I did a longer experimental drive today to check the efficiency of the e-Charge mode. I drove south on i-95, generally running between 60 and 70 MPH.

Driving out, the car once again dropped out of e-Power mode at 20% charge on the battery, this time after 17 miles. It took 39.6 miles to recharge to 100%, at a displayed MPG of 23.8. I burned 1.66 gallons, 0.53 gallons more than I'd expect at 35 MPG, for an efficiency of about 42%. That's closer to what I'd expected, though still not bad.

Driving back, I managed 21 miles on battery power before reaching 20% again, which was rather higher than I expected. That's a MPGe of 95 at highway speeds. Interestingly enough, my overall displayed MPG for the 60.6 mile segment was 34.5 MPG. That means that while e-Charge mode is much less efficient than plugging the car into the wall, it's not something to avoid. It's equivalent to the regular hybrid mode, since the extra gas I'm burning is stored efficiently in the battery.

It follows that if the battery is down to 20%, and I've got a long stretch of freeway driving ahead, and some city driving after that, it's efficient to put enough of a charge on the battery to handle the city driving, since battery power is much better for that than gas. The target should be to get down to 20% just when I get to a plug again.

EDIT: Another way to look at it is that I was getting 0.5 additional miles for each mile I drove in e-Charge mode. So the "real" gas mileage was about 50% higher than displayed, since I could travel 1.5 miles on that gas.

On the remainder of the trip I drove in regular Hybrid mode and reset the trip meter. The MPG started around 33, and ended at 35 by the time I got off 95. So I think 35 is fairly repeatable for highway driving.

After the highway stretches, I experimented a bit with Sports+. In Sports+, it's actually rather easy to squeal the tires without pushing hard on the throttle. There's a lot of low end torque there between the electric motor and gasoline engine.

 

I was messing about with the car today and discovered that "battery voltage" was an optional display line for the status screen. This is the 12v system voltage, not the lithium-ion system voltage.

The interesting thing is that with the key in Accessories mode, not fully turned on, this reads 14.5 volts. In my wife's Cayman it reads what you'd expect, which is 12.5 volts (not 12.6 since the car insisted on turning the daytime running lights on).

What this implies is that the Panamera S e Hybrid has a built in charger for the 12 volt system that runs off the 384 volt Lithium Ion system.

Which makes sense. If I were a Porsche engineer working on a plug-in hybrid, I'd think: what if, even if the car is driven regularly, the gasoline engine doesn't turn on for a month or more? That's long enough for the 12 volt battery to significantly self-discharge. I can't count on the alternator keeping the battery charged in that case. I need a system to keep the 12 volt system healthy purely from the lithium-ion system.

The Porsche tech spec sheet mentions alternators (14 volt, 2660 watt) for all Panamera models except the e Hybrid. I'm not sure it even has an alternator. Or a starter motor, since the electrical motor normally starts the engine.

 

Interesting I've noticed my Erange changed quite a bit this am but I don't know if it was due to the heat or not ... 9 mile range = bad

Something I did find out however ... If you hold on rear ac lock button ( it's on the door) and the sync button at the same time you can control the rear passenger ac

 

Did they change this for MY14+? On my MY13, I just have to hold the passenger's auto ac button and it will switch the ac display to control the rear.

 

Dunno I'll have to try it the other way

There should really be a panamera " secrets" thread

 

I'm struggling a little with the car.

I much prefer the throttle response in Sports+. I swear it feels like I get more acceleration at half throttle in Sports+ than I get with my foot pretty much to the floor in e-Power. It never feels fast in e-Power mode, just acceptable.

The problem is that the car really doesn't want to cruise on electricity once I've reached speed if I'm in Sports+. Now and then it will, but mostly it uses gas. If I really want to make use of the electric range for city driving, I have to be in e-Power mode.

 

While we don't have Sport Chrono installed on our PSeH, I have driven a few times in Sport in order to get a feel for the driving experience.

I find it to be an altogether different car.

For one, the throttle response is completely different. The engine responds to a squeeze of the throttle in Sport by upping the RPM, while more throttle in EPower results in more thrust from the electric side of the house, as evidenced by the economy gauge swinging upward, yet the tach does not.

The actual pedal is entirely different, too. The pin that servos into place to impede the driver from mashing the pedal in EPower is quite effective.

In Sport, I rarely see the ICE go dead. Maybe on an extended downhill run.

I still find if funny that Porsche doesn't recognize that there are four modes to the base PSeH, not three. It's as if they refuse to acknowledge the regular hybrid mode.

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/pa...driving-modes/

They really should update that documentation. We're going into the second model year for this vehicle.

 

I've read repeatedly about the kick-down point in e-Power mode, but I really don't feel it. I don't know if that's me or the car. I'm definitely going past it fairly regularly, since I find it relatively easy to engage the ICE in e-Power mode even if I don't intend to.

My experience matches yours as far as the early part of the throttle travel goes in e-Power mode. For the initial travel, increasing throttle increases electric thrust and the power gauge. Only once the electric motor is topped out does it engage the ICE. In any other mode it's quite happy to use both.

The car will turn the ICE off in Sport / Sport+, but only in very select circumstance. If you're stopped or coasting, for example.

I've spent some time in the un-named Hybrid mode where all 4 mode buttons are off, but most of that was cruising at highway speeds after the battery hit 20%, so I don't have a complete feel for the differences.

 

Regarding the throttle inhibitor mechanism... I checked mine out and it's plastic. I recall seeing a video demonstration somewhere and it was either metal or silver painted plastic.

It's quite easy to depress the pin by hand, so it's really a testament to how our lower right leg become very attuned to subtle difference in pedal feel.

 

So, three weeks later and my dealer is still saying "we'll activate Porsche Car Connect any day now." Last week they said it would happen when the "Porsche tech" came back from vacation. Which makes me wonder about the timeliness of repairs, should the car ever needs any.

 

Wow, that is very disappointing to hear. Would definitely get on the phone with the store GM.

 

You give them the code. They hook up the car. Poof. Five years of PCC service activated.

Allegedly.

 

Yep, I gave them the code, but apparently the next step requires incantations.

 

Porsche Car Connect is hardly a vital feature, but I feel a little need to vent here.

Day of delivery: Dealer: Let us know if you need anything.
Me: I'd rather like Car Connect hooked up.
Dealer: We'll let you know.
Day + 7: Dealer: I talked to the tech. I'll get back to you.
Day + 11: Me: What's happening with Car Connect?
Day + 14: Dealer: We'll let you know when the tech comes back from vacation.
Day + 24: Dealer: Can we have your car next week? Sorry this has taken so long.
Me: Sure. I can do that any day but Monday (day +28). Just let me know when I can bring it in.
Day + 28: Me: When should I bring the car in?
Dealer: I'll get back to you tomorrow.
Day + 29: Dealer: Any day next week.
Me: Monday at 10 AM (day + 35)?
Dealer: Your appointment is set. Should take about an hour.

As I said, Car Connect is an extra, and not really that important, and it appears that it will actually get done. Still, 35 days?

 

Gus, I took the PSeH in for them to look at an oil overfill message we've been getting all week. (Haven't added a drop since delivery)

They sucked a small bit out until the message went away.

At the same time, they activated PCC.

It took us a few minutes to locate the activation code. Not the install code, but another one generated after they hook up the car to chat with the mothership. It's actually in the app. They thought it would be sent via text or email.

Now my Android knows all about the PSeH. Where it is. How much battery range. How much fuel range. Tire pressures. Odo reading. Trip data. Etc.

I like the app. I really like knowing that there is 1:55 remaining until full charge. Kinda creepy that when I tell it to find my car, it quickly zooms into a tight sat view of my house. Looks to be accurate within 6-8'

The E-mobility graphics within the app have the same look and feel as in the car. Nice touch.

I cannot locate the HVAC control functionality, though. Only the bit for folding in the mirrors. I think it's supposed to be in the "My Car" / "Remote" stack.

Perhaps a new thread for PCC once you have it activated or I get the hang of it a bit better?


Oh, and it took 45 minutes for them to diagnose the oil issue and activate PCC.