C5X Hybrid

[Matt101]

Hi can anyone help... recently my C5X hybrid has developed an issue.. when I select Hybrid as usual and move away it would always stay in electric mode until I accelerate hard or when the vehicle decides it needs to swap from electric to petrol... HOWEVER . now when I drive away in only a few yards the engine comes on. It is still running on electric power as i can see from the touch screen power distribution information. it goes to idol 1400rpm ( cold) down to 800 rpm ( warm) and stays on. it will take over from electric mode as and when it decides to but never goes off unless I stop. then the routine is repeated... if I set to electric mode only it will run on electric, engine will not come on AS it should be. Now this is effecting MPG was getting 150pmg on average ( with my kind of commute ) that`s come down to 105mph in a few days. ANY idea please!! thanks.

[mickthemaverick]

I'm not the best person to answer this, but my suggestion would be that the car detects the accessory battery to be low and so starts the engine to charge it. If that is the case an overnight charge of the 12V battery should remedy it. Hopefully other far more knowledgeable members will come and tell you if I am talking rubbish and hopefully point you in the right direction!

[DS9]

What Mick says sounds very plausible. I had a thing with my DS9 that when stood the 12v battery seemed to deplete very quickly to an extent I was thinking of buying one of those drip/ trickle feed solar panels to plug into the 12v socket when it's stood for a while. Can be as cheap as £30.

I'm sure Stu with his experience will have a solid view on this.

[Sloppysod]

Mick and Ds9 are correct, as the owners manual states. drive the car for around 30-40 miles in hybrid(Comfort)/Power mode, running the engine will first charge your 12v battery under the bonnet, then charge the auxiliary battery (found it the centre armrest).
Another symptom of a low auxiliary battery is your keyless entry doesn't always work

[DS9]

Found something out yesterday.

Driving from central London to Brighton about 60 miles. Didn't want to waste the traction battery as it's handy around town. Was on about 85% at the start, used 5% getting out and then maybe 10% around Oxshott, and 5% around Brighton. These were all deliberate and using electric mode.

I found.... well nearly a way to do it. Sports mode. Unlike past sports mode cars I've had the C5x doesn't hold a lower gear so that's good, but with that activated it runs the engine, and I wasn't in esave mode.

I didn't quite retain all the battery but it drains far slower. At one stage I swapped to comfort and it was running on battery at 77mph, I didnt want that so swapped back. All the time on the motorway in sports mode it was using the engine.

Got to Brighton at 55% and ended up at 54mpg.

[Sloppysod]

Trouble with staying in sports mode you loose the softer suspension setting, i also though there is reduction in blower speed when aircon on auto, I think the steering tightens up a bit - I think
Are you sure the gears are not held for longer!?

[DS9]

I missed this, didnt have alerts on. There is a few things.

At the moment I'm not really noticing much, if any marked difference in suspension modes but didn't you say this only kicks in at 31mph and I'm spending a fair bit of time well below that. Yesterday I drove 12 miles in total and it took me 1hr 40min, lol. All on battery.

The aircon seemed to be the same to me, it's normally set to 21 auto.

The steering definitely weighs up a bit but the gearbox seems to be in the same gear at a given speed vs other modes. Like D8 at 70mph, in other cars I've had it would be holding D7 in sports mode.

The annoying thing about it was the throttle response becomes more eager so with the ACC on rather than smoothly braking or accelerating as in other modes it does this quicker.

On the way home I did the same. Battery dropped maybe 15% or so I think. Still above 50mpg.

Edit: Just remembered that I was going to try something else. I started the round trip well above 50% battery and wondered if I put esave on the 12 mile option if the battery would have depleted down to about half and then would stay unusued...or if it would have dropped down and then you'd get this situation of the battery being used and then the engine charging it back up.