Hi everyone I just got my new 4xe yesterday, but am very confused on how it works. I was told to always keep it on Hybrid Mode as it’s the best option. I was also told that the car should never have a battery of <1 but that’s exactly what happened today. I drove a total of 30 miles on hybrid mode with a full charge and as I got closer to home it showed the battery was at <1. What does this mean? Does it mean I need to charge it right away when I get home but I only drive 30 miles? Does that just mean the electric portion is used up? Can I drive on Hybrid mode with that <1 % or should I switch over to ESave? I’m just concerned and confused on what happens on Hybrid Mode when the charge gets <1%, does my car stop working if I stop at the store and turn it off? Can someone please inform me I would really appreciate it!
Did your dealer provide these directions? If so, please read the next line with the understanding that I don't like speaking negatively about people. That said: There are a lot of dealers providing a lot of horribly wrong information to buyers. But then again, there have been a lot of industry experts that have gotten a lot of information wrong too.
First thing to understand about the Wrangler 4XE: It is alway a hybrid. The modes simply change the bias of the decision making of the software. There are tons of videos and sales people saying Esave is a "gas mode". That's probably the most commonly incorrect statement made. There is no gas mode in the Wrangler 4XE. It's always a hybrid.
Here's how the modes break down. Keep in mind, I write from the perspective of efficiency, not performance.
If your daily commute is less than say 20 miles, throw it in electric mode and see if you can cover your daily driving in electric. Keep in mind, the Wrangler 4XE is alway a hybrid. If you punch the accelerator pedal hard enough, the gas engine will still start.
Hybrid mode will will still favor electric during normal driving but will bring the gas engine to the party a little quicker than electric mode. After battery depletion, the vehicle goes in to hybrid mode. When you hit the <1% state, there is still a little less than 15% of battery left. The vehicle will use that energy and restore that energy in several different ways. It will use the P1 motor/generator on the front of the engine and it will use regen from the P2 motor/generator in the transmission. It will work to use the electric energy when demand calls for a little more and it will work to charge when it sees demand is low, or when going down a hill or when decelerating.
Esave is a greatly misunderstood mode. The key thing to focus on is the word SAVE. It is either holding the battery at whatever point you start at or it is charging depending on how you set it in the sub-menus in the Uconnect. Keep in mind, Esave is the least efficient mode. It requires the vehicle to work harder. Because of the first law of thermodynamics and the electrical properties involved with battery charging, it puts a heavier load on the vehicle. Unless you truly want to save the battery for later use, there's no point in using Esave. Some people say to put the Wrangler 4XE in Esave on the highway then hybrid when you get to where you are going. If you truly want to save the battery for use later, that's one thing. But the overall most efficient operation will come from hybrid mode.
Hope that all helps. Please forgive me speaking negatively of a sales person. I know they do their best. But since I admin the Wrangler 4XE Fans group on Facebook, I have received several stories from people that have been horribly bad information given by sales people. Two people that I know of bought the Wrangler 4XE believing it would get 49MPG because there are so many people that don't understand the difference between MPG and MPGE. Other sales people have told people to alway put the Wrangler 4XE in Esave. It's just a lot of stuff that comes from a place of not understanding this vehicle.
