Driving tips to charge battery better.

All Kia Niro related discussions
Bruiserboymeasures
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 4:10 pm

Post by Bruiserboymeasures »

Had my brand new Niro 2 a week now but not only am I only getting 54mph average but I just can’t to seem to get the battery much over halfway charged.
I have tried to roll down hills and use the petrol motor revving on the drive to get some charge in it with little success.
Any tips on how to get more charge in the battery or the 70mpg promised in the showroom because I’m getting nowhere near that. Am I doing something wrong?

John pell
Posts: 41
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:06 pm

Post by John pell »

The battery does stay around the 50% Mark you will never get 70 mile to the gallon max 60 I have been playing about in my car with the infotainment with the engine running and have got my battery showing around 70%. I thought everyone knew the manufacturers figures are not achievable.
My19 Niro 3 Ocean Blue HEV
AlanW55
Posts: 253
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:31 pm

Post by AlanW55 »

How the HEV Niro manages its battery is a mystery, but I average around 60-75%, max 85% after a long downhill, min 40% in prolonged stop-start conditions. I wouldn't try "forcing" the battery to charge, I suspect it won't work, especially just revving the engine when stationary. If the car thinks it needs to charge the battery, the engine will start itself.
My average mpg is 55-60, usually 70% eco and 30% normal driving. My 18" wheels are apparently not as economical as 16".
UK 2021 Mark 1 HEV 4 in silky silver, standard spec.
previously UK 2017 First Edition HEV in pearlescent white, standard spec.
HaxbyPete
Posts: 55
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:18 am

Post by HaxbyPete »

Bruiserboymeasures I don't think you quite have the right idea of how the Niro HEV works - which is significantly different from the way that the PHEV works. i
I have had a HEV for almost three years now and It runs moistly with the battery charge level at half charge. That's because the electric motor is there simply to 'assist' the petrol engine when running at low speeds or when the engine is not under stress. It is not there to deliver xx miles of EV running per full charge like the PHEV.

So if your car is showing 50% battery charge most of the time, that's OK in my experience.

If your car is showing EV on the dashboard display when you are running locally or in stop start traffic or running up to, say, 35 mph under stress-less driving conditions, then that is what it's supposed to do. The moment you out your toe down it will cut into petrol operation right away.

But the great joy of my HEV is when I am cruising along at 45/55 mph without stressing the engine and see that the EV light is shining - meaning that I am running on electric and not using any petrol, at all !

I gave up a while back trying to figure out how the computer manages the battery/petrol useage.

What is really enjoyable is when I want to get past or around something else and switch the automatic gearbox into the manual over-ride by the side-shift of the gear lever. This means that you can go faster with greater acceleration without the needle going into the 'aggressive' driving sector which is would using just the automatic gearbox itself.

My Niro has given me up to 63.7mpg per journey and up to 56mpg average over a tankful in non-winter weather. And I do not drive long distances, no motorways or constant fast driving.

Enjoy your Niro, it's a wonderful car !
niroal
Posts: 183
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:22 am
Location: North Kent

Post by niroal »

Winter weather affects economical cars much more than uneconomical cars.

As the engine is more thermally efficient than the norm, it has to run more to warm the interior up so the summer to winter differential will be much greater. As you can probably guess, the official figures are not done in the depths of winter.!!

Also new engines are a bit tight so the economy should improve.
Niro 3 PHEV Graphite
stever
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 3:03 pm

Post by stever »

Bruiserboymeasures wrote: Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:17 pm Had my brand new Niro 2 a week now but not only am I only getting 54mph average but I just can’t to seem to get the battery much over halfway charged.
I have tried to roll down hills and use the petrol motor revving on the drive to get some charge in it with little success.
Any tips on how to get more charge in the battery or the 70mpg promised in the showroom because I’m getting nowhere near that. Am I doing something wrong?
mines a niro 4 hev on 18 plate i changed the wheels for 16inch in sport mode the engine is allways on and mu battery shows 100% charge i tend to do this when on motorway. been very pleased with mine have had high 80-90 to gallon you cannot charge by revving the engine it dont work like that i fin d that i am now light fotted whilst driving and it runs good locally on electric. i have noticed that mpg has gone down now in colder weather but even on motorway at steady 60 she will run on electric but as i say if you want battery at 100% then try driving in sport mode on motorway then when around town you have loads of electric available. my best trip was from enfield north london to ireland so all way to holy head then ferry then 2 hour drive in southern ireland and i strugled to put 30 euro in the fuel tank and dash said i still had 226 range was really great. love the car
steve r
peter bunce
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:47 pm

Post by peter bunce »

Hi,

A brand new car will need to be run for a while to get the engine etc 'run in.

I have had a 70 mpg (on the A5 in Wales)out of mine, and a 69 over a 2x44 mile mainly motorway run.

It is really learning how to drive it, mainly a light touch on the accelerator.

Peter.

'
peter bunce
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:47 pm

Post by peter bunce »

Hi,
The big battery under the seat charges at about 60 to 70% and ind that is due to the type of battery,

Peter.
Deleted User 855

Post by Deleted User 855 »

I used to have Toyota CHR hybrid. Much the same discussions as here can be found on the CHR forum. FWIW, doing a petrol fill to fill for working out mpg gave me around 56- less than the trip computer said. And it, too, suffered in the cold weather- probably by at least 10%. Battery charge was usually around 75% but depends on driving style and roads taken.
Roadrunner13
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:34 pm

Post by Roadrunner13 »

Hi, just had a 10,000 service on my hybrid Niro 2, I've averaged 57.5mpg, two thirds of that was winter time so I'm seeing that average climb at every fill-up. My tips for getting the best out of the car are, don't use the cruise-control, as long as the battery is over 3bars I can get better EV use controlling the speed myself, I sometimes give a very quick tap of the brakes that's if there's nobody right behind me, not enough to slow the car, but enough to remind the car to go into EV mode. If I'm on my own, I use the driver only heating and ventilation option, or even turn it off completely and crack the window slightly, that's usually enough to put it into EV mode. Regarding the mpg display, I normally find it's about right, wish there was a display or indicator that showed when you've gone past re-generative braking and have started using friction braking. Motorway speeds mpg is approx 52-53 but soon rises up again when you get on A-roads, winter time average was low to mid 50's, summer and slightly warmer temperatures being here, I filled up yesterday after 410 miles, consumption was 67, which I'm very happy with, it's a great car.
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