2025 PHEV Battery/Mileage

[tac]

I know it’s an inexact science, but any ideas why my car would show an “EV Range” of 8 miles and “Energy Information” of 43%? That doesn’t relate to 34 miles at 100%.

 

[Victor Rusk]

I know it’s an inexact science, but any ideas why my car would show an “EV Range” of 8 miles and “Energy Information” of 43%? That doesn’t relate to 34 miles at 100%.

This is an excellent and very important question about electric vehicles, and what you're seeing is not a bug or a problem with your car. It's the difference between two different ways of measuring your vehicle's energy.

The "Energy Information" percentage (43%) is a simple, direct measurement of how much energy is currently stored in your battery. This is a very consistent number. If you have a 64 kWh battery, 43% of that capacity is roughly 27.5 kWh. This number doesn't change based on how you drive.

The "EV Range" (8 miles) is a constantly changing calculation known as the "guess-o-meter." This is an estimate of how far you can drive based on a number of real-time factors. It's not a static calculation like the battery percentage; it's a constantly updated prediction.

Here's why your numbers don't add up:

1. Driving History: The "guess-o-meter" learns from your recent driving habits. If your last few trips were very inefficient - for example, if you were driving at high speeds on the highway, going uphill, or making a lot of rapid accelerations - the car will "guess" that you will continue to drive in the same way. This causes the estimated range to drop significantly, even if the battery percentage hasn't gone down much yet.

2. Ambient Conditions: Factors like outside temperature, using the heat or air conditioning, and even tire pressure have a big impact on a vehicle's energy consumption. If it's very cold, the battery performance is reduced, and the energy needed to heat the cabin can drastically cut into your range.

3. The Math is Based on Recent Consumption: The car's computer takes the energy you have used over your last few drives and uses that as the basis for its calculation. For example, if you used 50% of your battery to drive 17 miles on a previous trip (because it was a bad-weather day with lots of hills and you used the heater), the car's computer might then predict that your total range at 100% is only 34 miles.

A simple analogy is the gas gauge in a traditional car. The fuel level is like your battery percentage (a consistent number), but the "miles to empty" is like your EV range - it's an estimate that can change dramatically depending on whether you're driving in the city or on the highway.

In your specific example, the low EV range is a strong indicator that your recent driving has been very inefficient, and the car's computer is being conservative in its prediction. If you were to start driving more efficiently, the "EV Range" number would gradually go up and become more aligned with what you might expect from a full battery.

My advice is to not worry about the range number and instead focus on the battery percentage. The percentage is the only truly reliable number for knowing how much energy you have left.

 

[tac]

This is an excellent and very important question about electric vehicles, and what you're seeing is not a bug or a problem with your car. It's the difference between two different ways of measuring your vehicle's energy.

The "Energy Information" percentage (43%) is a simple, direct measurement of how much energy is currently stored in your battery. This is a very consistent number. If you have a 64 kWh battery, 43% of that capacity is roughly 27.5 kWh. This number doesn't change based on how you drive.

The "EV Range" (8 miles) is a constantly changing calculation known as the "guess-o-meter." This is an estimate of how far you can drive based on a number of real-time factors. It's not a static calculation like the battery percentage; it's a constantly updated prediction.

Here's why your numbers don't add up:

1. Driving History: The "guess-o-meter" learns from your recent driving habits. If your last few trips were very inefficient - for example, if you were driving at high speeds on the highway, going uphill, or making a lot of rapid accelerations - the car will "guess" that you will continue to drive in the same way. This causes the estimated range to drop significantly, even if the battery percentage hasn't gone down much yet.

2. Ambient Conditions: Factors like outside temperature, using the heat or air conditioning, and even tire pressure have a big impact on a vehicle's energy consumption. If it's very cold, the battery performance is reduced, and the energy needed to heat the cabin can drastically cut into your range.

3. The Math is Based on Recent Consumption: The car's computer takes the energy you have used over your last few drives and uses that as the basis for its calculation. For example, if you used 50% of your battery to drive 17 miles on a previous trip (because it was a bad-weather day with lots of hills and you used the heater), the car's computer might then predict that your total range at 100% is only 34 miles.

A simple analogy is the gas gauge in a traditional car. The fuel level is like your battery percentage (a consistent number), but the "miles to empty" is like your EV range - it's an estimate that can change dramatically depending on whether you're driving in the city or on the highway.

In your specific example, the low EV range is a strong indicator that your recent driving has been very inefficient, and the car's computer is being conservative in its prediction. If you were to start driving more efficiently, the "EV Range" number would gradually go up and become more aligned with what you might expect from a full battery.

My advice is to not worry about the range number and instead focus on the battery percentage. The percentage is the only truly reliable number for knowing how much energy you have left.

Thank you, Victor, for the thorough explanation.

 

[Victor Rusk]

Thank you, Victor, for the thorough explanation.

You're welcome. I hope all is well otherwise...