Not using battery

[p207769]

Good morning

Wondering if anyone else has this issue.

It appears that whenever the heater is on the power seems to switch from battery to engine power. It just doesn't drive from the battery when the heater is on.

This means it's costing loads in petrol now!

Anyone else had this or know how to make it stop?

Many thanks

 

[Neverfuel]

Good morning

Wondering if anyone else has this issue.

It appears that whenever the heater is on the power seems to switch from battery to engine power. It just doesn't drive from the battery when the heater is on.

This means it's costing loads in petrol now!

Anyone else had this or know how to make it stop?

Many thanks

Have you got a GX3h model year 2015 by any chance?

This model does not have an electric heater fitted so uses the engine to warm the car.

 

[maby]

Good morning

Wondering if anyone else has this issue.

It appears that whenever the heater is on the power seems to switch from battery to engine power. It just doesn't drive from the battery when the heater is on.

This means it's costing loads in petrol now!

Anyone else had this or know how to make it stop?

Many thanks

Have you got a GX3h model year 2015 by any chance?

This model does not have an electric heater fitted so uses the engine to warm the car.

:twisted: This thread is starting early this year!

As stated, the GX3h only has petrol heating, so will always run the engine if the ambient temperature is below the temperature you've set on the climate control. The GX4h has an electric heater that will postpone the use of petrol for heating till later in the winter, but even GX4s will burn petrol to warm up the car when the ambient temperature approaches zero.

 

[p207769]

Hi, yes I have a 2015 GX3. Is there any way of making it stop? It doesn't seem to use any battery at all when the heater is on. Only petrol!

 

[Neverfuel]

Hi, yes I have a 2015 GX3. Is there any way of making it stop? It doesn't seem to use any battery at all when the heater is on. Only petrol!

The only way is to turn down the temperature to its minimum, but the engine will still start up if the outside temperature is much different to the car. The other way is to turn off the heating completely and use the seat heaters.

 

[maby]

Hi, yes I have a 2015 GX3. Is there any way of making it stop? It doesn't seem to use any battery at all when the heater is on. Only petrol!

Turn the heater off - or set the temperature as low as it will go - that way you can still have the fan for some fresh air.

You will find that when the temperature drops a bit lower your petrol consumption is going to climb anyway - the EV range drops off quite a lot as the ambient temperature drops - due to a combination of increased rolling resistance in cold tyres and increased viscosity of cold air. Don't get too paranoid about it - it will improve again as soon as the weather warms up.

 

[maby]

Hi, yes I have a 2015 GX3. Is there any way of making it stop? It doesn't seem to use any battery at all when the heater is on. Only petrol!

The only way is to turn down the temperature to its minimum, but the engine will still start up if the outside temperature is much different to the car. The other way is to turn off the heating completely and use the seat heaters.

Does a GX3 have seat heaters?

 

[p207769]

I don't even have seat heaters! I honestly thought it would have an alternate heating method!

Thanks for your help

 

[maby]

I don't even have seat heaters! I honestly thought it would have an alternate heating method!

Thanks for your help

'fraid not - that was always one of the primary differences between a GX3 and GX4. In the GX3, you either wear a lot of warm clothes in the winter, or burn petrol. On the plus side, the GX3 is sufficiently cheaper than the GX4 that it takes a long time for the increased petrol consumption to negate the saving.

The GX4 electric heater only postpones the day when it starts burning petrol - when the temperature out there gets down to around 5 degrees or lower, we will all be either shivering or burning a fair amount.

 

[Grigou]

The only way is to turn down the temperature to its minimum, but the engine will still start up if the outside temperature is much different to the car.

Never seen that on my car with the temperature set to 15°C, even when the external temperature is very cold (lower than 0°C) :shock:

 

[PeterGalbavy]

My dealer was very clear on the subject when I was considering models as I knew the £100/month difference in lease costs was not worth it for the toys I knew about, but I didn't realise about the heater. Same as above, a little petrol to warm the car is never going to reach even 10% of the price difference for my driving profile. Once the car is warm I turn off the ventilation and it stays that way. Misting of the windows is the only issue, and it's a real shame the front window is not heated.

 

[user 816]

at least Mitsubishi have learnt from this and for 2016 now do the 3+ which is just a 3 with the electric heater.

I saw on other forums many disgruntled Motability drivers wanting to send the car back, the funding wouldn't cover a 4 but a plug-in car really suited their local trip profiles so horrified to be using so much fuel for heat with the 3. I hope the 3+ is within the motobility price range.

 

[greendwarf]

My dealer was very clear on the subject when I was considering models as I knew the £100/month difference in lease costs was not worth it for the toys I knew about, but I didn't realise about the heater. Same as above, a little petrol to warm the car is never going to reach even 10% of the price difference for my driving profile. Once the car is warm I turn off the ventilation and it stays that way. Misting of the windows is the only issue, and it's a real shame the front window is not heated.

But you can run the demister from the battery without firing up the ICE @ 15C.

However, to go back to the OP. Its not correct to say that the battery is not being used when he ICE is running - watch the energy flow display. it goes first to the battery and then from battery to wheels. Thus any "surplus" energy not used for heating will recharge the battery if not being used for driving the wheels (unless battery is full) :mrgreen:

 

[maby]

Energy flow while the engine is running for heating is another of those controversial PHEV topics! I do believe that the car tends towards Save mode during that period - which seems to make excellent sense if you think about it. Once the engine is started, there is a definite lower limit to petrol consumption and, in practice, you want to run it at relatively high revs in order to heat it up quickly - the same as the traditional advice to not warm up the engine in a conventional car by letting it tick over. If the battery is close to flat, then it will certainly gain some extra charge during this period. If it is close to fully charged, then the car will not draw it down unnecessarily while the engine is running for heating - it makes more sense to burn the petrol required to warm the car up and also to generate the power required to move it, and save the battery for EV running later on once the car is up to temperature.

 

[PeterGalbavy]

Thus any "surplus" energy not used for heating will recharge the battery if not being used for driving the wheels (unless battery is full) :mrgreen:

... which it almost always is (full) first thing in the morning when it's cold. As I have found

 

[TomPHEV]

I'very seen mini fan hearers that run off the cigarette lighter socket - what about using one of those to warm the cabin?

And if you did, would it run off the 12V lead acid battery and not the drive battery?

 

[Neverfuel]

In my opinion, It would run off the Auxiliary battery but would only run when the car was on "ready" or "ACC". I assume that because the car had only just been switched on - no significant heating would occur within a short period of time and the engine would still start up anyway. Got a GX4hs so please correct me if I am wrong GX3 owners who have tried it.

 

[PeterGalbavy]

I though of mini fan heaters but the stated output of the lighter sockets is very low in the PHEV (60W I think) and many of the ones I saw were 120-150W units.

 

[greendwarf]

Thus any "surplus" energy not used for heating will recharge the battery if not being used for driving the wheels (unless battery is full) :mrgreen:

... which it almost always is (full) first thing in the morning when it's cold. As I have found

But I find that when I first get in the car, I can easily cope with the lack of heat. It is a bit later that I start to feel it and then, of course, the battery is no longer full

 

[anko]

The only way is to turn down the temperature to its minimum, but the engine will still start up if the outside temperature is much different to the car.

Never seen that on my car with the temperature set to 15°C, even when the external temperature is very cold (lower than 0°C) :shock:

+1.