PHEV

whydoibother

Just wondering… does a PHEV charge itself whilst driving or do you really need to plug it into the wall for several hours? I’m thinking of the Kia Niro PHEV in particular.

thanks

Miscreant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058289920/phev

A PHEV will act like a normal hybrid and send excess energy to the battery when it is available. If the Niro PHEV is anything like my Ioniq PHEV, you have to put the car in "sport" mode to fully charge the battery (on a long journey though). Otherwise, you are just getting energy recovery from coasting and braking as usual.

To get the full benefit of the PHEV system though, you should really be charging it regularly. If you don't, then you may as well have just bought a standard hybrid as you will have wasted your money.

Do you have a facility to charge it at home? I am using the 3-pin charger that came with the car (granny cable) and it is perfectly fine on my driveway. If you are unable to charge from home, I would be thinking about a different car and I know the Niro also has a standard hybrid version so that might be worth you looking at instead.

Berty

I have a Tuscon PHEV, not long, but when I have depleted the battery it runs into Hybrid or HEV mode(should be the same as a Kia). It get the energy from coasting and braking. So when going downhill or approaching trafffic lights I don't brake as much anymore, I allow the car to use regenerative braking to get some energy back. Even on Hybrid mode I have essentially halved the fuel consumption of the 2.0 Diesel I had on the same journeys.

whydoibother

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405154#Comment_120405154

I would rather the standard hybrid but I don’t like how it looks inside. The PHEV is much nicer. I really like it. Just not sure if I could charge it to 100% whilst driving or not. Thanks for your advice anyway!

whydoibother

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405180#Comment_120405180

Yes, that’s the same with me. I currently have a 1.9 diesel Passat that I kept for over 15 years. Not even sure if I should buy a new car straight out with money I have saved or pay it monthly so I might be able to change car in a few years time…

VikingG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405349#Comment_120405349

You will not charge it to 100% while driving, in particular motorway driving - with city driving you will charge while slowing down but that will not fill the battery. It does not make sense to buy a PHEV and never plug it in. You are simply carrying more battery weight and reducing your efficiency and increasing your cost.

kanuseeme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405349#Comment_120405349

You should only worry about plugging in at night rate electricity, from memory that car should do 5.5l/100km on petrol or 50 mpg, so if you are making a 100km trip, you get 40 on battery and the rest on petrol you should get 85 mpg, no need to worry about charging while driving, more driving you do on battery the better your overall mpg will be, for example, 100 km at 50mpg, 100 km on the battery over time, you are now on 100mpg for the 200km.

Even using day rate electricity, 40 km would save 80 cents over petrol.

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058289920/phev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405349#Comment_120405349

As others said, it will send some energy to the battery while driving but only small amounts. You need to plug it in, otherwise its pointless buying a PHEV.

I would rather the standard hybrid but I don’t like how it looks inside. The PHEV is much nicer.

Are you comparing the like for like specs of both? The inside of the hybrid should be somewhat similar to the PHEV if you buy the same trim level... K2, K3, K4 is usually what Kia use. But I haven't sat in the hybrid so Im not sure.

whydoibother

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120406579#Comment_120406579

yes, you would be right in what you say if only in Ireland they had a K4 on the hybrids but they do not, they only sell model K3 in Ireland.

The plug in hybrids are the only ones that sell k4 in Ireland. I think it’s different in the uk?

ozmo

What kind of electrical outlet do you need at home to charge it.

Would a standard household 13A socket(external) be ok and would that be enough to charge to full overnight?

Or do you have to go full EV chargepoint for the home? Are they compatible with the EV Chargers at say shopping centres?

ta.

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410272#Comment_120410272

You can use a 13A socket. Most EVs will come with what they call a granny cable which will have a 3 pin plug on it.

It will charge much slower though, hence “granny” cable!

They are not recommended for long term use as sockets can wear out, overheat and be a fire hazard for prolonged use as the socket would be operating at its max for hours on end everyday. Lots of us have done it and it works, just not recommended.

Better long term option is proper charge point which will charge 3 times faster and has proper weather proofing and designed for the job. Obviously a lot more expensive though but it’s for long term use, not just the first EV you buy so see it as a house improvement not a cost to buy your first EV.

Miscreant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410272#Comment_120410272

I don't have a dedicated charger at home so use a standard 13A socket. It is enough to charge the battery overnight at a max of 10A so you get about 2KW output. Some PHEVs also allow you to set the max charge current in the headunit to 8A so would tax the socket even less.

Overall, yes, you can charge from a standard household socket long term with a PHEV and still get a full charge. It may take up to 5 hours, depending on battery size and state of charge. Mine is usually done within 4 hours as my car has an 8.5KWh battery onboard.

Most PHEVs are compatible with public chargers and I have used them several times over the course of my ownership. I have charging available in work and a Type 2 cable came with the car so I avail of that facility when in the office. I have also charged at a couple of LIDL chargers without issue. Some people look down on PHEVs using the public infrastructure, but I figure that if there is no-one charging at the time, then there should not be a problem. I would not, however, rely on the public infrastructure as a permanent solution. It is far and away more expensive than charging at home.

ozmo

Thanks - I actually have 16A plugs within reach of the driveway - put in for a welding project I was working on years ago -

Four hours would be fine to charge... not sure of switching to NightTime rate just yet though - head horror stories of it working out More expensive as daytime charges can be higher.

Miscreant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410553#Comment_120410553

I'm still on a standard day rate anyway but it works out reasonably OK. Since last year though, the cost to charge my car has gone from about 90c to just under €4 but as I have decent charging availability at work, I tend to use that more often. If I switched to a night rate, I could charge the car for about €1.20 but for the moment, it would not make sense to switch. I definitely will be switching once my EV arrives though.

ozmo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120411936#Comment_120411936

Yeah - maybe for a Full EV and you can time it to charge only at, I think 2am to 4am, it might make sense...

But I will hook up one of those electricity usage monitors and see my exact usage before I will switch to a smart meter...

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/10/17/will-my-smart-meter-cost-me-more-and-can-i-make-it-work-for-me

https://www.irishmirror.ie/lifestyle/im-expert-you-should-switch-29133051

Turner

Would i be right in saying the only place its worthwhile to charge a plug in hybrid is at home (my night rate is 13c per kw/hr) or somewhere with free electricity, like work.

There is absolutely no point in charging it at a pay for electricity charger at a garage / shopping ctr if the rates at 50c+ a kw/hr. To get the 30-50kms or whatever of electric driving.

It would be much cheaper just to drive on petrol at 1.50 a liter.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405349#Comment_120405349

In my experience you’ll only charge it to about 5% or so from regular driving. If your not going to plug it in then your fuel efficiency will be quite bad

whydoibother

Thanks. Yes, I got a charger online that’s very good, it charges perfectly in less than 4 hours. I can drive to town and back then on the electric charge alone.