Silence Is Golden................or Not As The Case May Be

[bluenose1940]

I seem to remember seeing in all the advertising blurb on th IS300h, something along the lines of "not waking the neighbours when pulling off your drive in the early hours" This obviously relates to the car being totally silent when first started up.

When I start my car, sure enough it is indeed silent when the word 'READY' pops up but, within a very short time and, whilst I am still on the drive, the engine kicks in and then I'm just the same as all of my neighbours.

Is this normal, do you experience the same or, is there something wrong with my car? This has always been the same since I bought the car in February.

Should I be pressing the EV button when driving off in the early hours? I wouldn't have thought so myself.

[darrude]

Think it is when the climate control system is on. I've noticed when it is cold the engine seems to stay on a lot more to heat the cabin up, if you turn the HVAC system off the engine doesn't seem to come as much. Although still does start to heat the engine on when it is really cold.

[Zotto]

The point is not awaking neighbours coming home in EV at 4 in the morning ;-)

[Deadloak]

The engine is not the issue where I am. As you can't go down a gravel drive even on foot, without making a noise. Although it is a good deterent. :)

David.

[C Mclean]

My engine starts up after reversing about 10 feet un a very slight slope, not tried it with the HVAC set to off though.

[200h]

try selecting the ev mode before you move off as long as you have enough charge the engine shouldn't cut in.

something i have noticed over the last few weeks is first thing in the morning i can't get the car to go into ev mode,

and found its because the actual cabin temperature (when engine coolant is cold) is lower than the

temperature selected for the cabin, if you lower the cabin temperature the car will then go into ev.

[ColinBarber]

Should I be pressing the EV button when driving off in the early hours? I wouldn't have thought so myself.

Yes that is the only way to do it, press as soon as the vehicle goes 'Ready'. You have to be very gentle with the accelerator on the IS otherwise it will come out of EV and stop you going into EV again until the system has gone through a warming cycle. When cold the max speed is limited to 20 mph, once warm the forced EV mode allows up to 30 mph.

[ganzoom]

Despite all the advertising the IS300H isn't an EV. It's a petrol car that uses hybrid tech to allow an Atkins combustion cycle and kinetic energy recovery. The petrol engine comes on when cold because it needs to warm up like any other petrol car.

If you want a 'proper' EV hybrid plenty of other manfactures now offer plug in hybrids that will do 20 miles on EV mode alone.

[Deadloak]

In fairness, even if the petrol engine kicks in, it is hardly close to the volume of a diesel starting and ticking over from cold.

You'd need to be sleeping outside for it to be an issue :).

David.