Hi,
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Originally Posted by johnunit
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1. Does B not involve running of the engine, and therefore increased fuel consumption, or is it purely using the engine for drag (an extra dose of friction for the wheels/drivetrain to be slowed by), and therefore no using any fuel? How does fuel/battery power consumption at a given speed over the point where the engine stays on compare between N and B?
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There is some fuel burn but even in "B", the indicated fuel consumption is greater than 100 MPG. To see the exact value, you'll need a ScanGauge II which is a good idea for maintenance and tuning your driving routes.
The primary reason for using "B" on hills with at least a mile horizontal and 500 ft drop is to reduce battery 'heat pumping.' Charging NiMH batteries is exothermic and a series of hills like this can easily raise the traction battery temperature +10C. Heat is the enemy of our traction batteries and especially the old style, NHW11 modules.
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnunit
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2. At what point is the battery charged enough that I'm stressing it and/or causing the system to just burn it off through spinning the engine? Specifically, where is this in relation to the approximate point where the SOC reads full? Is hitting full at all stressing and causing the system to burn electricity off, or is it at some point past nominal "full" on the factory display?
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It isn't the absolute SOC but the change, the increase in SOC that heats the traction battery. If driving over hilly terrain, monitor the energy flow into and out of the traction battery. As the quantity of charge change occurs the four traction battery temperatures will increase. This is much easier to monitor with a ScanGauge II and the XGAUGE functions to see traction battery metrics.
Bob Wilson