I was able to get my EV mode to work at 5:00AM this morning; that's the only time it has ever worked. I'm wondering if it won't work when it gets hot out; if that's the case then the mod isn't much good to me if I live in Arizona. Does anybody have any experience with EV mode in that kind of an environment?
It'll work when it gets hot out, but if the battery is too hot, it will refuse EV mode. I was only able to activate EV mode 50% of the time during the hot days of summer last year in Vancouver, BC. The heat just makes it hard for the battery to cool.
I use it in the cooler months when I need to make quick trips w/ my kids to the bus stop or from the office to a data center we have down the street. In the hotter months, the demand for A/C alone kills the ability to use EV. Heat is also a contributing factor. Hope this helps.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(htmlspinnr @ Jun 6 2006, 11:38 AM) [snapback]266699[/snapback]</div> Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll have to wait until sometime in the fall to really try it out. It did come on once when I tried it at 5:00AM this morning so I assume that it works.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kevmac @ Jun 6 2006, 01:53 PM) [snapback]266790[/snapback]</div> How often does your battery compartment fan come on? I live in southern California and I can count on one hand the number of times that fan has come on. I also have the same issue with the car refusing EV mode when it's hot. So my question is, if the battery compartment is too hot for EV mode, why doesn't the freakin' fan come on to cool it? DGStan
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dgstan @ Jun 6 2006, 04:15 PM) [snapback]266880[/snapback]</div> I don't hear the fan come on too often; I have the same question that you do.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kevmac @ Jun 6 2006, 08:21 AM) [snapback]266646[/snapback]</div> I'll try it today and let you know the result. It suppose to be over 100, so, that shoud be a good test. I have EV installed but only used it a few times for short trips at night, never had an opportunity to use it durring hot days. I let you know tonight.
The freakin' fan doesn't run when the car is powered off, and as the cabin heats up in the sun, so do the batteries. And they're a significant thermal mass, so you aren't going to cool them down into EV-modeable range all that quickly. . One thing to try is go in the back and pull out the black plastic "seekrit luggage compartment" tray, and then feel the back of the metal battery case. If it feels warmer than you'd be comfortable with in your own environment as a human, then that's probably too hot for EV. . _H*
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Jun 8 2006, 01:40 AM) [snapback]267296[/snapback]</div> The UK Users Manual says as follows... Reading the battery temp through CAN messages, we found that we can't enter EV mode when it is 46 C and above. Ken@Japan
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CrazyRussian @ Jun 8 2006, 07:07 AM) [snapback]267863[/snapback]</div> MFD displayed 108 for outside temperature and the car refused to switch to EV mode both times I attempted it.
I wonder if at 5:00am you don't have the air going and later in the day you do?... the heavy load from the airconditioner will often not let EV activate.
