If you read through readers' emails and the relevant forums, there seems to be a particularly strong desire among Outlander PHEV pilots. The “pure EV mode” at the push of a button. You quickly notice that there are really many short-distance drivers who simply want to achieve maximum electric travel. The big advantage of the Outlander plug-in is the “fully automatic” operation of the vehicle. In principle, all you have to do is sit in the vehicle and drive. Plug in at home, unplug and leave. It is precisely this simple handling that has convinced me so much in the long-term test with our Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrid Outlander over the last 1.5 years. At the beginning we consciously looked for charging points and bought two different charging cards. But we now use the good PHEV Outlander as a family SUV without any restrictions. It is in the nature of things that the woman of the house does most of the electric driving. The daughter electrically in the kindergarten, Electric for shopping and back. For me, the Outlander PHEV then has to start the petrol engine. Rarely are my tracks under 100 kilometers. The often driven route to the airport? Exactly 101 kilometers. And there the Frankfurt Airport to the backward development areas of e-mobility heard, bring me that Plug-in Hybrid Outlander electrically to the highway, the first 40 kilometers and then he works automatically, sometimes in serial, sometimes in parallel hybrid mode.
Pure EV - wish number 1?
And yet - many buyers of the plug-in hybrid Outlander seem to be waiting for a way to manually activate the electric mode and thus, under certain circumstances, extend it. Now you can object, and I think so, that the manufacturer will have already thought about how to do it most efficiently. What is good and right for the battery and gasoline engine. You will have thought about how to protect the components, split the range ideally and always choose the most sensible drive mode. Yet. Many want “Pure EV mode”. Preferably at the push of a button.
The market even offers a “chip tuning solution” for this purpose. We have contacted the provider and will test the box.
In the purely electric mode, the ranges of the battery should be increased, which alone speaks for an increased load on the battery system. Because here comes the thought that I had at the beginning: Mitsubishi will have thought a little when designing the system. Of course, automobile manufacturers always have to make compromises. But in many cases these compromises also make sense. The fact that the Outlander PHEV has been able to turn off the heating on cold days and thus avoid starting the petrol may be an emergency solution for many PHEV Outlander drivers, but does it really make sense? I think no. Heating and air conditioning are not an unnecessary luxury. If you dress too thickly so you don't have to freeze, you may no longer be able to react properly to dangers. Scarf and gloves while driving a car? Shouldn't be. And fogging up the windows is not only uncomfortable, it can also be dangerous. So the air dryer of the air conditioning system should be used. And the fact that the gasoline engine produces 60% waste heat makes sense for the heating operation.
A “Pure EV mode” without switching off the air conditioning and heating? Could that make sense?
It depends on a test ...