Outlander PHEV v Hybrid

Redgirl82

Ok, I am looking for a large car/jeep for my job. I have had a look at a Prius last weekend, the newer model but I wasn't impressed with the inside

Anyway I seen an Outlander PHEV, decent value and was interested in it. Just wondering does anyone have one?

My original plan was to go Hybrid because I thought that was best way to go but according to spec the PHEV has a better MPG, from what I read you charge battery, do circa 25-30 miles on battery and then petrol kicks in. Once petrol kicks in it wil recharge battery and then switch off once battery is charged? correct?

Just looking for any reports on vehicle? Is it any good?

zilog_jones

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Once petrol kicks in it wil recharge battery and then switch off once battery is charged? correct?

Not really. When not in "EV Drive" mode, it will function as a series-parallel (aka "power split") hybrid - more or less just like the Prius and other Toyota/Lexus hybrids. Either the motors or the ICE (or both) can be driving the wheels depending on conditions. Also, the ICE can be used to charge the batteries when needed, but I assume it will only maintain a low state of charge unless you specifically put it into "Battery Charge Mode". Generally you don't want the petrol engine fully charging the battery in a PHEV as it's not very efficient use of petrol.

There's a Prius Plug-in that's maybe coming to Ireland in June, but I'm not sure it will fix what you didn't like about the interior. There is some different trim inside, but most significantly they have removed the centre rear seat.

Redgirl82

Thanks, my concern would be if going above the 30 miles and the battery runs out you then have to run rest of time on 2ltr petrol which I would guess is not very economical?

bk

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Thanks, my concern would be if going above the 30 miles and the battery runs out you then have to run rest of time on 2ltr petrol which I would guess is not very economical?

No it wouldn't but overall it would still be more economical then a straight 2ltr.

It really depends on how much driving you do daily. If your daily commute is usually less then 30 miles and you only take the odd long distance trip for the weekend away, etc. Then your overall economy over a year would be fantastic compared to a normal 2ltr SUV.

The average Irish person drives just 17 miles a day. So for most people it would be great and they would rarely run on petrol. But of course there are outliers, people who do more the 100 miles a day, etc. for whom it might not be suitable.

deandean

I read a review, they said about the 25-30 miles on battery - in reality; halve it.

bk

Also BTW, when the battery runs out after 30 miles or so, it actually reverts to being more like a regular hybrid like the Prius. The engine doesn't charge the battery (it doesn't in the prius either), but the battery does get recharged when you brake, which can make it still more efficient then a regular 2ltr beyond 30 miles if in stop and go type traffic.

Redgirl82

deandean wrote: »

I read a review, they said about the 25-30 miles on battery - in reality; halve it.

Ok the reviews I read said that the published numbers are 30 miles but in reality you should be looking at 25 miles. Not sure why you would half that again?

Redgirl82

bk wrote: »

No it wouldn't but overall it would still be more economical then a straight 2ltr.

It really depends on how much driving you do daily. If your daily commute is usually less then 30 miles and you only take the odd long distance trip for the weekend away, etc. Then your overall economy over a year would be fantastic compared to a normal 2ltr SUV.

The average Irish person drives just 17 miles a day. So for most people it would be great and they would rarely run on petrol. But of course there are outliers, people who do more the 100 miles a day, etc. for whom it might not be suitable.

The round trip based on google maps would be 26 miles. Majority of this would be in light traffic in city. I start very early and finish late so miss the rush hour madness

Redgirl82

bk wrote: »

Also BTW, when the battery runs out after 30 miles or so, it actually reverts to being more like a regular hybrid like the Prius. The engine doesn't charge the battery (it doesn't in the prius either), but the battery does get recharged when you brake, which can make it still more efficient then a regular 2ltr beyond 30 miles if in stop and go type traffic.

Ok so the PHEV should be more economical versus a standard hybrid?

Because I am charging the car to give me a boost when I start off, hopefully 25 miles on battery and then the car can start to act like a standard hybrid in city?

Thanks

n97 mini

bk wrote: »

Also BTW, when the battery runs out after 30 miles or so, it actually reverts to being more like a regular hybrid like the Prius. The engine doesn't charge the battery (it doesn't in the prius either), but the battery does get recharged when you brake, which can make it still more efficient then a regular 2ltr beyond 30 miles if in stop and go type traffic.

Outlander has a turn-on-engine-to-recharge-battery mode, which is somewhat like a range extender, if a bit pointless.

DublinDilbert

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Thanks, my concern would be if going above the 30 miles and the battery runs out you then have to run rest of time on 2ltr petrol which I would guess is not very economical?

Even when running on the engine (low battery), the engine will start/stop as required so will give good performance. The MPG is pretty good on these, considering the weight, even when running on the engine.

If part of your compute is in stop start traffic the outlander would be good, although they are very big for city driving and parking.

bk

Redgirl82 wrote: »

The round trip based on google maps would be 26 miles. Majority of this would be in light traffic in city. I start very early and finish late so miss the rush hour madness

That sounds like it would be ideal for you so. Most of your daily commute would be covered in electric mode. You might do a few miles on petrol near the end, but overall your mpg would be very low, specially for a big heavy SUV.

If you could also charge in work then you would guarantee that your daily commute would be run off just electricity.

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Ok so the PHEV should be more economical versus a standard hybrid?

If you plug it in every night and doing your commute, then yes, it should be a lot more economical.

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Because I am charging the car to give me a boost when I start off, hopefully 25 miles on battery and then the car can start to act like a standard hybrid in city?

Yes, exactly, it will act like a standard hybrid once the battery runs down. However in this hybrid mode, the mpg probably isn't as low/economical as a Prius. due to the nature of it being an SUV, thus heavier, bigger engine, more. heavier batteries, less aero dynamic shape.

However if you can do the majority of your daily commute on battery, then that largely shouldn't matter, overall it would be more economical then a Prius given your commute.

On the other hand, if you were doing hundreds of miles a day, then you would have to do the maths on it, a Prius could work out more efficient over long distances. But that doesn't seem to be the case for you.

zilog_jones

Redgirl82 wrote: »

Ok so the PHEV should be more economical versus a standard hybrid?

Yes, but you need to be able to charge it regularly off the mains to get the benefits of a PHEV. People are averaging 4.18 l/100km (68 MPG) on Spritmonitor, but fuel economy will vary greatly depending on how much EV driving you can do.

bk wrote: »

Also BTW, when the battery runs out after 30 miles or so, it actually reverts to being more like a regular hybrid like the Prius. The engine doesn't charge the battery (it doesn't in the prius either)...

The engine will charge the battery when the state of charge (SOC) is very low, or when it is deemed efficient to do so (certain load conditions like highway driving). I don't know too much about the Outlander PHEV drivetrain, but in the Prius, MG1 (one of the two motor generators) is used to either start the ICE or as a generator to charge the traction battery from the ICE.

There is some explanation of the modes of operation of the Outlander here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Outlander#Plug-in_hybrid

n97 mini wrote: »

Outlander has a turn-on-engine-to-recharge-battery mode, which is somewhat like a range extender, if a bit pointless.

"Battery Charge Mode" is intended for use in places where ICE usage may be restricted or incur a charge, but I'm not sure if any place like that exists yet. In London, the Congestion Charge is free for PHEVs but you are not forced to run the car in EV mode.

It could also be useful if approaching a mountain pass, where you want the combined power of the ICE and electric motors but the battery would otherwise be depleted before reaching the peak - but I don't think that would be a problem in Ireland.

Redgirl82

Thanks for the help

The charge point at home, what type of charge point do I need to get installed and how much? Thanks

cros13

A standard Type 2 EV chargepoint (it's just a fancy weatherproof outdoor socket, quite literally).

If you are buying new you'll get one free. If you are buying used you'll need to source one (~£300 from the UK) and have your local electrician install it (you don't need a specialist).

You can use a regular 13 amp socket but this is not recommended.....and slow. The Type 2 socket is the european standard and there is a draft EU directive that would require a Type 2 for all new build houses from 2019.
You next EV will use the same.

Redgirl82

New I wish :-)

Thanks for help...