

[GreenLady]

If you park in your garage or don’t lock your doors at night, try locking them. It seems to help my electric usage.

 

[Timothyd]

If you park in your garage or don’t lock your doors at night, try locking them. It seems to help my electric usage.

I remember way back when I was totally in control of everything on my vehicle.

 

[dhill59]

Hello everyone. I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this question, but am curious about what is going on with my truck. It’s MY23 and I got it in July after waiting 627 days since I ordered it in Nov 2021. I have been incredibly pleased wit it and loving every time I get to drive it but about 2 weeks ago it started to behave differently. The window for electric driving has shortened dramatically. For the first month and a half, when I turned on the truck, it was automatically in electric mode, and did not switch to gas hybrid mode until around 30 MPH. No however, when I turn it on it’s automatically using gas, and won’t even give the option for electric mode until have driven it for a while and then slow down. I switch to Eco mode each time I drive to try and help give more opportunities for electric. So to summarize, I went from alot of electric driving (under 30 MPH, when it cranked up, a lot of options to use it when driving under 50) to now it barely gives me the option to do so (cranks up in hybrid mode, if it does offer a window to use electric, it is super small before it goes back to hybrid, unless I brake almost to a stop it doesn’t offer electric under 30 MPH). I have bot the EV coach and Brake coach turned on and use them to try and optimize my driving. Anyone else have this issue or know that is going on?
Thanks-

I have noticed much more EV driving on my 2023 than I had on my 2022 - seems about 25% more. I will try to remember to "edit" this after a few tank fills when I have more data.

 

[FloodingdowninTX]

I remember way back when I was totally in control of everything on my vehicle.

And several of my body fuctions.

 

[2lbgill]

That heat exchanger is for heating the EV battery in cold weather.

 

[Con9]

I just wanted to reply and say that turning the AC off and locking the truck at night seems to have solved my issues for now. Thank you everyone for a the reply's.

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