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I'm thinking of getting a Hybrid. I can't get an electric car because I cannot charge it reliably. My concerns are flooring it from cold. So far I have not rea

I'm thinking of getting a Hybrid. I can't get an electric car because I cannot charge it reliably. My concerns are flooring it from cold. So far I have not read / found literature on what the computer then does, and how this increases engine wear. I read 'reinforced components' but that's just longer until they wear out. For as long as I've been driving I have been taking it slow with the engine until it got up to oil temperature. And that actually got longer these days with having a huge amount of oil in the car. But then looking at a BMW X50e, you run the risk of flooring it on electric, and then that B58 3L needs to kick in and instantly delivery 300+HP. That just ... doesn't compute. HOW is that NOT bad but when I do that on my current, same, but non-reinforced B58 3L... I'd understand if there are reports out there that say things like 'given current oil quality we don't need to worry about cold oil performance anymore'. But we still have the time that the engine kicks in, while the oil isn't circulated. I'd be more comfortable if the oil pump was disconnected from the engine and ran when high performance is needed, bridging the gap of oil starvation when the ICE kicks in.

rightbyte 4y ago
Your concern is valid. I worked with programming hybrids and I did it like this: Engage ICE until operating temperature. Allow auto-turning it off for EM only. Hysteresis to like 2/3 operating temperature. There is a "force electric" button for like a short ride on all EM. The reason was to keep engine wear down as well as emission demands.
- WirelessGigabit 4y ago
  Okay so you started to drive, on ICE + EM. When ICE is on temp you allow auto-turning off. When engine fell back to 2/3 of operating temp you went back to mandating the ICE to remain on. Did I get that correct?
  - rightbyte 4y ago
    Yes. 2/3 is not exact but kinda from distant memory. Was plenty of factors. Of which emission control was the most "annoying" when optimizing for fuel consumption with the hybrid strategy. It was heavy vehicles, so dunno if car engines need different long term temperature operating ranges.
sokoloff 4y ago
It’s not a great idea to beat on a mechanical device that’s not up near its operating temperature, but you almost never have to do so. If you can avoid doing it today in an ICE car, you can avoid it just as much next year in a hybrid, right?
- WirelessGigabit 4y ago
  Actually you can't. Even if you put the darn thing in full electric mode, and it runs near empty on an on-ramp, and the ICE kicks in you go from 0 demand to 100 in a fraction of a second. The reason is because your pedal, in electric mode, has different modulation than when in ICE / hybrid mode. In order to get the full 194 hp of the electric engine you're pedal to the metal. When that juice runs out the ICE kicks in, all of the sudden delivering ITS 308 hp. With my ICE I don't have that problem. When cold maximum throttle 30%. When warm 100%.
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    That seems like a ridiculous design decision and a safety hazard on BMW’s part. The Cayenne even in electric mode will fire up the ICE engine for additional acceleration if you mat the pedal. (You might be matting the pedal because you need max acceleration. It seems beyond weird that BMW would do it so differently.)
    - WirelessGigabit 4y ago
      In the BMW 45e and 50e you can lock it to the electric engine only.
bombcar 4y ago
From what I understand (and I may be wrong) the "need to warm up" was less about getting oil everywhere on cold-start (there are a few very large engines that have this as an actual issue, but they have a separate electric motor to distribute oil) and more about larger tolerances in machining that wouldn't "tighten up" until the engine was warm. Modern engines are much tighter tolerances and should be fine for "on demand" instant start.

rightbyte 4y ago

Your concern is valid. I worked with programming hybrids and I did it like this: Engage ICE until operating temperature. Allow auto-turning it off for EM only. Hysteresis to like 2/3 operating temperature. There is a "force electric" button for like a short ride on all EM. The reason was to keep engine wear down as well as emission demands.

WirelessGigabit 4y ago
Okay so you started to drive, on ICE + EM. When ICE is on temp you allow auto-turning off. When engine fell back to 2/3 of operating temp you went back to mandating the ICE to remain on. Did I get that correct?
- rightbyte 4y ago
  Yes. 2/3 is not exact but kinda from distant memory. Was plenty of factors. Of which emission control was the most "annoying" when optimizing for fuel consumption with the hybrid strategy. It was heavy vehicles, so dunno if car engines need different long term temperature operating ranges.

sokoloff 4y ago

It’s not a great idea to beat on a mechanical device that’s not up near its operating temperature, but you almost never have to do so. If you can avoid doing it today in an ICE car, you can avoid it just as much next year in a hybrid, right?

WirelessGigabit 4y ago
Actually you can't. Even if you put the darn thing in full electric mode, and it runs near empty on an on-ramp, and the ICE kicks in you go from 0 demand to 100 in a fraction of a second. The reason is because your pedal, in electric mode, has different modulation than when in ICE / hybrid mode. In order to get the full 194 hp of the electric engine you're pedal to the metal. When that juice runs out the ICE kicks in, all of the sudden delivering ITS 308 hp. With my ICE I don't have that problem. When cold maximum throttle 30%. When warm 100%.
- sokoloff 4y ago
  That seems like a ridiculous design decision and a safety hazard on BMW’s part. The Cayenne even in electric mode will fire up the ICE engine for additional acceleration if you mat the pedal. (You might be matting the pedal because you need max acceleration. It seems beyond weird that BMW would do it so differently.)
  - WirelessGigabit 4y ago
    In the BMW 45e and 50e you can lock it to the electric engine only.

bombcar 4y ago

From what I understand (and I may be wrong) the "need to warm up" was less about getting oil everywhere on cold-start (there are a few very large engines that have this as an actual issue, but they have a separate electric motor to distribute oil) and more about larger tolerances in machining that wouldn't "tighten up" until the engine was warm. Modern engines are much tighter tolerances and should be fine for "on demand" instant start.