[MP81]

I just got my first EMM message since buying the car nearly two months ago. It popped up when I was leaving work today, so I deferred it to tomorrow.

My question is: does it run the engine at a low RPM just to run it, or does it run it in such a fashion where it acts more like hold mode. Would it make more sense to just drive a route (freeway) where the engine would be more efficient than the solely electric power (where I would use hold mode anyway)?

Considering this will use more gas than I've used since I bought the car (only have used 0.2 gallons), I figure I might as well just make the "best" use of that gas.

Thanks!

 

[TSquare]

Just let it do it's thing. It will use 0.03 gallons, so just a fraction of what you have already used. It will run at a relative low rpm, you will still be driving mostly on battery. If I remember correctly, it will run for about 10 minutes, you'll get a completion display on the DIC. While it is running, the car will count the mileage as one third gas and 2 thirds electric. If you follow your stats on VoltStats.net, it will NOT count as gas miles.

 

[MP81]

Fantastic - that's exactly what I needed to know. I'll defer it to the afternoon when it's warmer, and then just take my regular city route home.

Thanks for the info!

 

[BAZINGA]

Unlike the Gen I which fired up the ICE within seconds of accepting the message and allowing the ICE to run while parked in your driveway, the Gen II will force you to start driving before the engine start's.

 

[MP81]

I guess that makes sense - gets them away from the possibility of someone parking the car in their garage, not paying attention for whatever reason, and letting it run with the door closed.

So, it didn't give me the message this morning - maybe it wasn't warm enough out - or perhaps it was because I pre-conditioned the car before unplugging it?

 

[Sheldon]

Just let it do it's thing. It will use 0.03 gallons, so just a fraction of what you have already used. It will run at a relative low rpm, you will still be driving mostly on battery. If I remember correctly, it will run for about 10 minutes, you'll get a completion display on the DIC. While it is running, the car will count the mileage as one third gas and 2 thirds electric. If you follow your stats on VoltStats.net, it will NOT count as gas miles.

I got my 2nd EMM last Sunday morning and delayed it. I didn't top off the battery midday. As it turned out, we had an event that evening, so 54 miles total that day with A/C, highway. On the way home, it again asked about EMM, but I waited to respond until after the battery ran out, and the ICE was already turning on of its own accord. So, now I'm 6 miles from home at 65-70mph, ICE is running anyway, and I decided to press that silly EMM button. Cause the EMM was still asking me if I wanted to start the EMM. The EMM ran until it got to 100% completed; which was maybe a couple of miles and/or minutes.

I was wondering if EMM would be any different given the combination of EMM (low rpm according to Square), and highway driving and empty battery. It seemed to work fine, but maybe the ICE was running too lean, slow like TSquare said? A couple of days later, I looked on Voltstats, and saw 5.87 miles on ICE, and a measly 0.10 gallons of gasoline which seemed too good (60mpg). I do have 1.25 miles or so once I get off the highway, where the car does some regen, followed by 25-30mph driving. I got home without the ICE turning back on during that stretch.

How much ICE mileage do you need to satisfy the EMM requirements. Would the 5 or so miles of ICE driving satisfied the EMM if I hadn't activated the EMM?

 

[El Dobro]

When I get the message, it's usually on the way to work, so I just do it.

 

[alfon]

With our 2016 Volt we take quite a few trips to outside the electric battery and with both our first 2014 Volt and our new 2016 Volt we never had EMM.

I have noticed that the 2016 Volt's gasoline engine is far more fuel efficient than the 2014 engine. With warm weather we have achieved at times over 50 mpg just on the gas engine with our 2016 Volt. With optimum conditions 60 mpg would not be out of the question.

 

[TSquare]

I got my 2nd EMM last Sunday morning and delayed it. I didn't top off the battery midday. As it turned out, we had an event that evening, so 54 miles total that day with A/C, highway. On the way home, it again asked about EMM, but I waited to respond until after the battery ran out, and the ICE was already turning on of its own accord. So, now I'm 6 miles from home at 65-70mph, ICE is running anyway, and I decided to press that silly EMM button. Cause the EMM was still asking me if I wanted to start the EMM. The EMM ran until it got to 100% completed; which was maybe a couple of miles and/or minutes.

I was wondering if EMM would be any different given the combination of EMM (low rpm according to Square), and highway driving and empty battery. It seemed to work fine, but maybe the ICE was running too lean, slow like TSquare said? A couple of days later, I looked on Voltstats, and saw 5.87 miles on ICE, and a measly 0.10 gallons of gasoline which seemed too good (60mpg). I do have 1.25 miles or so once I get off the highway, where the car does some regen, followed by 25-30mph driving. I got home without the ICE turning back on during that stretch.

How much ICE mileage do you need to satisfy the EMM requirements. Would the 5 or so miles of ICE driving satisfied the EMM if I hadn't activated the EMM?

The ICE needing to run because of low battery will obviously over ride the EMM request. If you had needed the ICE BEFORE the EMM request appeared, then you would have never gotten that request because the "need to run the ICE" resets the EMM timer. However, because you got the EMM first, now the computer MUST complete the action. And it did that while the ICE was already running due to low battery. If I remember correctly, you can only defer the request for 24 hours, then it will run without asking for permission.

 

[hellsop]

I got my 2nd EMM last Sunday morning and delayed it. I didn't top off the battery midday. As it turned out, we had an event that evening, so 54 miles total that day with A/C, highway. On the way home, it again asked about EMM, but I waited to respond until after the battery ran out, and the ICE was already turning on of its own accord. So, now I'm 6 miles from home at 65-70mph, ICE is running anyway, and I decided to press that silly EMM button. Cause the EMM was still asking me if I wanted to start the EMM. The EMM ran until it got to 100% completed; which was maybe a couple of miles and/or minutes.

I was wondering if EMM would be any different given the combination of EMM (low rpm according to Square), and highway driving and empty battery. It seemed to work fine, but maybe the ICE was running too lean, slow like TSquare said? A couple of days later, I looked on Voltstats, and saw 5.87 miles on ICE, and a measly 0.10 gallons of gasoline which seemed too good (60mpg). I do have 1.25 miles or so once I get off the highway, where the car does some regen, followed by 25-30mph driving. I got home without the ICE turning back on during that stretch.

Once the need for EMM is set, the way to clear it is to let EMM run. Even putting the car in Hold Mode doesn't seem to clear the need for EMM. FMM is similar, but that clearance condition is when you close the fuel door and it re-maths the contents of the tank for average age, not the end of the cycle.

How much ICE mileage do you need to satisfy the EMM requirements. Would the 5 or so miles of ICE driving satisfied the EMM if I hadn't activated the EMM?

Not if the EMM had already alerted. It's got a programmed cycle of tests and checks to go through that has basically nothing to do with driving, miles or otherwise. Some early models got a little bit of power out of it. My last one took only about three minutes and just over a half-mile of city driving.