Zift01

I am totaly puzzled by behaviour of EV mode on RX450h MY2016 (March/April)
Sometimes it is unavailable - system heats up. That is OK.
Sometimes unavailable battery low. That is OK
Sometimes just unavailable - no description, csr running batery 4 or 5 bars... 🙃
Sometimes it turns off excessive speed on 30 km/h
Some times 40, normally runs up to 60 km/h...
If cruising on (set to more than 60 I think) it turnes off, even if car is running less than 50 km/h...
No comprehensive explanation in manual?
Is there anybody who understands its work and criteria for availability and turning off/on?
Thanks

Curryolla

EV mode is basically useless. It's more of a party trick more than anything. That said, there is a great bit of information on the operation of EV mode in the owners manual. I'll refer you page 237, Section 4-2, Driving Procedures-->EV drive mode. I'm sure you have a manual or can find a copy on the http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/ page.

mcomer

EV Mode is when the car is moving with only Electric power, Electric Vehicle Mode.
Our confusion arises when we try to force the mode beyond its parameters.
If you just let it do its thing and watch the EV green icon you will find that it is
operating in EV Mode a great deal of the time.

Many of the perceived limitations of the rules of engagement have to do with
emissions or battery life or smoothness of acceleration, stuff we are not aware
of. Most of us don't shift a Manual Trans as well as a good Automatic. We are
unlikely to choose the optimum EV Mode either.

Zift01

Green car icon is not EV mode. It turns on when car is druven by electro motors. Ev mode is forcing to use just electro.
Interestingly when EV unavailable, green icon still turns on and 450h is using electri only.
Criteria of EV availability is not clear. Max speed is nit same....
Nanual is not helping too much.
More or less it us written "leave it to us (or the cars comp), we know what is best for you!"
I di not buy that. It is my car! I should understand I should use it to my liking!

ericsan13

Green EV icon does indicate EV mode for me (US model). Sounds like you have an international model if you have the Qi Wireless Charger.

What is confusing is that the EV light does not turn on over ~45mph even when gas engine is not running. However when gas engines are off under 45mph my EV light definitely indicates it's running as a electric vehicle.

I don't bother with the EV button unless I'm sitting idle in a parking lot or maybe stuck in rush hour.

TexasRxh

I've found you can force EV mode up to 35mph as long as you don't exceed one of the thresholds like acceleration. I use it a lot in the neighborhood cuz I'm going to be shutting the vehicle off for the nite so why not use EV mode?! Gen 3 max "forced" EV mode speed was 25mph so that's quite an improvement. I have not figured out all the gates you have to get thru to keep it in EV mode...sometimes I have no idea why it says it was deactivated.

The vehicle will go into EV mode at highway speeds when you release the accelerator pedal...likely not for long unless you're coasting to a stop. As I've said in the mileage post I'm generally able to achieve 31-32 mpg on mine.

Zift01

She has a will of her own! 😐
Milage mixed, mostly city, measured on monthly basis, is 8.4 l/100 km (28 ml/gal US or 33.6 ml/gal UK, according to unit converter), on a matorway if pushed - better do not ask. But thst id OK. ☺

ericsan13

I was driving a slight downhill grade (~3%?) on the highway at 62 mph yesterday. When lightly accelerating, I noticed that the engine was not on. Apparently our 450h can run in full electric at highway speeds under the right conditions.

ericsan13

A very bad party trick since you can't activate it more than half the time, even when the battery is fully charged, engine is warm, and you're stopped!

mcomer

What would seem to be a useful application of EV Mode would be to be able to select
it when just moving the car from the garage to the street, street to the driveway, turn it
around for vacuuming, that type of maneuver. Since cold IC motors are least efficient
and also have comparatively high emissions when first started it makes sense that this
would be beneficial. Unfortunately the EV mode declares itself unable when a) IC motor
is cold, b) battery not fully charged.

NateJG

It always starts up the ICE almost immediately because it lubricates the engine - just in case you'd head off down the street and get it up to say 30 or 40 MPH and then accelerate heavily. You wouldn't want to do that with a 'dry' engine.

Additionally, it always starts up the engine almost immediately because it uses the exhaust gasses to warm up the ICE to near operating temperature - again, because of the dry-oil-engine scenario.

Personally, I find the EV mode to be so unreliable as to render it useless.

ggebhardt

Twice I have been doing more than 50 mph and going slightly downhill, I noticed the motor was not on yet the EV light was also not on. Leads me to believe that under some conditions, the system will be in EV mode at higher speeds.

ericsan13

The EV light is sometimes misleading, as is the hybrid display. I often see cases where the EV light should be on (when the engine is off).

I also see cases where the engine is on at a stop light, but the battery is NOT being charged (no arrow from engine to battery/wheels).

ggebhardt

Glad you are seeing the same. Love the hybrid system. It all works quite well.

ukrkoz

I think there is clear confusion between EV mode BUTTON use and EV mode during normal operation.
EV mode BUTTON is engaged when you are basically creeping in a parking lot. Battery has to be fully charged (8 bars, I believe) and speed has to be only several miles an hour. Then it will engage and propel the car.
It has little to none practicality and is basically a gimmick. A sales point. I quit fooling with it long ago.
Now, normal driving EV mode is when your vehicle automatically or purposefully stays in electric motor propulsion only during regular driving. So it's very slow accelerations from stop, rolling with momentum, rolling down the hill, reverse. All below cut off speeds for MG, which is 42 to 45 mph, depends on year and HSD generation.