Hyundai IONIQ Forum banner
  • US ICCU Recall (aka 12V battery failure issue). Please use the following thread, this pertains to all eGMP models. Please do not create duplicate threads on this topic. Thread

Winter Efficiency Experiences...lets share!

6K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  johnidrake 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone,

Got my new UK Electric Ioniq arriving this week and I cannot wait!
One thing I did notice when I did a 48hr test drive was that the obvious use of heating settings had a huge effect on the range and battery charge.

Was just wondering if any of you would like to share your own experiences of the cold UK winter we've just had and how you get around to making the most efficient ways of heating your cars.

I take it preheating using the schedule tools are essential here?

Share away and enlighten me!

Thanks
JD
 
#4 ·
Haha I know, where I am right in North West Lancashire, it's fairly 'mild' today with temps of around 4degreesC! I used the heated seats and steering wheel on the demo drive and it seemed to draw very little from the battery so maybe that and preheating whilst on charge will be the key to it.
 
#3 ·
I have the Full Electric BEV. Pre Heating and Scheduled Charging overnight are essential to get the best out of the recharging process in these current weather conditions. Did a small road trip yesterday Watford to Brighton circa 100miles each way. If I use just the heated seats and heated steering wheel, the GOM shows circa 126 mile range. As soon as I turn on the main heater the range dropped to circa 106 miles. The car had 3 passengers plus me the driver and a boot full of heavy coats etc. (we were off to the Watford vs Brighton) football game. To answer your question. This time of year in my experience is asking a lot of any type of battery, I am a professional photographer, so this cold snap even effects my camera batteries. Though I can keep my spare camera batteries in my pocket, which currently one can not do with the Ioniq battery! As early adopters and pioneers of EV Cars, I personally feel that you have to accept this range limitation and be prepared to plan your longer journeys in a different way to an ICE car. Maybe others will disagree. Every other weekend I travel up and down the country in the Ioniq BEV to watch football and so far, the range limitation and charging network have worked. It’s just a different mindset.
 
#6 ·
Wow, that is pretty impressive range considering the cargo weight and temperatures- tip of the hat to you! I think as you say, the key to it is being realistic and knowing from the off that it isnt going to give the range of an ICE vehicle and be prepared (in winter) to be charging a little more than usual to compensate the cold weather effects. I think planning ahead with a preheated car whilst charging and trying to stick to the heated seat/steering wheel combo on shorter journeys will be the key.

What do you think to longer journeys? heating on to take the edge off and warm the cabin then turn off? and maybe keep topping the cabin up as and when the temp drops in there.

Thanks for your help, greatly appreciated ahead of my pick up day! :)
 
#6 ·
I have the plug in Ioniq, not the electric, so maybe my winter efficiency experience is not what you are looking for. But I did learn a lot this winter about the phev efficiency.

I got the car last year and spent the spring, summer and fall driving short trips to work on battery and taking long weekend trips on battery/gas. My average fuel efficiency was always high, between 300 - 500 mpg US. I expected that during the winter my mpg would go up because I wouldn't be taking the long weekend trips. Boy, that is not what happened at all.

When it got cold I turned the heat on with the temp set to about 70 F. This caused my displayed average mpg to plummet from my pristine highs. After a month or so it had fallen all the way to 100 mpg US (120 mpg UK). I dialed the temp setting down to 65 F (18 C) and that helped. The engine seemed to just idle as needed for heat this way and my displayed mpg held steady as I drove around town in EV mode. Later I realized that my displayed average mpg acts more like a rolling average instead of a cumulative average. So that might explain why it dropped so fast.

A few months ago I read that consumer grade lithium ion batteries can be damaged if recharged when the temp is below freezing. Unlike the EV Ioniq, my phev Ioniq does not have pre-heating when plugged in or a battery heater, and I don't have a garage. I do charge at a slow rate (especially compared to an EV) which helps protect the battery. And the car/battery come with a long warranty in the US so I shouldn't have to worry. But the warranty in Canada is shorter so I figure cold weather affects are real. I plan to keep this car for a long time, so when the outside temp got really cold I decided to drive in hev mode. This caused my displayed mpg to drop even more, now down to 50 mpg US (60 mpg UK). (Though my average on Fuelly is still 150 mpg). This last week the temps outside have been as low as -13 F (-25 C). For short hev trips in this weather the mpg is between 30 or 40 mpg.

Its a great car, I love it. But cold weather is no friend to electric or gas efficiency. It is nice to not have to worry about the car starting on cold winter mornings. Some of my co-workers' cars would barely turn over or wouldn't start due to dead batteries. I don't have that problem any more.
 
#7 ·
On my HEV mpg has varied from a measured 59 during 80 Fahrenheit summer weather, to a low of 35 indicated at zero Fahrenheit. I can easily notice the impact of 10 degrees over that entire temperature on trip mileage. Just finished a full year of ownership and measured mpg still ended up a couple hundredths over 52 mpg, around 3 mpg over the combined EPA rating for my Niro, and a mile over the highway EPA rating. Pretty happy, but of course those numbers would be at least 5 mpg higher in an Ioniq!
 
#8 ·
Have found that with my IONIQ electric, mileage it not affected by the use of the heating system too much (but I do have CCP). For me the biggest effect on range is ambient temp (can be countered somewhat with preconditioning/battery warning) and speed.

OB
 
#9 ·
Brilliant replies guys, many thanks for your input! I think as this is my first EV I'm just trying to get my head around how the winter temps/conditions will effect my commute to work and then vice versa with the summer temps etc.

I was quite shocked at how dramatic the drop in range became when i fired up all heaters in the car the morning of trial drive. I guess that was me not really thinking or using the car as best it could be in regards to the preconditioning whilst on charge etc.

Hyundai are throwing in a pod point charger with my car so just in the process of getting that sorted so hopefully that should help with getting the power needed to the car to preheat etc.

JD
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top