HOW TO USE correctly OR SHIFT B GEARS FOR FUEL ECONOMY

i bought a used phev outlander from japan 22000km used..and on japan use it shows 35.5km/L fuel economy..but i cannot achived half of that target..mostly aroung 15-16 km/L .... i wanna know how to shit B gear while driving..what are the occations to use B gear.. is it good or bad to use B gear at traffic(town areas) as also i like it gives me feeling of manual driving..is it fuel economy?? please dear friends please post how to use B gears for fuel economy level....


HOW TO USE OR SHIFT B GEARS FOR FUEL ECONOMY AND MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY DRIVING SPEED.. I MOSTLY DRIVE 60-80 KM/h

I'm not sure I'm the best one to give advice, as I've only had mine for 6 weeks. But I'd say you should definitely drive with B on - it's free electricity! I assume your model has the flappy paddles on the steering wheel that allow you to select between B0-B5 as you go along, but I tend to leave it in B5 most of the time. The braking effect isn't really much greater than changing down in a conventional car, and the only time I alter the B-level is to achieve the desired speed when coasting down hills (of which I do a fair amount, living in the Chilterns).

If you have a manual, I'd recommend studying it (I know it's a long, heavy read), or you can download it from the links in this forum (or simply search for PHEV manual).

ChrisMiller said:

I'm not sure I'm the best one to give advice, as I've only had mine for 6 weeks. But I'd say you should definitely drive with B on - it's free electricity! If you have a manual, I'd recommend studying it (I know it's a long, heavy read), or you can download it from the links in this forum (or simply search for PHEV manual).

Click to expand...

Wouldn't say it's "free" electricity, as you would also have to put more back to regain any speed you lose by slowing down. I think the default of B2 is fine as it behaves much like a combustion engine car. I mostly leave it in that and use the paddles as I would downshifting in a manual car when I go downhill.
I don't think it makes much difference to the battery range one way or another.

HHL said:

ChrisMiller said:

I'm not sure I'm the best one to give advice, as I've only had mine for 6 weeks. But I'd say you should definitely drive with B on - it's free electricity! If you have a manual, I'd recommend studying it (I know it's a long, heavy read), or you can download it from the links in this forum (or simply search for PHEV manual).

Click to expand...

Wouldn't say it's "free" electricity, as you would also have to put more back to regain any speed you lose by slowing down. I think the default of B2 is fine as it behaves much like a combustion engine car. I mostly leave it in that and use the paddles as I would downshifting in a manual car when I go downhill.
I don't think it makes much difference to the battery range one way or another.

Click to expand...

Agreed... I do think that you can get some benefit from driving on B0 provided your driving style allows you to exploit it by looking far ahead and letting the car coast down slowly but I see little evidence that playing with the other B settings makes any noticeable difference to running economy.

anjuhiru said:

i bought a used phev outlander from japan 22000km used..and on japan use it shows 35.5km/L fuel economy..but i cannot achived half of that target..mostly aroung 15-16 km/L .... i wanna know how to shit B gear while driving..what are the occations to use B gear.. is it good or bad to use B gear at traffic(town areas) as also i like it gives me feeling of manual driving..is it fuel economy?? please dear friends please post how to use B gears for fuel economy level....


HOW TO USE OR SHIFT B GEARS FOR FUEL ECONOMY AND MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY DRIVING SPEED.. I MOSTLY DRIVE 60-80 KM/h

Click to expand...

Use of B paddles is never going to make the difference you are looking for. Not even close. IMHO, you should look at more important things first: how often do you charge it externally (Type 1 or ChaDeMo)? How many kilometres between charges? In average.

Should have made it clearer that I don't coast on the level - I just engage cruise control and let it sort things out. But living where I do, every trip involves going up and down 15% gradients, so regenerative braking seems to make a difference to electric range, as you'd logically expect. Another regular destination (or rather, it's en route) is Milton Keynes, which for those that aren't familiar with it means 10 miles of unrestricted dual carriageway with roundabouts every few hundred yards. In a conventional car this absolutely destroys your fuel consumption, but in the PHEV I can use regenerative braking to slow and then power out of the roundabouts without (as long as I use cruise control to regain my set speed) staring the petrol engine.

anko said:

anjuhiru said:

i bought a used phev outlander from japan 22000km used..and on japan use it shows 35.5km/L fuel economy..but i cannot achived half of that target..mostly aroung 15-16 km/L .... i wanna know how to shit B gear while driving..what are the occations to use B gear.. is it good or bad to use B gear at traffic(town areas) as also i like it gives me feeling of manual driving..is it fuel economy?? please dear friends please post how to use B gears for fuel economy level....


HOW TO USE OR SHIFT B GEARS FOR FUEL ECONOMY AND MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY DRIVING SPEED.. I MOSTLY DRIVE 60-80 KM/h

Click to expand...

Use of B paddles is never going to make the difference you are looking for. Not even close. IMHO, you should look at more important things first: how often do you charge it externally (Type 1 or ChaDeMo)? How many kilometres between charges? In average.

Click to expand...

All of those - and simple good driving too! Look and plan ahead, moderate acceleration and deceleration - and you will significantly improve your running economy.

anko said:

anjuhiru said:

i bought a used phev outlander from japan 22000km used..and on japan use it shows 35.5km/L fuel economy..but i cannot achived half of that target..mostly aroung 15-16 km/L .... i wanna know how to shit B gear while driving..what are the occations to use B gear.. is it good or bad to use B gear at traffic(town areas) as also i like it gives me feeling of manual driving..is it fuel economy?? please dear friends please post how to use B gears for fuel economy level....


HOW TO USE OR SHIFT B GEARS FOR FUEL ECONOMY AND MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY DRIVING SPEED.. I MOSTLY DRIVE 60-80 KM/h

Click to expand...

Use of B paddles is never going to make the difference you are looking for. Not even close. IMHO, you should look at more important things first: how often do you charge it externally (Type 1 or ChaDeMo)? How many kilometres between charges? In average.

Click to expand...

Agree. The paddles are useful in the mountains, but will only make a marginal difference in normal conditions. Frequent charging and driving style are the keywords. Avoid pushing the brake pedal beyond regen and into friction braking and don't treat the accelerator pedal like an on-off switch.
BTW, the paddles are not a gear shifting system, they only control the amount of resistance the electric motors offer by generating electricity.

jaapv said:

BTW, the paddles are not a gear shifting system, they only control the amount of resistance the electric motors offer by generating electricity.

Click to expand...

Agreed, but if you use the joystick, you can simulate engine braking by flicking first to B3 and then B5 and, of course, it feels like you are "changing gear" for those of us not used to autos

See my post on page 10 of 'Steamed up'.
I was taught yesterday by local Mitsubishi sales manager how to use the paddles properly. He regularly gets 30 miles on EV when starting from a 24mile estimate.
I did a trip today starting with 24 miles on the guessometer. Using the paddles as instructed, I achieved 22.8 on the odometer. This was in town and cross country, using A&B roads.
Ambient temp uper 40s f.

ChrisMiller said:

I'm not sure I'm the best one to give advice, as I've only had mine for 6 weeks. But I'd say you should definitely drive with B on - it's free electricity! I assume your model has the flappy paddles on the steering wheel that allow you to select between B0-B5 as you go along, but I tend to leave it in B5 most of the time. The braking effect isn't really much greater than changing down in a conventional car, and the only time I alter the B-level is to achieve the desired speed when coasting down hills (of which I do a fair amount, living in the Chilterns).

If you have a manual, I'd recommend studying it (I know it's a long, heavy read), or you can download it from the links in this forum (or simply search for PHEV manual).

Click to expand...

you mean every time on B? .. is it slowing in a normal road rather than traffic condition using B5 cause it cause more more breaking??

HHL said:

ChrisMiller said:

I'm not sure I'm the best one to give advice, as I've only had mine for 6 weeks. But I'd say you should definitely drive with B on - it's free electricity! If you have a manual, I'd recommend studying it (I know it's a long, heavy read), or you can download it from the links in this forum (or simply search for PHEV manual).

Click to expand...

Wouldn't say it's "free" electricity, as you would also have to put more back to regain any speed you lose by slowing down. I think the default of B2 is fine as it behaves much like a combustion engine car. I mostly leave it in that and use the paddles as I would downshifting in a manual car when I go downhill.
I don't think it makes much difference to the battery range one way or another.

Click to expand...

yeah me also tried B2..AND it is less breaking than B3 and no need to accelerate again compared to B3..SO i also preferred B2..are you tried B gears on town areas??i feel lovely as it gives pleasure of manual riding ..:-D soo changing B gears on traffic is it energy saving or energy wasting??

ChrisMiller said:

Should have made it clearer that I don't coast on the level - I just engage cruise control and let it sort things out. But living where I do, every trip involves going up and down 15% gradients, so regenerative braking seems to make a difference to electric range, as you'd logically expect. Another regular destination (or rather, it's en route) is Milton Keynes, which for those that aren't familiar with it means 10 miles of unrestricted dual carriageway with roundabouts every few hundred yards. In a conventional car this absolutely destroys your fuel consumption, but in the PHEV I can use regenerative braking to slow and then power out of the roundabouts without (as long as I use cruise control to regain my set speed) staring the petrol engine.

Click to expand...

so myfriend is there any demo videos how to drive outlander with B gears?? any clue?? thanks for your advices

Carnut said:

See my post on page 10 of 'Steamed up'.
I was taught yesterday by local Mitsubishi sales manager how to use the paddles properly. He regularly gets 30 miles on EV when starting from a 24mile estimate.
I did a trip today starting with 24 miles on the guessometer. Using the paddles as instructed, I achieved 22.8 on the odometer. This was in town and cross country, using A&B roads.
Ambient temp uper 40s f.

Click to expand...

So, what exactly did he teach you?
You obviously failed the exam :lol:

Carnut said:

I was taught yesterday by local Mitsubishi sales manager how to use the paddles properly. He regularly gets 30 miles on EV when starting from a 24mile estimate.

Click to expand...

I would not take this all too serious. Let him explain the following to you: if he regularly achieves 30 actual EV miles, why is his estimate only 24 miles?

Typically, the only way to outperform the estimate by such a big number is a significant positive change in driving conditions, compared to the previous trip: lower speed, down hill instead of up hill, tail wind instead of head wind, higher ambient temperatures, that kind of things. But conditions cannot consistently improve. If I would drive to work in the morning via the motorway and would return home in the afternoon via secondary roads, I could probably beat the estimate every afternoon. But I would be defeated big time every morning.

Carnut said:

See my post on page 10 of 'Steamed up'.
I was taught yesterday by local Mitsubishi sales manager how to use the paddles properly. He regularly gets 30 miles on EV when starting from a 24mile estimate.
I did a trip today starting with 24 miles on the guessometer. Using the paddles as instructed, I achieved 22.8 on the odometer. This was in town and cross country, using A&B roads.
Ambient temp uper 40s f.

Click to expand...

My take on using properly? I cannot find much difference in playing the car like a piano or driving it normally. The computer setup is rather smart as it is in average driving conditions. I it is only when driving outside this zone that paddles, buttons etc. gain importance.

Carnut said:

See my post on page 10 of 'Steamed up'.
I was taught yesterday by local Mitsubishi sales manager how to use the paddles properly. He regularly gets 30 miles on EV when starting from a 24mile estimate.
I did a trip today starting with 24 miles on the guessometer. Using the paddles as instructed, I achieved 22.8 on the odometer. This was in town and cross country, using A&B roads.
Ambient temp uper 40s f.

Click to expand...

can u teach us also from that advice given to you by your mitshubishi manager???? it would be a big help to me.....

ChrisMiller said:

I'm not sure I'm the best one to give advice, as I've only had mine for 6 weeks. But I'd say you should definitely drive with B on - it's free electricity! I assume your model has the flappy paddles on the steering wheel that allow you to select between B0-B5 as you go along, but I tend to leave it in B5 most of the time. The braking effect isn't really much greater than changing down in a conventional car, and the only time I alter the B-level is to achieve the desired speed when coasting down hills (of which I do a fair amount, living in the Chilterns).

If you have a manual, I'd recommend studying it (I know it's a long, heavy read), or you can download it from the links in this forum (or simply search for PHEV manual).

Click to expand...

I read the manual..but i could not find the exact page of informations regarding how to drive and what are the occasions of using B gears page.....

anjuhiru said:

....I read the manual..but i could not find the exact page of informations regarding how to drive and what are the occasions of using B gears page.....

Click to expand...

The Mitsubishi web site has some informative videos on various subjects relating to the PHEV, including use of regen braking but all worth a look;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikS6fauvCyk

Here's another one which you may find useful;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYuNQ965kEY

JimB

First thing to clear up is the fact that the paddles do NOT operate gears. the only gears the car has is a CVT transmission twixt ICE and generator to stop the engine over-revving at high speed.( Had to 'phone Colt Cars in Cirencester to ascertain this, so it is straight from the horse's mouth!) They control the amount of energy being put into the battery. As with any electrical generator, the more power going in the more difficult it is to turn.
Think of them as brakes.
As far as HHL's comment goes. Yes I was not as pleased with myself as I had hoped but it WAS only the first time I had been on a longish run so I blame lack of practice.
As far as the SM's achievement goes . I wondered how he did it as well?

I have searched YOUTUBE for a video but cannot find one.
All I can tell you is what I wrote in my 'Steamed up' thread. quoted below.


I was driving off using left paddle on 5 and only easing off if it slowed me down too much. Apparently you have to drive nearly ALL the time on ZERO regen, using the 2 ton weight of the car to coast , which it does with consummate ease over very long distances. then crank on enough regen to slow you down at junctions or preceding traffic, then footbrake to stop you if required,
back to ZERO regen as you pull away. etc.
I was using the steep hills to put MORE juice (5) back in the battery and often slowing down too much and if it was hill>dip then up> another hill, I was obviously using much more EV to get up the second hill than I put in going down the first. Coast down, using momentum to get you up as much of the up gradient as possible.
So to try and make it clearer.
Use ECO button at all times. Use zero when driving. coming to a traffic light, junction or queue of cars . crank on as much left paddle as is required to slow you down. DO NOT BRAKE until you have to. as soon as you move off decrease regen using right paddle back to zero.

Or if you can't be bothered with all this faffing about just leave it on TWO!