My commute is around 30 miles each way, and I don't charge at work, so if I leave home with a full charge I typically make it all the way to work and some percentage of the way home (huge seasonal variability) before I start burning gas. Since no matter what I'll be burning gas either in the morning on my way to work (if I select HV mode when I leave home) or in the evening on the way home, I'm wondering if anyone knows if one of those is better for the environment from an emissions perspective. The only thing I could think of is if I use HV mode when I leave home and burn a half gallon of gas on my way to work, then my car is about 4 lbs lighter for the drive home 😄
Burn gas in the AM or PM?
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ICE engines tend to run just slightly cleaner in warmer temperatures. I'd run it in the afternoon for emissions. Now for the real question - is your work higher or lower in elevation. Burn the gas in the downhill direction for the most efficient use of the ICE.
During cold weather you might also think about the fact that when ICE is running you get "free" heat from the engine, whereas in EV mode the resistance heater and/or seat warmer will be used. So for example assuming it is colder in the morning on the way to work than coming home at the end of the day, it might be better to run HV in the morning. On the other hand, many people who keep their car in an attached garage find that seat heating and maybe a little bit of resistance heat is all they need in the morning (along with some warm clothing), especially if they have a 240V charger and are able to precondition the cabin before departure. Whereas the return trip for them requires more heat since the car will have been sitting out in the cold all day and there is also no opportunity to precondition.
Not an exact science that's for sure, probably will take some experimentation to find out what works best for your particular commute.
Not an exact science that's for sure, probably will take some experimentation to find out what works best for your particular commute.
Good point! So do most phev cars have both an electric heater and a classical engine waste heat heating system? I wasnt sure if Clarity had this.
All PHEV's use waste engine heat to heat the cabin when the engine is running. When the engine is not running both the Clarity and the Volt have a resistance heater that heats the coolant coming into the cabin. Prius Prime has a heat pump similar to what BEV cars use. Ioniq PHEV sadly has no electric heating, so in cold weather ICE has to cycle on and off to provide cabin heat, essentially Ioniq only works as a regular hybrid during winter if you want cabin heating.
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PHEV => Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. All Hybrids have ICE engines.
True, but not all PHEV's can produce heat without running the ICE (no resistance heat or heat pump). All of the Hyundai/Kia PHEV offerings have no provision other than the ICE for cabin heat. This also means no way to precondition and get the car warm while plugged in.
Mitsubishi Motors (the automotive company) has no relationship with Hyundai/Kia. Nissan has a controlling interest in Mitsubishi and they are part of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance where they cross share investments and technology. Mitsubishi did have a stake (10%?) in Hyundai a couple of decades ago, but that is no longer the case.
Thanks for your super helpful post! It's really great to learn new things, like the fact that my lawn mower and weed trimmer both use waste heat to heat their cabins.
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Thanks for the clarification. I knew there had been a relationship. Still doesn't change my opinion of the three companies however.
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