[Sukkdogg]

HI. here in miami with new Tuscon Hybrid.getting used to it. 2 weeks in.

new to forums- i looked for this question and could not find.

highway driving- is it possible to keep EV in use on the highway? i do not seem to be able to do so. I tired various modes. cruise control. etc. various speeds.

not sure it is possible. but want to keep trying.

city driving- commute to work, i can keep it in EV mode pretty well. getting average MPG on those rides 40 or so.

thanks all

 

[alan sh]

No - it comes in and out as it feels like it. Same with town driving, but as you are not usinga s much power, it comes in more often.

 

[Bookworm]

HI. here in miami with new Tuscon Hybrid.getting used to it. 2 weeks in.

new to forums- i looked for this question and could not find.

highway driving- is it possible to keep EV in use on the highway? i do not seem to be able to do so. I tired various modes. cruise control. etc. various speeds.

not sure it is possible. but want to keep trying.

city driving- commute to work, i can keep it in EV mode pretty well. getting average MPG on those rides 40 or so.

thanks all

Read up on how a Hybrid works and why it's not a full EV. If you wanted a full EV, you should have bought one.

 

[Turbofan]

HI. here in miami with new Tuscon Hybrid.getting used to it. 2 weeks in.

new to forums- i looked for this question and could not find.

highway driving- is it possible to keep EV in use on the highway? i do not seem to be able to do so. I tired various modes. cruise control. etc. various speeds.

not sure it is possible. but want to keep trying.

city driving- commute to work, i can keep it in EV mode pretty well. getting average MPG on those rides 40 or so.

thanks all

If your battery has sufficient charge, taking your foot off of the gas pedal will force it into EV mode. Keeping cruise on generally won’t allow it to go into EV mode until the battery is close to full charge unless of course you are going down hill.

 

[NiteRider2]

I found I was able to cruise on EV mode pretty frequently on the freeway under some of the following conditions:
Keeping a speed of 65 mph or less (cruise control usually helps!)
Driving on a flat or slightly downhill section of the freeway
Battery has over 50% charge (I'd say 70% or more)

It will definitely use the gas engine more than the Hybrid battery while on the freeway, but under these conditions, you should be able to keep it in Electric mode a bit longer. I can average about the same as city driving (35-40 mpg but usually on the lower end) while on the freeway so if you're around there I say you're definitely getting good enough MPG even if it's not keeping electric mode on at all times.

 

[flashbang]

HI. here in miami with new Tuscon Hybrid.getting used to it. 2 weeks in.

new to forums- i looked for this question and could not find.

highway driving- is it possible to keep EV in use on the highway? i do not seem to be able to do so. I tired various modes. cruise control. etc. various speeds.

not sure it is possible. but want to keep trying.

city driving- commute to work, i can keep it in EV mode pretty well. getting average MPG on those rides 40 or so.

thanks all

Your not keeping it in EV mode in city driving.

It's a Hybrid vehicle.

It's all computer controlled and the vehicle desides when to go EV only mode, EV and ICE mode, or ICE mode charging.

There are some conditions you can use to entice EV, but you can not chose it solely.

They Hybrid shines with city like driving due to stop and go.

Regenerative charging while coasting, and more agressice regenerative charging when lightly breaking, before physical brakes start.

When stopped ICE will charge if computer believes its required base on a host of criteria built into the sometimes questionable algorithm.

If you want EV only you bought the wrong car, and highways is not it's strength.

 

[mattman17]

Not super familiar with how the hybrid works but what everyone is not realizing is OP is in Miami and is most likely running their AC full blast in the 98 degree(feels like 115) super humid climate trying to keep the cabin cool. I’d imagine that plays a part in having the ICE motor kicking on more than they want it to?

I live opposite coast of Florida and trust me it has been brutal down here last few weeks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[flashbang]

The electric A/C compressor plays a part, but minimally from my experience with battery depletion.

It's the traction motor that's the big electric hog.

 

[armtdm]

The A/C does make a difference as do speeds over 70. Lucky to get 35 MPG on interstate. I do believe that the EV mode and better MPG is achieved without the cruise control on. you have more control. The cruise not only keeps you at a given speed but it appears to also limit that speed going down hills as well. I can easily get 40 + around town on trips over 10 miles in the summer months but put it on an interstate over 70 and it drops considerably, as it does in rain as well, more friction. Winter months temps below 40-50 degrees and low 30s mpg, especially on trips less than 10 miles.

 

[Tucsonboy99]

...I do believe that the EV mode and better MPG is achieved without the cruise control on. you have more control. The cruise not only keeps you at a given speed but it appears to also limit that speed going down hills as well.

My opinion is that you get the best highway mpg with cruise control on. This lets the cars computer figure out when to cut the battery in/out for optimal mpg. While you think that more control is better computers do not get distracted and are much more consistent over time.

 

[Tampa8]

My opinion is that you get the best highway mpg with cruise control on. This lets the cars computer figure out when to cut the battery in/out for optimal mpg. While you think that more control is better computers do not get distracted and are much more consistent over time.

Agree for ICE not as convinced for hybrid if trying to keep EV mode.

 

[Tucsonboy99]

If your attention span is as sharp as a super hero over a long drive on the highway then yeh you might squeeze out better mpg over the cars computer. I don't think this is the case with most people so the cars computer is a good option.

 

[mungo544]

If good fuel economy is your objective on the highway, cruise control will not help with your hybrid. You cruise will always accelerate to maintain the set speed, as long as the traffic in front of you is going as fast or faster than you. Even on a downhill, if your speed drops even one or two miles an hour, the ICE will sometimes kick on to maintain your speed. If you turn cruise off, on a long downhill , once you force ev mode, you can feather the gas and increase your speed to as much as 75mph without the ICE kicking in, (wheras, if your cruise is set to 75, the ice will jam on the gas to get you up to 75 and try to keep you there). In this scenario, the only thing that will force the ICE to come on is if the battery level gets to around 30% or so, or if you start to level off or get to an incline. Try this: when you come to a decent downhill stretch, get up to about 68-70 and back off the gas. That will force ev mode. Then, gradually feather the gas while monitoring the ev light. You should be able to increase your speed gradually as long as you are on the downhill. If the ev light goes off, back of the gas momentarily and it should go back to ev, until the battery level drops. On a long trip, sometimes I go into sport mode until the battery tops off, then I try to force ev mode as much as possible using this technique. (don't stay in sport mode after the battery tops off because any regenerative braking will be wasted). I find a topped off battery tends to give you a little more torque in ev mode on more gradual downhills or level stretches.

 

[Tucsonboy99]

If good fuel economy is your objective on the highway, cruise control will not help with your hybrid. You cruise will always accelerate to maintain the set speed, as long as the traffic in front of you is going as fast or faster than you. Even on a downhill, if your speed drops even one or two miles an hour, the ICE will sometimes kick on to maintain your speed. If you turn cruise off, on a long downhill , once you force ev mode, you can feather the gas and increase your speed to as much as 75mph without the ICE kicking in, (wheras, if your cruise is set to 75, the ice will jam on the gas to get you up to 75 and try to keep you there). In this scenario, the only thing that will force the ICE to come on is if the battery level gets to around 30% or so, or if you start to level off or get to an incline. Try this: when you come to a decent downhill stretch, get up to about 68-70 and back off the gas. That will force ev mode. Then, gradually feather the gas while monitoring the ev light. You should be able to increase your speed gradually as long as you are on the downhill. If the ev light goes off, back of the gas momentarily and it should go back to ev, until the battery level drops. On a long trip, sometimes I go into sport mode until the battery tops off, then I try to force ev mode as much as possible using this technique. (don't stay in sport mode after the battery tops off because any regenerative braking will be wasted). I find a topped off battery tends to give you a little more torque in ev mode on more gradual downhills or level stretches.

I've had multiple hybrids since 2011 so I agree wholeheartedly. My point is that for the average person who does not want to work their hybrid in this manner it's best to let the cars computer do it for them rather than not put it in cruise control.

 

[mungo544]

I've had multiple hybrids since 2011 so I agree wholeheartedly. My point is that for the average person who does not want to work their hybrid in this manner it's best to let the cars computer do it for them rather than not put it in cruise control.

I agree, especially since the original poster lives in Fla. and I don't imagine there are many long, downhills on their limited access highways.

 

[Bob999]

is it possible to keep EV in use on the highway?

Hybrids have relatively small batteries, typically only ~1.5 KWH total and the computer controls only allow use of a fraction of that capacity under typical conditions. Electric cars typically have batteries with a capacity of 60-90 KWH. Because the electric power available in hybrids is relatively small they simply don't operate in EV mode for long under most driving conditions--the power demand of EV driving quickly exceeds the power available from the battery and the ICE is started by the computer to provide the necessary power. Additionally, the power available from a hybrid battery alone is typically not sufficient to to accelerate or to maintain highway speed on a level road or slight uphill grade. EV mode may be activated when going downhill or when decelerating at highway speeds if the battery charge level is high.

 

[GerryRap]

I agree with Bob999. I've had my Tucson Hybrid Limited over a year now with 14K miles running. I tested it a few times. I tried to get my Tucson to stay on EV mode on the freeway for as long as i can. I made sure to start with 100% charge. I didn't use cruise control. I tried to stay on 65MPH and was really light on the gas pedal. The best i could do was 3 miles on EV mode. The freeway was fairly flat. The battery drained down to 50%. Then the computer would not switch back to EV mode, unless you're on a downhill or step off the gas pedal. If you drive mostly over 65MPH, then you'll be using the gas engine and MPG on that gas engine is terrible. Specially with the Hybrid Limited, where the transmission only has 6 gears.

 

[magnaman44]

I live out west where there is often 100 miles+ between towns on the interstate. Many mountain passes too. I love my 2022 Tucson Hybrid and am perfectly fine with the 30 - 34 MPG I get. We really are at the mercy of the car's computer system... and the driving conditions here are not conducive to EV mode one might get in the city. Staying in ECO mode while kicking back on the long drives does help me get slightly better MPG than the others but I do love to drive in Sport mode on occasion. Until the driving ranges and the charging times are vastly improved, full EV's are just not for me, especially on long HWY drives. My old Tahoe got 13 MPG so this is a big improvement !!

 

[Tampa8]

Seems to me unless you do alot of traffic driving and can use battery alot the ICE is getting considerably better mpg. My overall since day one which includes the break in period and weeks of local driving is nearly your highway mpg - 32.8. My highway mpg is most often 40+ mpg. My manual calculations are very close to the computer ones.

 

[Captain Blight]

Perhaps a slightly different point of view.

(I have a PHEV. It drops into HEV mode after around 30-33 miles when the battery gets down to around 15%.)

I did a lot of research before deciding which car to buy, and took into account the driving idiosyncrasies of various cars in making my decision. In HEV mode there is very little that I can do to control how the car switches between ICE, EV and HEV mode. The car knows itself better than I do. Hyundai is acknowledged to have one of the best HEV management systems. I might invest a lot of time, effort and attention to squeeze out perhaps 1 or 2 more MPG.

I would much rather lean back, look around, crack a big smile and just spend my time enjoying my Tucson.

I did that for 14 years with my Prius. The only exception, because of the damn CVT, was briefly backing off of the accelerator after merging onto a freeway.

(That said, I did buy a PHEV because my driving patterns would allow me to do most of my driving in EV mode. The tax credit made it close to a wash with an HEV, and the fuel savings should close that gap fairly quickly. When the car drops into HEV mode I just let it do its thing.)