Quote:
Originally Posted by BGeorge
It is virtually impossible to charge the battery via driving alone and the vehicle doesn't seem to do a very good job of balacing betweenn gas and electric motors. It seems that if there is any charge in the battery it will run on electric until the batteries are completely drained then switch to the gas engine, which gets horrible mpgs for a 4 cylinder.
|
The article at the link below may be of interest.
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/12/23/2...-review-video/
"But achieving top fuel economy in the 40e isn't as simple as going easy on the throttle. Perhaps more than any vehicle we've tested recently, understanding how all the X5's systems work together is crucial to eking out the most mpgs."
"Using Comfort/Save, a 25-mile freeway drive regenerates enough juice to cover about half a dozen miles in pure EV mode. On surface streets, we kick into Auto eDrive and Eco Pro, where the computer's invisible management of the gas-electric powertrain smoothly switches between the two systems as needed. Even with the battery basically empty, we stick to Auto eDrive, because the 2.0-liter turbo still gets a little bit of electric assistance off the line. Honestly, with no battery power, there's no benefit to limiting electrical draw with Eco Pro and the softer throttle response isn't worth the low regen. If traffic is light and we are maintaining a steady speed, we use Comfort to begin filling the battery again. Heavier traffic and regular stoplights demand the more aggressive recharging from Sport."
"By blending this high-velocity charging and low-speed EV mode/recharging, we see an average of 26 mpg, two mpg above the X5's combined EPA rating. This isn't to say we didn't just plug in and recharge the battery the old-fashioned way. Taking advantage of every chance to recharge netted us 36 mpg during the first half of our week-long test."