[ulucto95]

Volt guys did it to fool the car and force EV mode even in low temps. With a resistor of something like that.

Maybe no more FORM if the car thinks it’s 32F outside, and of course the driver doesn’t engage the ICE at such low temps because the lubrication of the oil won’t be good.

It got out of FORM 5 days ago with 4 gallons of fresh gas and a 30 minutes drive on the highway and then on my driveway. But today at -20C, I’m still stuck with « electric mode disabled »…

 

[Mllcb42]

But today at -20C, I’m still stuck with « electric mode disabled »…

Yes, it does that for a reason.

 

[j24xe]

Yes, it does that for a reason.

Sure, lots of reasons. First year "guinea pig" design, plenty of possible issues. Better to DENY ELECTRIC MODE whenever conditions aren't California perfect and minimize/contain the inevitable social media backlash.

 

[ulucto95]

Yes, it does that for a reason.

What is the reason, if the ICE doesn’t start ? Jeep could implement a real electric mode, with no ICE start when the gas pedal is floored or under no other circumstances. And then after 20 miles, when the battery is empty, ICE starts like a regular car. Maybe start warming up the ICE at 3% remaining, so if you’re running on the highway, the engine is warm.

The other EV I drove have no problem running at -20C, so I wonder why the Jeep engineers denied us a real, pure EV mode that isn’t dictated by outside temp.

 

[Mllcb42]

ICE starts to warm up the battery, the cabin, and the motor.

There are two heating systems in the vehicle, one is powered by the engine, the other electric. The electric one is not sized to perform cabin and battery heating by itself in the cold. This is why in a middle range of temperatures, engaging the hvac will kick you into ice mode.

You must remember, this is not an EV. It's a PHEV. There are times where it uses one system instead of the other because it's more efficient to do so. They could have gone with a larger capacity electric heater that didn't require ice support in very cold weather, but overall it wouldn't have been as efficient. It's better to run the engine occasionally.

 

[ulucto95]

I was toasty warm at -11C the day before… And I can tell you that the cabin is warmer at -11C than at 0C but on the highway…
At least, give people the choice to wear a hat and gloves when driving in the cold with heating only for the windshield for safety reasons…

 

[Mllcb42]

I was toasty warm at -11C the day before… And I can tell you that the cabin is warmer at -11C than at 0C but on the highway…
At least, give people the choice to wear a hat and gloves when driving in the cold with heating only for the windshield for safety reasons…

The battery pack is also in the cabin and it doesn't get to wear a hat and gloves.

 

[ulucto95]

The battery pack is also in the cabin and it doesn't get to wear a hat and gloves.

Nor Tesla and other EV batteries. And my 4xe is inside a heated garage, so it’s kind of dumb engineering to make the ICE start up to warm it only because it senses -15C outside. Listen, I do understand that people at Jeep make safe choices, for the majority and not the minority. I was only asking if anyone knew if it was possible to send another outside temperature info to the car, to test some scenarios. Knowledge is power.

 

[Mllcb42]

Nor Tesla and other EV batteries.

Teslas also perform horribly in the cold with regard to significant reductions in range/efficiency. Jeep chose to utilize the tools at their disposal to help mitigate that huge efficiency reduction. Remember, it's a PHEV, not an EV.

I suspect, but don't know for sure, that the battery pack is looking at an internal temperature reading for most of those decisions (or at least a combination of temp sensors). It may look external for things like the warning that tells you to plug in if you're parking and it's below -20, but that's a different matter.

 

[Turtles]

What is the reason, if the ICE doesn’t start ? Jeep could implement a real electric mode, with no ICE start when the gas pedal is floored or under no other circumstances. And then after 20 miles, when the battery is empty, ICE starts like a regular car. Maybe start warming up the ICE at 3% remaining, so if you’re running on the highway, the engine is warm.

The other EV I drove have no problem running at -20C, so I wonder why the Jeep engineers denied us a real, pure EV mode that isn’t dictated by outside temp.

Whenever you get around to replacing your 4xe wrangler, I wouldn’t recommend you shopping for another PHEV—maybe shoot straight for a BEV. Since even the tried and true Toyota Prius Prime PHEV requires similar maintenance adapting to colder conditions. Do go full battery so that it would always be all or nothing electric. Although, overall, the Prius, I’m guessing, would still have advantages over the big wrangler box of fun on wheels.

Not every vehicle in the market is suitable or practical for every person in every environment and use case despite manufacturers/importers making them equally accessible for purchase to the masses.

 

[ulucto95]

Hello

I had 2 BEV before the 4xe, and have another BEV in the garage alongside the Jeep. I had Teslas and they were great in the cold. Less range, obviously, but stellar driving dynamics and for Canadians : fast and powerful resistive heater. Can’t have a BEV Wrangler, so the PHEV was the compromise because no BEV can approach what the Jeep can do. I was just trying to hack the 4xe like other guys did with their PHEV in cold countries. Just like 50s hot rod tuning and 90s Japanese imports scene : maximizing the fun, trying to break as few expensive parts as possible !

About the battery getting internal temp measurement : not sure. Like I said, the only difference today was that it was about -5C colder than yesterday, but the battery was the same temp (slept in the garage). Only, I could only drive a few meters before getting this new, FORM-like, ICE-mode only. It would have been great for me to drive to work about 5km (3mi) further, as I know I wouldn’t have broken my engine with a high-load cold start situation…