I've had my CX-90 PHEV Premium Plus for 4 months now and really enjoy it so far. I'm wondering if there is any way to stop the vehicle from depleting the battery while driving so that the 1500W power outlet could be used for something like a camping trip after you have driven a longer distance. I can't seem to find a way that is possible. All the drive modes deplete the battery fairly quickly. Seems like that should be an option and make the plug more meaningful. I don't need it at home and otherwise I'm limited to traveling a short distance before its gone. Any feedback is much appreciated.
CX-90 PHEV - Can the battery use be turned off while driving to save for later?
- Thread starter Mazdurch
- Start date
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- 2024 CX90 PHEV Premium Plus
I think the only way to not use battery power is to keep in it normal mode and drive as smoothly as possible with slow starts. Don’t push the pedal more than 1/2 way. Keep an eye on the power gauge to see if you’re using power.
If I understand charging mode correctly, it’s an extension of EV mode. When in charging mode, the car moves only on battery power. The ICE will turn on specially to charge the battery when the battery drops below X% and turn off when Y% charge capacity is met.
I don’t think there’s a way to “lock out” battery usage other than trying to circumvent algorithms.
If I understand charging mode correctly, it’s an extension of EV mode. When in charging mode, the car moves only on battery power. The ICE will turn on specially to charge the battery when the battery drops below X% and turn off when Y% charge capacity is met.
I don’t think there’s a way to “lock out” battery usage other than trying to circumvent algorithms.
I dont think that is how charging mode works. Charging mode is like driving in normal mode, but additional power from the engine is sent to recharge the battery. For example, if your battery is low but you know you can’t plug in to recharge it at your destination, you can ask the car to recharge the battery while you are driving to make sure you can use EV mode later or the next day.
The car doesn’t drive on EV mode only while in charging mode.
The penalty is that it is not as fuel efficient as driving in normal mode.
The car doesn’t drive on EV mode only while in charging mode.
The penalty is that it is not as fuel efficient as driving in normal mode.
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- 2024 CX90 PHEV Premium Plus
Correct, the car has to be in normal mode to use the charge button. On page 5–23 of the owners manual, it says a couple of times the engine is used as a generator.
That could mean the engine is powering the wheels, in addition to charging the battery, but doesn’t that happen anyways in normal mode? If charge mode does use the engine exclusively as a generator, that would be similar to modes offered in other vehicles.
I know in the last gen Honda Accord, it had a mode where the engine specifically juiced up the battery, and it was the electric motors that provided the go power (just like how diesel locomotives work).
The manual is not very concise on exactly how the power train operates in each mode. I wonder if there’s a power distribution diagram on the center display that shows which components are generating power and where the power is going
That could mean the engine is powering the wheels, in addition to charging the battery, but doesn’t that happen anyways in normal mode? If charge mode does use the engine exclusively as a generator, that would be similar to modes offered in other vehicles.
I know in the last gen Honda Accord, it had a mode where the engine specifically juiced up the battery, and it was the electric motors that provided the go power (just like how diesel locomotives work).
The manual is not very concise on exactly how the power train operates in each mode. I wonder if there’s a power distribution diagram on the center display that shows which components are generating power and where the power is going
The engine still powers the wheels, but also sends extra power to recharge the batteries. In normal mode, the car will deplete the battery until it reaches a low charge level where it maintains it to ensure power remains available for acceleration. But it won’t recharge it back up to like 90% level. Regen braking will continue charging the battery but not the engine.
When you press charging mode, then the engine actively sends power to the battery to charge them.
When you press charging mode, then the engine actively sends power to the battery to charge them.
Thank you all for the input. I somehow missed the "Charge Mode" button but this seems to do essentially what I hoped for. It doesn't appear you can simply switch "off" the battery use but you can just set it in "Charge Mode" with a preset battery level and the vehicle will charge to that %%. I suppose you need to leave it in Charge Mode in order to maintain the battery charge level.
What can I do if I run out of battery charge on the road?
The CX-90 PHEV automatically switches over to the gas engine when the battery is depleted. While driving, the CX-90 PHEV can also deploy “Charge Mode” which utilizes the engine to charge the battery up to a preset level. While the CX-90 PHEV can operate on 100% electric power, you cannot operate the vehicle without gasoline in the tank.
What can I do if I run out of battery charge on the road?
The CX-90 PHEV automatically switches over to the gas engine when the battery is depleted. While driving, the CX-90 PHEV can also deploy “Charge Mode” which utilizes the engine to charge the battery up to a preset level. While the CX-90 PHEV can operate on 100% electric power, you cannot operate the vehicle without gasoline in the tank.
I had a long drive earlier this month so I played around with charge mode to see how much the mileage drops. Indeed, there is no free lunch. At interstate speeds (75-78 mph) in normal driving/ gas mode I was getting about 27.4 mpg. Without a lead foot I could probably up that a little. Florida, so the AC was blaring.
For 20 min or so I switched to charge mode and the mileage dropped to ~22 mpg.
That mileage drop in no way would be made up by any pure EV miles on the back end.
So I wouldn't recommend using charge mode unless there's a concrete reason why you need the battery charged at your destination. You pay too much for it to be worth it.
For 20 min or so I switched to charge mode and the mileage dropped to ~22 mpg.
That mileage drop in no way would be made up by any pure EV miles on the back end.
So I wouldn't recommend using charge mode unless there's a concrete reason why you need the battery charged at your destination. You pay too much for it to be worth it.
