ev mode not available hybrid battery low lexus is300h

[Rob Greenhalgh]

Hello everyone. I'm Rob and brand new to your club. I just got a 2017 Lexus is 300h this week. It has 75K miles on it. I have seen this notice coming up when starting  it up.

"ev mode not available hybrid Battery low"

Can any of you experts please tell me why this happens and could there be a problem with the hybrid Battery.

Thanks

Rob

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Rob and welcome to Lexus ownership and the best Lexus forum there is. Don't worry about this notice you see. All it means is that the traction Battery is low and won't drive your car on electric until it has reached a certain level. I've had 2 of these by the way and from memory there is a small display within the menu's which shows you the level of charge. 

Once a certain level of charge has been reached then with little throttle you'll be driving on electric. Max range is a low one about 4 or 5 miles at best. 

Best way to charge the traction Battery is by braking. Brake early But lightly. Example. You'll be used to braking about 30 foot from where you need/want to stop. Get in the habit of braking 50 or 60 foot but lightly. Also coasting charges it aswell. 

Have a look in the gen 3 IS section of this forum. Introduce yourself there and you'll find All the answers to your questions. 

Now enjoy your new car.

[Herbie]

Just to add to what Vlad says, I think he's being optimistic with EV range - I'd say more like two miles at most.

Anticipate the road ahead and brake gently. If stood at traffic lights or whatever and you think you'll be moving off within a couple of minutes, leave the car in D and just keep your foot on the brake. If you think it'll be longer before moving off, put the selector in P and you can then take your foot off the brake. Never put the car in N in these situations because the hybrid system will not charge the high voltage traction Battery if it's in N.

We, as the drivers or end-users of these magnificent beasts, never get full access to the whole capacity of the traction Battery, so the Battery charge indicator you'll see on the dash is only a representation of the state of charge of 'our' bit. Think of us being able to use the middle 60% but there's the first 20% and the last 20% we can't use. The graphic below explains it well:

[Mr Vlad]

Well said Herbie. When I had my 2nd one I could drive almost 4 miles on Battery alone. That's after travelling 9 miles on the motorway and having a 'full' Battery. I'm sure I mentioned that when I had that car. Time of day would be around 2.45am as I was on a 3am start then. Luxury. I'm now on a 2am start 🥺 some years later. 

[Kermitpwee]

17 hours ago, Rob Greenhalgh said:

Hello everyone. I'm Rob and brand new to your club. I just got a 2017 Lexus is 300h this week. It has 75K miles on it. I have seen this notice coming up when starting  it up.

"ev mode not available hybrid battery low"

Can any of you experts please tell me why this happens and could there be a problem with the hybrid battery.

Thanks

Rob

Totally normal, when the car starts it must warm up before it uses the hybrid Battery. The warning you are getting is routine. You can however trick the car! When you start the car immediately press the ev mode and it will run off the Battery at speeds less than 30kmh. If however you press the accelerator too hard and it comes out of ev mode it will not go back in until the car has warmed up.

[Herbie]

2 hours ago, Kermitpwee said:

Totally normal, when the car starts it must warm up before it uses the hybrid battery. The warning you are getting is routine. You can however trick the car! When you start the car immediately press the ev mode and it will run off the battery at speeds less than 30kmh. If however you press the accelerator too hard and it comes out of ev mode it will not go back in until the car has warmed up.

Sorry Peter but that's wrong.

It has nothing to do with being "warmed up" - it's completely governed by the state of charge.

[royoftherovers]

6 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Sorry Peter but that's wrong.

It has nothing to do with being "warmed up" - it's completely governed by the state of charge.

I deliberately held back on that very point as I knew you could not be far away Herbie and I could not possibly provide as an authoritative answer "as like wot you do"🤣🤣

Edited October 20, 2022 by royoftherovers
typo

[Spock66]

2 hours ago, Kermitpwee said:

Totally normal, when the car starts it must warm up before it uses the hybrid battery.

As other's have stated that is not strictly true, but as the weather gets colder you will find the hybrid system is more likely to start the engine as soon as drive mode is selected, primarily to heat the vehicle interior.

[Rob Greenhalgh]

Thanks so much to all you Lexus gurus. I'm staggered by how helpful you have all been, and so quickly. You have all put my mind at ease, now that I know there's no problem with my car.

I'm sure that I'll be back to you again in the future trying to figure out various details about the IS 300H.

Thanks again

Rob👍

[royoftherovers]

22 hours ago, Rob Greenhalgh said:

Hello everyone. I'm Rob and brand new to your club. I just got a 2017 Lexus is 300h this week. It has 75K miles on it. I have seen this notice coming up when starting  it up.

"ev mode not available hybrid battery low"

Can any of you experts please tell me why this happens and could there be a problem with the hybrid battery.

Thanks

Rob

Hello Rob and welcome to  Lexus Owners Club (L.O.C.).

Please let us all know what brought you to buy the Lexus.What did you have previously and what arrangements do you have for its servicing and maintenance ?

Did you get an Owners Handbook with the car and if so have you had a chance to glance at it?

A photograph or two ( of the car) would be most welcome.

We look forward to you joining in on our conversations.

[Kermitpwee]

3 hours ago, Herbie said:

Sorry Peter but that's wrong.

It has nothing to do with being "warmed up" - it's completely governed by the state of charge.

Correct me if I am wrong but does the hybrid system not go through a warm up cycle that is independent of the state of charge of the Battery?

I am not talking about warming the engine.

I thought that once you press the Start button you had a certain time to put it in electric before the warm up cycle starts.

I am talking about the first start of the day.

Can you please educate me?

Thanks

[royoftherovers]

19 minutes ago, Kermitpwee said:

Correct me if I am wrong but does the hybrid system not go through a warm up cycle that is independent of the state of charge of the battery?

I am not talking about warming the engine.

I thought that once you press the Start button you had a certain time to put it in electric before the warm up cycle starts.

I am talking about the first start of the day.

Can you please educate me?

Thanks

Why did you think that you had a certain amount of time Kerm ?

[Spock66]

29 minutes ago, Kermitpwee said:

Correct me if I am wrong but does the hybrid system not go through a warm up cycle that is independent of the state of charge of the battery?

If that was true it would be applicable to all electric vehicles.

The key components in a hybrid / electric vehicle are Battery, inverter and electric motor(s), none of which require warming up to achieve normal operational efficiency.

[Herbie]

40 minutes ago, Kermitpwee said:

Correct me if I am wrong but does the hybrid system not go through a warm up cycle that is independent of the state of charge of the battery?

I am not talking about warming the engine.

I thought that once you press the Start button you had a certain time to put it in electric before the warm up cycle starts.

I am talking about the first start of the day.

Can you please educate me?

Thanks

The start-up sequence is that you press the Start button and the 12V Battery pressurises the brakes and boots the computers to get the car into READY mode. At that point you can drive off using Battery power alone but you'd only get to the top of the street before the petrol engine kicks into life.

When the hybrid system wants to run the petrol engine it energises MG1 and uses that to spin up the engine to 1,000rpm before applying fuel and a spark to fire it.

The main thing in the context of this conversation is that once you see the green READY light on the dash, the hybrid system is up and running and it controls everything. As well as not having a traditional starter motor, hybrids don't have an alternator either. The DC/DC converter takes the 288V feed from the traction Battery and converts it to about 14.6V to run all the 12V systems and to charge the 12V Battery.

[NemesisUK]

From my handbook (it's essentially the same as stated in the RC300h handbook as well)

Switching to EV drive mode when the 
gasoline engine is cold
If the hybrid system is started while the gasoline engine is cold, the gasoline engine will 
start automatically after a short period of  time in order to warm up. In this case, you 
will become unable to switch to EV drive mode.
After the hybrid system has started and the  “READY” indicator has illuminated, press 
the EV drive mode switch before the gasoline engine starts to switch to EV drive 
mode.

When leaving early in the mornings, so as not to disturb the neighbours, I always switch to EV mode. I have to press the EV mode button before the ICE starts (that would be approx 8-10 seconds after the Ready light illuminates were I not to force EV mode) and I can drive in EV mode until the speed exceeds 20mph, or I depress the accelerator past a certain point. 

What I have observed is that when the ICE is cold and fires up it is still the traction Battery providing motive power (according to the energy monitor display) for quite a significant time, presumably to allow the ICE fluids to warm up before putting the ICE under load. As the ICE joins to provide motive power there is a very slight surge in acceleration and both the ICE and traction Battery work together for approx 30sec before the ICE takes over completely providing both motive power and recharging the traction Battery.

As I live a the bottom of a relatively steep hill this all happens with the drive systems under load. The descent to my house is great for regenerative braking and topping up the traction Battery before parking up!

Damned clever these Japanese 🤓 👍

[Kermitpwee]

The above is exactly what I experience

[Kermitpwee]

15 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Why did you think that you had a certain amount of time Kerm ?

You have a certain amount of time before the engine cuts in Roy. Have you noticed it on your hybrid? 

[royoftherovers]

34 minutes ago, Kermitpwee said:

You have a certain amount of time before the engine cuts in Roy. Have you noticed it on your hybrid? 

I see what you mean. I interpret that as the system turning on and determining whether to propel the car in Battery or Combustion mode.

 I definitely do not interpret that as you and perhaps others do Kermie.

Edited October 21, 2022 by royoftherovers
typo

[Brian R]

14 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

As I live at the bottom of a relatively steep hill this all happens with the drive systems under load. The descent to my house is great for regenerative braking and topping up the traction battery before parking up!

Damned clever these Japanese 🤓 👍

They even know where you live and manufactured accordingly, now that is clever. 😂

 

[royoftherovers]

5 minutes ago, Brian R said:

They even know where you live and manufactured accordingly, now that is clever. 😂

 

"The descent to my house is great for regenerative braking and topping up the traction Battery before parking up! "

and for depleting anything stored when setting off ?

and for Flood Management purposes ?

[Kermitpwee]

2 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

I see what you mean. I interpret that as the system turning on and determining whether to propel the car in Battery or Combustion mode.

 I definitely do not interpret that as you and perhaps others do Kermie.

Either way, super cars and best of luck to the original poster with his new vehicle.

[royoftherovers]

6 minutes ago, Kermitpwee said:

Either way, super cars and best of luck to the original poster with his new vehicle.

I`m glad you have found Lexus and wish you and the IS many happy years together.

Do join in on our conversations.

[ColinBarber]

On 10/20/2022 at 4:09 PM, Spock66 said:

If that was true it would be applicable to all electric vehicles.

The key components in a hybrid / electric vehicle are battery, inverter and electric motor(s), none of which require warming up to achieve normal operational efficiency.

It will go through a warm up and so will the petrol engine, it isn't an EV. The system also won't allow high speed EV mode unless the petrol engine is warm because if it is needed it doesn't want to instantly put a cold engine under load.

 

13 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

I see what you mean. I interpret that as the system turning on and determining whether to propel the car in Battery or Combustion mode.

 I definitely do not interpret that as you and perhaps others do Kermie.

By design it gives a few seconds to engage EV drive mode before it will start the petrol engine. Obviously if the hybrid Battery state of charge is too low then you will get the error as stated in the OP and the engine will start.

 

This all varies slightly depending on the model/hybrid generation but for the IS300h:

1. EV Drive Mode

   1. When all required conditions, some of which are listed below, are satisfied, EV drive mode can be used.

      Operating Condition

      The hybrid system temperature is not high. (The hybrid system temperature will be high when the outside air temperature is high or after the vehicle has traveled up a hill or at high speeds.) The hybrid system temperature is not low. (The hybrid system temperature will be low after the vehicle has been left for a long time when the outside air temperature is low.) The SOC is approximately 50% or higher. The vehicle speed is approximately 30 km/h (19 mph) or less. (Cold Engine Conditions) The vehicle speed is approximately 45 km/h (28 mph) or less. (Warm Engine Conditions) The accelerator pedal depression amount is a certain level or below. The defroster is off. The cruise control system is not operating.*

      *: Models with cruise control system or dynamic radar cruise control system

      Tech Tips

      The available cruising range during EV drive mode varies according to the SOC of the HV Battery and the driving conditions such as road surfaces and hills. However, it is usually between several hundred meters (several hundred yards) and approximately 2 km (1.2 miles).

   2. EV drive mode has been provided to reduce vehicle noise, such as when entering or leaving a garage, as well as reducing the production of exhaust fumes in a garage. When the EV drive mode switch is operated by the driver, the power management control ECU uses only motor (MG2) to drive the vehicle if the operating conditions are satisfied.

   3. When all operating conditions are satisfied, pressing the EV drive mode switch causes the vehicle to enter EV drive mode, and the EV mode indicator light and EV drive indicator light will be illuminated. If any operating condition is not satisfied and the EV drive mode switch is pressed, a message is displayed on the multi-information display and a buzzer sounds to inform the driver that the EV drive mode switch operation was rejected, and EV drive mode cannot be entered.

   4. If the operating conditions are no longer met while the vehicle is traveling in EV drive mode, in order to inform the driver that EV drive mode will be canceled, a message is displayed on the multi-information display and a buzzer sounds.

[Las Palmas]

On 10/20/2022 at 4:58 PM, NemesisUK said:

Damned clever these Japanese 🤓 👍

If it wasn't for the Nips being so good at building ships, the yards would still be open on the etc. etc.

Pink Floyd knew the they were going to build not just boats better in 1980 when this was written.

Maggie what have we done?

The same as always and now.

[Las Palmas]

2 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

It will go through a warm up and so will the petrol engine, it isn't an EV. The system also won't allow high speed EV mode unless the petrol engine is warm because if it is needed it doesn't want to instantly put a cold engine under load.

 

By design it gives a few seconds to engage EV drive mode before it will start the petrol engine. Obviously if the hybrid battery state of charge is too low then you will get the error as stated in the OP and the engine will start.

 

This all varies slightly depending on the model/hybrid generation but for the IS300h:

1. EV Drive Mode

   1. When all required conditions, some of which are listed below, are satisfied, EV drive mode can be used.

      Operating Condition

      The hybrid system temperature is not high. (The hybrid system temperature will be high when the outside air temperature is high or after the vehicle has traveled up a hill or at high speeds.) The hybrid system temperature is not low. (The hybrid system temperature will be low after the vehicle has been left for a long time when the outside air temperature is low.) The SOC is approximately 50% or higher. The vehicle speed is approximately 30 km/h (19 mph) or less. (Cold Engine Conditions) The vehicle speed is approximately 45 km/h (28 mph) or less. (Warm Engine Conditions) The accelerator pedal depression amount is a certain level or below. The defroster is off. The cruise control system is not operating.*

      *: Models with cruise control system or dynamic radar cruise control system

      Tech Tips

      The available cruising range during EV drive mode varies according to the SOC of the HV battery and the driving conditions such as road surfaces and hills. However, it is usually between several hundred meters (several hundred yards) and approximately 2 km (1.2 miles).

   2. EV drive mode has been provided to reduce vehicle noise, such as when entering or leaving a garage, as well as reducing the production of exhaust fumes in a garage. When the EV drive mode switch is operated by the driver, the power management control ECU uses only motor (MG2) to drive the vehicle if the operating conditions are satisfied.

   3. When all operating conditions are satisfied, pressing the EV drive mode switch causes the vehicle to enter EV drive mode, and the EV mode indicator light and EV drive indicator light will be illuminated. If any operating condition is not satisfied and the EV drive mode switch is pressed, a message is displayed on the multi-information display and a buzzer sounds to inform the driver that the EV drive mode switch operation was rejected, and EV drive mode cannot be entered.

   4. If the operating conditions are no longer met while the vehicle is traveling in EV drive mode, in order to inform the driver that EV drive mode will be canceled, a message is displayed on the multi-information display and a buzzer sounds.

That explain something I have thought about.

In the place we have in the garage we first drive 3 - 4 meter forward and then 10 - 12 reverse, the ICE then starts just after selecting reverse even if the hybrid Battery is completely full (that happen twice a week more or less; we live at sea level and most places we drive are higher up.) or almost full, then it run only a few seconds. Then forward again to get out of the garage, which has a steep up-tour to street level (4 meter only but rather steep) ICE starts again, and after we are out on street as long as only driving slow waiting for green light ICE stops again until driving faster than 30 - 40 km/h.

I did not understand why the ICE would run when hybrid Battery was completely full. Now I do.

 

And, welcome Rob, and enjoy your hybrid car. We are happy with the little one we have.