Superb IV improving battery performance

[ERIK99]

Is your car a PHEV or a full battery only.  I can appreciate the comparison with other EVs is helpful however I do not have sufficient use on my new Skoda Superb yet  to take any benefit from anything other than someone else using the same PHEV.

 

Thanks

[Ootohere]

@ERIK99

I have driven Self Charge Hybrids and plug in.

Yaris, VW Golf GTE & the A3 version, Niro & Niro Plug In and know the theory and know how they were in the real world.

You can hypermile them or just drive them and get different results but weather and routes makes the difference, and weight in the car.

Edited 6 December, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[KeteCantek]

8 hours ago, ERIK99 said:

Hi Gerrycan

I well aware that the actual way you drive will affect the ACTUAL range covered whether on battery only or by petrol. This is not my complaint here.

 

First thing that I'm trying to understand why the estimated range, after a full charge, in similar outside temperatures , is varying over the last 2 weeks

--- that may be because of my driving style between trips having changed, but I think not since I'm consistent in my driving style and the sort of journeys

second thing is why the range has dropped from 29 at best down to 17 at worst  - on a full charge - before the car is switched on.

 

I'm happy the car is estimating the likely miles on battery plus an POTENTIAL extra mount if I switch off ALL the electric consuming feature of the car

 

What I'm now concerned about is why all the electric power is used from the BIG battery rather than the normal "little" battery that in NON EV cars would be supplying all the power.

 

How and when does the "little" battery (the one now in the boot) get charged  - is it only when the petrol engine is running - if so then there is real risk that this battery will go flat if I almost only use the "BIG" battery for my trips

 

In a normal car, aux electrical loads are fed from the alternator when the engine is running, not 12v battery. 

 

Some newer models with 48v systems might run some systems off it but the electricity still ultimately comes from the alternator turned by engine. 

 

What is your miles/kWh? That makes it easy to compare with anyone else having the same car. 

[ERIK99]

Hi.  Where do find the average mile / Kw - I've seen on the cockpit display when driving battery only, varying a lot just like when driving petrol.

 

[ERIK99]

My last charge overnight is showing yet another drop - now down to ONLY 16 miles on a 100% charge prior to any driving.

[Ootohere]

What matters is if you set odd and use all the battery energy in 16 miles or if it holds at 16 for maybe 10 miles and you get further than 16 miles on the battery.

?

What is the temperatures overnight where you are and is the car garaged or outside?

[KeteCantek]

2 hours ago, ERIK99 said:

My last charge overnight is showing yet another drop - now down to ONLY 16 miles on a 100% charge prior to any driving.

Cold night? Batteries are affected by cold temperatures so that would just be the range adjusting to it. 

 

One trick some people use is the set the charging to end just before you want to set out. Charging warms the battery up so you will get more range out of it.  You'll need a smart charger / timer or use the car's software to program that. Not sure if the superb IV has that function. 

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with the car, if you read about EVs, up to 30-40% less winter range is not uncommon. As mentioned above too, you can try to use EV mode for slow speed driving as that's the most efficient for it if your journey exceeds the battery only range. 

[ERIK99]

Car is outside on the drive, reasonably sheltered - temp here last nightwas between 1 to 4C - coldest night here so far since getting the car.

 

On last journey, with 19 miles battery at start, the car went about 17 miles and was then petrol only.  There may have been a bit of regen to help but not much. There was some use of heating at the start that must have gone from the battery since no petrol engine was engaged, but not much.

[ERIK99]

The Superb has an app which allows for timed charging - using a warm battery is an idea worth trying. 

 There is also a way to automatically protect the battery usage, holding back between 10% to 50%, which is supposed to help in the planning of a trip so that you can have some battery left for the last part of your journey maybe  in heavy traffic.

 

That would be useful if I had the "advertised" range of 55 km, to start with.

[Ootohere]

Simply Clever if people paid attention to 'Up to 55km',

when reading bumff on range and remembering that is supposedly Global and Winter in the UK and Summer in the UK or Australia can be very different.

[ERIK99]

Manufacturers should be taken to task by Forums like this instead of blaming the car buyers who are looking for a better way to go electric.

[Ootohere]

@ERIK99

 

I think you might find that on Briskoda there is nobody that pulls up the VW Group & Skoda more than me for their Customer Service, Warranty Refusals,Mis-Advertising etc etc.

 

On the honesty of some Dealerships & Employees and the same at Skoda UK Customer Services and the Brand Directors / CEO's.

 

As to mis-advertising if that happens then Contact the ASA, Trading Standards, your MP etc.

If mis-sold by the Dealership or Skoda UK the Importer then do the same. 

[ERIK99]

I've just embarked on that process by having a "check" on my car by skoda dealer just to make sure that there are no faults, then I'll get started on complaints etc.

 

Tks for your help.

[Ootohere]

Good plan.

The various Skoda, Seat, Audi & VW Dealerships are running Demonstrators or cars that will be sold in a few months / 3,000 miles as Ex Management cars, so they should know exactly how far MY2021 Plug in Hybrids can travel on a charge this winter.

 

The various Motoring Journalists, Journalists, Editors, Vloggers, Bloggers & Joggers should know as well as owners / drivers how far.

 

By next Spring Summer Salespeople & the VW Group UK should able to tell potential buyers that there are so many variables, but.....

[KeteCantek]

8 hours ago, ERIK99 said:

The Superb has an app which allows for timed charging - using a warm battery is an idea worth trying. 

 There is also a way to automatically protect the battery usage, holding back between 10% to 50%, which is supposed to help in the planning of a trip so that you can have some battery left for the last part of your journey maybe  in heavy traffic.

 

That would be useful if I had the "advertised" range of 55 km, to start with.

Try the timed charging and see how it goes. Hopefully it helps with the cold weather. 

[Greenliner1]

I’m not really surprised. On the Outlander PHEV I had the range depended very much on the temperature and the way it was driven. I think it was advertised as 31 miles and didn’t get more than 26 while I had it and I was careful. Motorway speeds would rapidly deteriorate the range, much better at urban speeds.

Using the heat pump (or air con) used to take 5 miles off the range immediately, so perhaps the combination of less output from the battery when cold and the heating of the car from the traction battery are the issue.

 

As said, try finish charging just before use, and preheat the cab if it’s available on the iV. See if the heating makes a difference.

 

Hope you get it sorted.

[KeteCantek]

Oh yes, the heat pump will definitely eat up battery charge. On longer journeys (and cold weather) where the early bit is higher speeds and then lots of slow at the end, I reckon starting off with engine might be better so you can utilise the engine waste heat in the beginning to warm up the car. 

 

Lots of people forget just how energy intense heating can be but on ICE, we just mostly use the waste heat

[ERIK99]

I think using the petrol engine for heating is a good idea, but how do I get the engine running when the battery is fully charged.  In my car the engine does not start until you get moving when the hybrid in auto mode decides that the battery should not be used.  By the time the engine is running and get warm I've completed my journey is a very very cold car with super cold leather seats.

 

I bought this model car L&K,  because it has all the electric features, not to be constantly worried that the battery is useless in cold weather.

 

In a none-EV battery car I can at least run the engine time it gets warm and switch on all the creature comforts before I get in.

 

All of this is only relevant because the "advertised" range is no way acceptable being 16 miles instead of 35.

 

With 35 miles range to be used I'm happy to use the big battery to power all the car electric features because there is still plenty range left to complete most of my trips.  May be if during the summer (that I've not seen yet in this car) I get 45 mile range to offset this supposed average over a year in real world conditions then I'll be happy, However I doubt that even on a really hot day I'll even get the 35 miles range.  Have to wait and see.

[MarkyG82]

The 35 miles Wil be on a warm day with no other stuff running. No heating (or AC), no lights, etc.

 

If only you in the car you should use heated seat etc for comfort an turn the cabin heating off. Much more efficient that way.

 

Take a look on YouTube for reviews of the iv and Passat GTE. Should get a better idea of how to use the different driving modes to make better use of the battery and ice.

 

Edit:

Also use the preheating as previously mentioned.

Edited 8 December, 2020 by MarkyG82

[shyVRS245]

Rather than worrying about battery range I would be more concerned about what has just happened to the Auto Express Long Term Superb test vehicle which is a iV version and started with a intermittent EML on the dash and ended with a whirring noise. When it was returned to Skoda HQ at Milton Keynes for investigation the factory in Czech Republic got involved and the fault was traced to a failing gearbox oil pump. It damaged the DSG transmission which now needs replacing under warranty.The magazine's Executive Editor has been given a 1.5TSi petrol replacement while the car is fixed.

[MarkyG82]

WOW!  And there's me saying dsg faults are rare these days!

 

Edit:  And I've just put a deposit down on a Passat GTE.

Edited 10 December, 2020 by MarkyG82

[shyVRS245]

2 minutes ago, MarkyG82 said:

WOW!  And there's me saying dsg faults are rare these days!

 

Edit:  And I've just put a deposit down on a Passat GTE.

Don't forget this is the older tried and tested 6 speed DSG and not the later 7 speed DSG I have in my 2020 diesel LOL.

[MarkyG82]

The 250 in my Octavia has been fine in the 3 years I've had it.  Can we assume that the DQ250 in the iv/GTE has the same oil pump etc as the standard 250?  I know the housing is different to account for the motor and extra clutch pack.

 

Either way I'll be extending the manufacturers warranty.

[Ootohere]

All you can assume is that they have the DSG that starts with e- before the code.  e-DQ200, e-DQ400 etc.

To suit the 1.0 & 1.5 TSI Mild hybrids then the ones to suit the Plug in Hybrids.

Edited 10 December, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[stephenlumley]

I've also noticed a drop off in expected electric range recently. I was down to about 23 or so after a full charge. After a 290 mile journey yesterday I charged up when I got back and now gone up to 27 miles elec range so it seems to keep recalculating this figure based on recent driving style and journey type.

 

When I got back I also filled up with petrol. Only had 5 miles range left and got 56.4 litres in (12.37 galls). Since last fill up I've done 734 miles but also recharged it with a total of 82kWh during this time. This has cost me about £11.56 at 14.1p/kWh. So a total of £62.30 for petrol plus the £11.56 for leccy = £73.86. When converted back to gallons at £1.10/litre works out at 14.75 gallons. So average fuel consumption has been 49.8 mpg. If you don't include the leccy cost it works out as 59mpg. Not bad considering the time of year and 2 of the journeys were long motorway drives. This is slightly better than my previous DSG 150 diesel Passat at this time of year

 

Interesting that I managed to fit 56.4 litres into the 50 litre tank which wasn't quite empty!!