Introducing the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
In 2020 the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV held its reign as the best-selling Plug-in Hybrid SUV in the UK. The practical Outlander is widely credited with kick-starting uptake of plug-in hybrid cars, and has remained at the top of its class ever since its launch in 2014.
The car has 2 electric motors and a conventional 2.0 litre petrol Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Its 10kw battery will give an electric-only range of around 20 miles. Once depleted the outlander will revert to Hybrid mode and the ICE motor will start to kick in. Having an empty battery does not mean you won’t run on electric. The ICE and regenerative braking will recharge the battery automatically. You find the car runs on electric much more than you’d expect (especially when town driving).
Before your drive
Make sure you’ve booked out the car using our booking system: https://www.supersaas.co.uk/schedule/Hooky_Car_Club/Cars. The booking system will have the most up to date information about the cars location. At each location you will find a key safe which will give you access to the car. Unplug the car and be sure to stow the charger in the boot for use later. Before you set off make sure you enter the start mileage on the trip sheet and check the condition of the car.
Driving the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
You will find it easy to get comfortable in the Outlander. The plush seats and high driving position make it a great car to do miles in. At first the Outlander may seem complicated, there are buttons with unfamiliar functions which may intimidate some. The truth: is the outlander is doing some complicated balancing between its different motors and power sources. The good news is: the car will deal with all of this for you, you only have to get involved if you want to!
A start/stop button to the left of the steering wheel brings the car to life. Once started, the car will sit there silently ready for you to put it into drive. Hold the gear lever right and pull back for drive (right and forward for reverse). The lights and wipers are automatic, so it’s just a case of getting in and driving.
Acceleration is smooth and torquey, you will get used to wafting around in silence. Driven gently the Outlander is a very relaxing place to be.
Tips and Tricks
Here are our tips and tricks for getting the most out of our Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV:
Regenerative braking
Lift off the accelerator or gently apply the brake pedal and the car will start regenerating power from the motors into the battery. The brake pedal is essentially doing two jobs: the first half of the brake travel is for regenerative braking where as the second half will apply the “traditional” brakes to bring the car to a stop. This will feel strange at first but after a few minutes it all feels fairly natural. It’s possible to regenerate a mile or 2 on a downhill, by either lifting off the accelerator or feathering the brake. Please note: electric cars do not offer regenerative braking when the battery is full.
Regen Paddles
You can control the level of regenerative braking that occurs when you lift off the accelerator or apply the brake. This can be done with the paddles behind the steering wheel. There are 5 levels of regen B0 – B5, with B5 giving the strongest level of regeneration (slowing the car more quickly). The lowest (B0) allows the car to coast like no other vehicle you’ve driven before! The paddle to the left increases the level of regenerative braking. The paddle to the right reduces the level of regenerative braking. There is no requirement to use these paddles when driving, used correctly they can increase electric range. It’s possible to use B0 to you advantage once the car is up to speed, as the car will need very little accelerator input to keep it’s momentum. You may then use the left paddle to slow down for junctions, only using the brake pedal to bring the car to a complete stop. Holding the right paddle for a couple of seconds will reset the Regen back to default (B2).
Heating/Air Conditioning
Our Outlander uses an electric heater to control the cabin temperature. The Outlander’s cabin is climate controlled. Like any climate control, we recommend setting this to a sensible temperature and then leaving it in “auto”. The car will then generate the heat/cool air and deliver it when ready. If you value the silence of electric running then we recommend using the Eco button, this will reduce the impact of heat pump on the battery and stop the ICE kicking in. It will also soften down the throttle response. If you’d prefer not to drive in Eco but still want to drive in electric as much as possible, we recommend turning off the climate control and using the windows, heated seats and heated steering wheel to keep you at a comfortable temperature.
Save Button
The Save button will hold the battery level at it’s current state of charge. This is particularly useful if you have long segments of fast roads on your journey. Here it might be more sensible to ‘Save’ the electric only range for slower driving, where Electric driving will be more efficient. Using Save will turn the car into Hybrid mode. Don’t be surprised if you experience some electric only running in this mode. This means the car has regenerated enough battery energy to turn off the ICE while still maintaining its current level of charge.
Charge Button
The Charge button will force the car to use the ICE and charge the battery. It’s designed to be used to generate EV only range while moving. We don’t recommend using this function as the car is at it’s least efficient both in terms of driving and of generating energy. If you are keen to have some EV only running at your destination then we recommend finding a charging point on your journey. It’s possible to charge the Outlander to 80% in 45 minutes.
After your drive
Please return the Mitsubishi Outlander to the location noted on the booking system. Complete the trip sheet making sure to note any issues with the car. If you do notice an issue, please also email carclub@hn-lc.org.uk. Put the car on charge using the instructions below and return the key to the keybox.
Charging the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
The Outlander will be charged from a charging post or dedicated wall charger; depending on the location.
For information about charging the vehicle at our primary site – Bourne Green, please refer to the notes HERE
If you are charging the car from a dedicated wall charger (like the one at the school), then the cable is tethered to the charge itself. Open the charging flap on the offside of the vehicle. Plug the car into the tethered cable, the last remaining step is to check the car is charging.
Check the car is charging
You may hear an audible click from the charging dock and a high pitched charging sound. The car itself will make 2 noises followed by a click. The best description is: “Duger Duger Click!”
Look through the window at the dashboard dials. You should see a red charging symbol.
This:
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If you are unsure the car is charging please unplug everything and try again. If after a second attempt you are still unsure, please leave the car plugged in and let the car club team know: carclub@hn-lc.org.uk. The team are able to initialise a charge remotely in this situation.
Charging outside of Hook Norton
If you are planning a longer journey then the Outlander can run on Petrol or Electric. You can fill up petrol in the conventional way with the flap on the nearside of the vehicle. We do encourage charging the car whenever possible. This could be from a standard 3 pin plug which will charge the car in around 4 hours. Alternatively you can use the electric charging network, this should be fairly painless and shouldn’t cause concern. We recommend you try the following steps.
- Go to https://www.zap-map.com/ or download the app.
- Pick a charging point. You should also make sure the charging point has the correct charging outlets (plugs). The Outlander uses either: Type 2 or Chademo charging leads.
- You will notice that there are lots of chargers. There are also a lot of different charging companies and lots of different charging outlets. Choosing one may seem daunting at first. We recommend the following:
- If you are travelling on motorways then Ecotricity run all the chargers at the major motorway services. You will need to sign up, download an app and give credit card details.
- BP chargemaster run as an app called polar instant. This allows pay as you go access to their charging network which are usually away from the motorways.
If you do need to use fuel for a longer journey, please remember that the Outlander must be returned with at least 1/2 a tank of fuel.