Weird Hybrid Behaviour

[King Crimson]

I bought a used 2017 C-HR almost a year ago with 62,000 miles on it, and it was in great condition after being checked at the Toyota dealership. However, I'm not sure if it's just how this generation of hybrid cars works, but I noticed a difference between my 2019 Corolla, which is one generation newer than my current car. The Corolla was getting 3.8 l/100 km or 74 UK mpg (based on the trip computer, so in reality, it could be higher). On the other hand, with my 2017 C-HR, I'm getting about 4.5 l/100 km, which is approximately 60 mpg. It's still not bad, but there's something strange happening that I believe is causing this increase in fuel consumption. There are times when the engine just won't shut off. For example, I can be stuck in traffic for 15 minutes with an almost full Battery, but the engine keeps running. Even when it does shut off while stationary, it immediately turns back on as soon as I press on the accelerator. I'm wondering if anyone else with the same hybrid generation has experienced similar situations. I understand that the engine needs to run to circulate the oil, but it's a bit annoying that it refuses to shut off in these situations. Oh, and by the way, this is with the AC on, but I assume the AC works off the Battery, right?

[Cyker]

We've had posts observing this behaviour in the Yaris Mk4, and the general theory is it's the engine regenerating the particulate filter. I found when I was driving exclusively at low speed (Due to having a massive crack in the windscreen) my car started doing it a lot more frequently, but once I got a new windscreen and started hitting the motorways and fast A-roads more often it went back to doing it very infrequently.

Another member who it kept happening to found if they switched to B-mode, which uses the engine to slow the car, it seemed to clear it up for a while, and we theorizing the B-mode engine braking was pumping fresh air through to the GPF allowing it to burn off the particulates easier.

Maybe a similar thing with your CH-R, although this hinges on the CH-R actually having a particulate filter  

[King Crimson]

4 minutes ago, Cyker said:

We've had posts observing this behaviour in the Yaris Mk4, and the general theory is it's the engine regenerating the particulate filter. I found when I was driving exclusively at low speed (Due to having a massive crack in the windscreen) my car started doing it a lot more frequently, but once I got a new windscreen and started hitting the motorways and fast A-roads more often it went back to doing it very infrequently.

Another member who it kept happening to found if they switched to B-mode, which uses the engine to slow the car, it seemed to clear it up for a while, and we theorizing the B-mode engine braking was pumping fresh air through to the GPF allowing it to burn off the particulates easier.

Maybe a similar thing with your CH-R, although this hinges on the CH-R actually having a particulate filter  

Interesting, i'll try the b mode trick when i get the chance. I assume you need to be on motorway speeds for 30 minutes so that the particulate filter get's the chance to burn off the particulates, correct? My route is about 10 miles and speeds at 50 mp/h maybe slightly higher but also with the occasional stop at a red light, i guess this is not enough for the particulates to burn off? Should i go to a highway and step on it for 30 minutes? lol

[Cyker]

Nah, that's a diesel thing - They only need to do it because diesel exhaust is cold and you need to run the engine a lot to get it really hot.

Petrol has the opposite problem - Petrol exhaust is very hot, but unlike diesel exhaust it has almost no oxygen, which the particles presumably need to burn. The person that posted reckoned that one or two decelerations in B-mode was enough to stop the engine running all the time

[TonyHSD]

This is typical hybrid behaviour in cold or hot weather.
With AC ON the use of ice is more often even if the hybrid Battery has a good charge remaining. Not sure about gpf regeneration, and also I think all hybrids since 2010 has gpf. 
Pumping air through gpf to clean sounds a bit odd, air itself won’t clean the soot but fire and hot temperature can , eventually. 

[Cyker]

It does make some sense - Petrol exhaust has almost no oxygen in it, so things will struggle to burn, but in B-mode it's just pumping unburnt air through the exhaust which gives it the oxygen it needs to catch fire. The exhaust should already be hot enough because petrol runs much hotter exhaust temps than diesel.

Diesel runs lean so there's always plenty of oxygen in its exhaust, but because it's more efficient it sends a lot less heat out the exhaust, often too low to ignite the soot, which is why they squirt diesel into the exhaust, to try and light it to start a fire and raise the exhaust temperature high enough for the particulates to burn.

 

[Bob110023]

Possible pre cat oxygen sensor slightly dirty.🤔

[Harters]

I have similar behaviour in my Prius.  If I have done a long motorway trip and drop down the hill to my house, often the Hybrid Battery is either showing completely full or one below it.  When the Battery is that high the engine is always running as I pull on to the driveway and I understood it was to spin off some of the juice in the Hybrid Battery so it isn't left full.  It stops running just as I pull into the garage.

Even though the Hybrid battery never gets completely full or empty (Max 80% Min 20%) to the users eyes it is full.  I too have the same that the ICE will kick on at the slightest touch of the throttle when in that state and like others have said, I think that is because the battery is hot as I can always hear the cooling fan running in those situations.

This has how the car has performed since new in 2017, so to me sounds normal.

[King Crimson]

8 hours ago, Harters said:

I have similar behaviour in my Prius.  If I have done a long motorway trip and drop down the hill to my house, often the Hybrid battery is either showing completely full or one below it.  When the battery is that high the engine is always running as I pull on to the driveway and I understood it was to spin off some of the juice in the Hybrid battery so it isn't left full.  It stops running just as I pull into the garage.

Even though the Hybrid battery never gets completely full or empty (Max 80% Min 20%) to the users eyes it is full.  I too have the same that the ICE will kick on at the slightest touch of the throttle when in that state and like others have said, I think that is because the battery is hot as I can always hear the cooling fan running in those situations.

This has how the car has performed since new in 2017, so to me sounds normal.

It's just i pretty much never had that on my 2019 corolla, that's why i was asking if it's just the previous gen hybrid way of dealing with the high temp/full Battery situation. I'm glad it's not something abnormal about the way it operates, it's a shame though because i could easily get lower consumtion than the one i'm getting if it wasn't for this.

[TonyHSD]

9 hours ago, Harters said:

I have similar behaviour in my Prius.  If I have done a long motorway trip and drop down the hill to my house, often the Hybrid battery is either showing completely full or one below it.  When the battery is that high the engine is always running as I pull on to the driveway and I understood it was to spin off some of the juice in the Hybrid battery so it isn't left full.  It stops running just as I pull into the garage.

Even though the Hybrid battery never gets completely full or empty (Max 80% Min 20%) to the users eyes it is full.  I too have the same that the ICE will kick on at the slightest touch of the throttle when in that state and like others have said, I think that is because the battery is hot as I can always hear the cooling fan running in those situations.

This has how the car has performed since new in 2017, so to me sounds normal.

Well explained and totally true 👌

The Chr might be doing this because of the extreme heat currently in op location and may settle down after the heat goes away. 

[Harters]

11 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Well explained and totally true 👌

...

Thank you for much 😃

It still amazes me to this day how amazing the Hybrid system is!

[Haliotis]

On my car (2021 C-HR 1.8L Dynamic) I have not yet found how to see the level of my hybrid Battery.   This is my first hybrid, and I get the feeling that the instrumentation is a bit too basic - or am I not searching in the right place?🧠

[Harters]

Not sure where the CHR show it in the MFD, but you will be able to see it on the energy flow display on your headunit as below. 
 
Got the image off Google