kauffee

Assuming I’m taking a long trip with my 450e that will use up the all of battery, what’s the best way to optimize mileage? I assume just starting out in hybrid mode is the best.

If I put my destination into the MBUX nav, will that optimize mileage even more (compared with using a Nav app from CarPlay)? When I tried using both Apple Maps and the MBUX nav, it turned off the MBUX nav.

F18BEN

I just came back from a 2,000 mile trip. I called my dealer and asked him what dynamic mode I should be driving in. I didn't even bother with the electric setting. I was advised to set up my individual setting on battery hold and comfort on the other 2 settings . I set my cruise control on 75 and got close to 25 mpg.

maplesyrup

Battery hold is also what I decided. I experimented on two Portland-Seattle round-trips, and on the first day of a Portland-Dallas round-trip, and did battery hold for the remainder. I’ve done Portland-SanJose and just drove the width of Canada and see no reason to make a change (mountains, prairies, craziness of Ontario’s hwy 17, etc.).

I think the (route-based operating-mode) hybrid mode is meant for recurrent trips over a known course with charging readily available at source and destination. That is, commuting. I base this purely on the manual description.

The OP used the word “optimization” and I think this is possible only when powered by your own brain. I would like to use EL as I trundle through non-highway streets, and I would like to drop out of EL as I start to zoom on a freeway/highway. (But, I also wonder about starting the cold engine at 75mph... should I?) More importantly for me, I want to avoid that sinking feeling I get when I realize I forgot to switch to B and now have near-zero battery charge left. So, I switch to B as part of my take-off checklist (as posted elsewhere for the “Home” charging option, the fleeting reminder from MBUX can often be inadequate in real-life scenarios where distractions abound).

Elsewhere, I detected slight mocking when I typed the following, but I’ll type it again nevertheless: battery hold is like the hybrid mode on a 2006 Highlander hybrid, except for not burning gas to charge the battery. I think this is Good.

In B mode, the battery does get used and so is clearly of some benefit even when driving sequential 500 mile days. I topped off twice while going across Canada (free! how does this even exist: https://suncountryhighway.ca/ )

ncgent

My experiences on longer trips (400-600 miles) are similar. Beginning at home with a 80% charged battery I select B(attery) hold mode. Using this setting very low speed driving and maneuvering initially begin in the electric mode and then transition automatically as speed increases to the IC engine mode. When occasionally needed for passing or merging and torque and rapid acceleration are deemed necessary by the vehicle programing the electrical mode will automatically supplement the IC only mode. The combined drivetrain performance (IC +electric) is more than adequate for any practical, safe and legal use that I have ever needed. My former very quick and fast AMG GLE had the 6 cylinder, dual turbo-boosted engine which was great but I don’t miss it. It didn’t provide any useful performance beyond that of my 450E.

While in the B mode when temporary supplement electrical boost performance is no longer needed, the powertrain automatically reverts to the IC mode only. Additionally, after exiting a highway or street and entering a parking area for example at slow speeds (<15 mph) and maneuvering or parking the vehicle again automatically reverts to all electric drive. This intermittent use uses some of the stored battery energy. I routinely drive with regenerative braking ON. My experience on a long trip is that the regenerative braking during the trip has always restored the battery to at least its initial charge and often added a few additional net miles.

As I near home and my charger I switch to the EL (all electric) mode. I then use all but about 10% of the battery charge which gives me about 45 miles of all electric range while leaving me with about a 5-10 mile buffer while preventing total battery discharge. If I chose to start with a fully charged battery I could probably add about another 15 net miles to the equation.

parato

I don't understand why anyone would use Battery Hold at any time. It is ICE only, ignoring any mpg improvement of Hybrid or the lower cost energy of Electric Mode.

Why not get 60 miles of electric drive at 20% the cost of gas and then drive a hybrid vehicle?

Elvisfan0108

My understanding is that the electric motor is less efficient at highway speeds. Plus no regeneration. I understand the logic behind it. Just don’t know if I would bother with it.

mykel79

I would think that on long trips, when the electric battery gets depleted, you're left only with the ICE engine. So if you need extra power to overtake, you won't have that? Or is some charge always left for those situations, regardless of the mode?

MB2timer

I have a partial hybrid, so I can’t say for sure. But, my strategy would be to leave the garage in ice mode to top off the battery, and warm up the engine. As soon as the engine was warm, I would switch to battery only. That gives you an advantage of using ice on the highway as a reserve, and not having to worry about cold starting the ice engine.

TexAg91

I don't have the 450e, but I do own a 24 BMW X5 50e (PHEV), which works the same. As you know, hold mode keep the state of charge in the battery at the current level, plus or minus a small percent. The vehicle will still use electricity from the battery, just like it will when the EV range is down to zero. Using hold mode will cause the vehicle to operate like a normal strong hybrid. It can run in EV mode for short distances or at lower speeds. Point being, you are still getting an MPG improvement of the hybrid power train, you just not using the grid power stored in the battery. Why do that? Some cities in Europe are EV only, so if you take a long trip and plan to drive in those cities, you'll need to have energy stored in the battery when you get there. In the states, that does apply (yet). That said, the ICE is more efficient at highway speeds than it is in stop and go traffic, so if you're taking a long interstate trip you may want to save some charge in the battery to use up at the end of the trip at your destination, vice using it all up in the first 40-50 miles of your trip. That would likely be slightly more efficient.

mikapen

Do you have a weekly strategy session with your car to come up with the next week's charge settings?
Sounds like that would best be done prior to driving, so you don't have so much to concentrate on while on the road. 🙂

TexAg91

Basically yes. On the X5 50e, the most efficient method is to drive in “ECO PRO, and enter your destination address in the BMW native nav. That will take route geography and traffic into account to minimize fuel consumption and maximize stored grid energy in the battery. In other words, use those 20 KWh in the battery over the whole trip (even if it is 500 miles) to minimize the gallons of gas needed. I believe the 450e has a similar feature using the native MB Navigation.

parato

I get more e distance on highway than in city.

Regen is irrelevant compared to the 60 miles from plug in charge. Regen matters more in hybrid mode.

Elvisfan0108

Another measurement is miles per kWh. I haven’t had the car long enough to measure that. We still pay for electricity.

parato

Where I live charging costs 20% of gasoline to go 60 miles. So unless Regen makes your ICE 5x more efficient, using plug in energy is cheaper.

Elvisfan0108

All I’m saying is the electric motor is more efficient at lower speeds. As far as how it calculates including gas, I hope to see that.

mykel79

Once you already have a plug-in, it usually makes sense to drive on electric when you can. The calculations are much harder when you haven't bought the car yet. Where I live in Europe, the plug-in Mercedes models cost about 10.000 to 15.000 dollars more than the non plug-in version. Even with free electricity, you would have to drive for many years to make up the difference in cost.

parato

The discussion was not about purchase economics but about in which mode to drive the vehicle most economically. I agree with you to drive on electric when you can.

On the other hand, in Canada the GLE 450 and 450e have the same list price, so for me the plug in hybrid is a more desirable choice in the 450 level at the same cost. Electric drive is quiet, smooth, and with instant power. Ideal for in-city driving. The combination of electric and ICE for acceleration and torque is available whenever needed for highway passing and towing.

A less expensive GLE 350 is also available, but with less performance than either the GLE 450 or 450e. The decision to move up from a 350 to a 450 or 450e is about performance, not about saving the cost of gasoline.

Elvisfan0108

Our last PHEV an Audi Q5e cost $9k more that the ICE Q5. With the same 4cyl motor. Unlike the 2 450s.I even created an ROI spreadsheet. The ROI payback time was NEVER. However the idea of driving around using no gas was priceless. Especially on extremely hot, smoggy days. However, I almost feel guilty driving the ICE convertible.

mykel79

Yeah, of course. You don't buy a car like this to save a few dollars on fuel.

I have an ICE version of the GLE, so I'm curious about the performance. From what I read in this thread, driving around town on the electric only is actually nicer in terms of performance than the ICE? I would think that an electric engine with around 150(?) HP would be too little for a heavy car like this. But I guess since it's electric, you can't really compare it to an equivalent HP ICE engine?

maplesyrup

The electric drive in town is very nice and I get no "heavy car" feeling.

parato

I agree, the electric drive is very responsive because the electric motor give 325 pound feet of torque, and there is no "heavy car" feel. The throttle pedal also has a detent (a stiff point) after which the ICE also kicks in for a total of 381 hp and 479 pound feet of torque. In town that is never needed, but it's great on the highway for high speed passing or at the on-ramp.

SoCal Living

I regularly make a 150 mile round trip freeway drive, and after trying various settings (including not changing anything), I now always use Hybrid mode. The battery usually lasts until the last 10 miles on the return, and I often see mpg in the low to mid 40's for the round trip. Depending on traffic speeds, I have even hit 50 mpg on one leg.

parato

Here is an interesting challenge, which I will also try. My cottage is 209 km (130 miles) from home. Usually I drive is electric mode until the battery is discharged (about 100km or 60 miles) and then drive in Hybrid mode. The fuel efficiency gauge shows me my liters per 100 km (mpg) and also KW/ 100 km. On my next 2 drives I will do the first in E then Hybrid and then the second in Hybrid only and see how the efficiency results differ.

ilanshanon

That's odd. I drive about 600 miles round trip to see my kids multiple times per year. This is from Southern to Northern Utah, which has some climbs, and most of the way the speed limit is 80 mph so I cruise at about 82. I've got a 2024 GLE 450 4matic (mild hybrid) and I clock about 25.5-26 mpg.

Elvisfan0108

Don’t know what’s odd. That mpg is not bad for that speed.