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The Endurance test of the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid gives us the opportunity to learn a lot about the sense and nonsense of a plug-in hybrid. The “positive” sense includes using it as a “commuter vehicle” or simply as a family carriage. The nonsense was quickly clear. But that was done before the test, because here the plug-in hybrid didn't have to be driven first. Anyone who drives a lot has not made a mistake with electric and plug-in vehicles. The requirement profiles are simply too different.
Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid and the NEDC standard consumption
During our test, reader emails keep coming in with questions about our experience. Sometimes you want to know which equipment you should treat yourself to, and sometimes it's about the range and consumption in everyday life. A similar question came to us via comment this week.
Hello Mr. Björn,
I bought an Outlander plug-in hybrid in the summer of 2015. However, my experience with the consumption of the car is something very different from yours. In the following I document an email that I send to 15. December to my Mitsubishi dealer. So far, I have not received an answer despite multiple requests.
Do you have an explanation for these extremely different consumption values?- /// - Extract from an email from the customer to his dealer:
In the past few weeks I have had some long business trips and for the first time I was able to systematically control the energy consumption of my "Plug in Hybrid Outlander".
Total
KM status fueled KM L / 100 km KM L / 100 KM
02.12.2014 6914 32,46
December 03.12.2014, 7330 36,20 416 8,70 XNUMX
December 05.12.2014, 7718 32,94 388 8,49 XNUMX
December 06.12.2014, 8045 32,01 327 9,79 XNUMX
December 08.12.2014, 8461 31,69 416 7,62 XNUMX
December 09.12.2014, 8898 36,88 437 8,44 XNUMX
12.12.2014/9065/16,16 167 9,68 2151 8,64 XNUMX XNUMXThese figures do not yet include the electricity that was regularly charged via the socket, so that the effective petrol consumption per 100 KM is far higher.
The routes traveled are mainly motorway routes, which I mostly drove with the speed controller between 120 and 130 km / h. Of course in ECO mode.
With these values, the range of 800 km claimed by Mitsubishi in advertising is in no way achievable.
Also from the consumption values about which the blog: https://autohub.de/im-alltag-erfahrungen-mitsubishi-outlander-plug-in-hybrid-84320/ reported, I can only dream: 4,75 L / 100 KM at speeds of 130 - 150 km / h.
As a result of this excessive petrol consumption, the ecological benefit of the vehicle as a whole is called into question. However, this benefit was the decisive reason why I chose your vehicle.
- //
Mr. Werkle wrote this comment in one of the articles on the Outlander plug-in hybrid. Since it would also be public there, I take the liberty to write a blog post as an answer. Because I think Mr. Werkle's question is also interesting for other customers.
Nonsense - NEDC
A standardized method is necessary so that automobile manufacturers can provide consumption information. So far so good. But now the measurement method adopted in the “EU” after the 1976 oil crisis corresponds to a “virtual” car driver and includes a standardized driving cycle.
This is how the test runs after the "New European driving cycle (NEDC) ”:
The standardized driving cycle takes a total of 1180 seconds, i.e. just under 20 minutes. The city cycle (urban conditions) takes two thirds of this time and the overland cycle (extra-urban conditions) one third. The Ambient temperature during the measurement is generally between 20 ° C and 30 ° C and has been around the parked vehicle for at least 6 hours. Cold start conditions, accelerations and decelerations are recorded and interpolated. (Source: Wikipedia)
A quick glance at this diagram shows: If you are traveling on the highway, you can not do anything with this standard value, but also nothing at all. This is because use of the NEDC method does not even take into account use on the motorway. You now say: Oh, are the manufacturer's specifications all out of touch with the world? Well: You can say that!
According to advertising, the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid only consumes 1.9 liters per 100 km - how can I use 8.64 liters on the highway? Isn't the difference too big?
As I said: the consumption on the highway and the consumption according to the NEDC standard have no connection. Especially since another formula is used for the measurement of plug-in hybrids: The ECE standard R101.
Consumption figures for electric hybrid vehicles - ECE standard R 101
C_1 = fuel consumption with fully charged battery,
C_2 = fuel consumption when the battery is empty,
D_e = purely electrical range,
D_ {av} = 25 km (assumed average distance between two battery charges).
Some people call this measuring cycle the “EU magic formula” and if you look at the driving distance for pure battery operation - just 25 kilometers - you understand the limitation of premium car manufacturers in terms of battery range. At Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, for example, hardly more than 30 km are achieved here.
The Mitsubishi plug-in hybrid has a length of around 41 kilometers. However, there have never been fewer than 30. And now we come to the most important point of the whole answer:
What does the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid actually use?
Reader Werkle is right. With the Outlander plug-in hybrid, we currently consume around 5.4 liters per 100 kilometers. However, we have had weeks with 0.0 liters on 100 kilometers. Or with 2.0 liters. The question is: when do you end a measuring cycle? After filling up with a tank? After a week? After a month?
We mainly use the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid as a family car. That means: shopping, errands in the area, commuting and the like. There are rarely more than 40 kilometers a day. And when the temperatures were not yet below 0 °, such tours could be carried out purely on battery power.
If I take the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid and drive it to an appointment 300 kilometers away, then after 30-40 kilometers I have the gasoline engine as the drive source. And here Mitsubishi can just as little magic as any other manufacturer. However, I haven't done any major day-long stages with the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid. 300 kilometers of autobahn are enough to notice: Almost 9 liters run through the gasoline engine as soon as it has to do the work alone. But now let's be serious: NINE liters of gasoline for an SUV with five seats, weighing 2 tons, at a speed of 140-160? But hello!
Of course, these are not 1.9 as in the prospectus, but I wonder - can you seriously expect that?
How should that be technologically possible? Brochure values are derived standard values and the methodology for recording these standard values is far from a “business trip on the motorway”. Here on autohub.de we therefore also record "real ”consumption values according to a very unique method! And the differences. that we get out of here are sometimes enormous. Incidentally, the "auto, motor und sport ”the same test standards introduced and also uses a more realistic estimate of consumption values. Hence the answer to Mr. Werkle's questions:
My honest answer to Mr. Werkle:
Dear Mr. Werkle,
Differences in consumption are in the nature of things. When I drive our motorway with our PHEV test car, the consumption is in the same range. However, I am not surprised. Because as soon as the battery power runs out, the petrol engine has to take over the work completely. And here I am rather amazed by the low consumption. Not 9 liters at 120 - 130 km / h on the highway? A great value for an SUV with a petrol engine. If the business trip on the highway is more of your normal everyday life, then you have simply bought the wrong car. 800 km range? No problem if we use the Outlander as described above. There are also more than 2.000 kilometers possible with one tank filling, like the winners of a competition.
Use is crucial! The Outlander Plug-In Hybrid can only claim an extreme advantage if you understand its purpose. And that doesn't consist of driving long distances every day, but in everyday life. In the city. Over land. As a vehicle for families. If you look at the average consumption values spritmonitor.de, then the majority of PHEV buyers use your Outlander too.
So the question is always: within what period of time do you consider an “average consumption”? And what does my everyday automotive life look like?