Carpokes Porsche Forum

Stormy_Monday wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2024 5:58 pm

RonaTD wrote: Tue Sep 17, 2024 7:42 pm I took delivery of a S E-Hybrid in July. Since then I've put just over 2000 miles on it, probably 1500 of those on battery power alone. I'm retired, so most of my driving is errands and going to the marina to go sailing. I'm getting around 25mpg when just using the gas engine, and about 2 miles per kwh in electric mode.

People online have criticized the electric mode for its leisurely acceleration, but they are missing the point. In the circumstances where I'm in e-mode, I have _never_ thought "gee I wish this motor was stronger". When driving the Cayenne sedately around town, it is incredibly quiet and comfortable, and in my opinion has plenty of power just from the e-motor.

The only complaint I have is that the transmission and regen/brake programming makes for a bit of herky-jerky stops sometimes. Online reviews complain about the braking, but I think they're referring to the combination of braking, regeneration, and transmission. Porsche insists on prioritizing coasting over e-braking, and I think that contributes to this problem.

I charge the car in my garage on 110v, which makes for pretty pokey recharging, as I'm only getting 1200w. I can get about 50% of the battery charged while I'm sleeping. That hasn't been an issue for me so far. The biggest problem I've had with the charger is that it errors out when the garage door opens. I guess the short draw of power as the garage door motor starts up panics the charge controller. (They're on the same circuit.) So, I can't just leave it plugged in all day and have it keep charging, as I have to unplug and replug the wall unit every time my wife opens the garage door. Someday we'll get a dedicated 220v line in there. I'm trying to keep the battery between 20 and 80% to maximize ultimate lifespan.

Last week I did a highway trip, about 100 miles each way, mostly interstate with a bit of suburban roads. I did the trip in hybrid mode, letting the computer decide when to fire up the lovely gas motor. The battery was at about 80% at the start, and it was down close to zero when I got back. The computer reported about 45 mpg average, but that's not an "eMPG" equivalent, as it doesn't include the equivalent gas consumption of electrons. Still, I was kind of shocked by that because, as I said, I've been getting 25mpg (or less!) when blasting around the backroads in Sport mode. I have the sports exhaust and did not have it in sport mode for that trip. You can barely hear the engine start, and you don't feel it start or shut down. It is an _amazingly_ quiet and comfortable highway cruiser, when you need that sort of thing. It's worth mentioning, I suppose, that I also have air suspension and active roll bars. (Yes, I checked all of the performance option boxes.)

A lot of hate is directed at plug-in hybrids, claiming they're inefficient and carry wasted weight. I think those arguments are exactly backwards. The "data" on inefficiency comes from people who never plug theirs in. Well, duh. And the extra weight of the gas engine argument is just silly. How much does my 3.0 turbo v6 weigh compared to, say 300 miles worth of battery? I estimate the engine weighs half of what the extra battery would weigh. So, I have enough battery capacity for 80% of the driving I do, and for the other 20%, a) I'm carrying half of the additional weight, b) for 400 miles of range with a 3-minute refill time.

We'll see if I ever get to the point where I can answer the question about battery life and replacement cost . I'm hopeful that Porsche is smart enough to make it possible to, when the time comes, replace the battery with newer technology that's lighter/more efficient.

So, what kind of sailboat?

Mbarrett6GT3 wrote: Mon Nov 11, 2024 5:00 pm Brakes are different, mushy, but seems adequate even with trailer. Still analyzing gas vs electric efficiency vs vehicle price premium.

Stormy_Monday wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2024 3:31 am My wife wanted the hybrid because she will be able to do most of her driving on electric mode. I think that for cars at this price point, it's not about economy or ROI, it's about what you want to play with. But, we had the same discussions. We were able to spend an hour in a S e-Hybrid. I didn't notice anything with the brake pedal. But in electric mode, the wife commented that when it stops it stops. No coasting. My biggest concern was the seats. My big ass has become very uncomfortable in her current Lexus RX350. I found the same issue testing driving a new RX Hybrid. The missus was underwhelmed. She found the inability to order exactly what you want from Lexus disappointing at this price level. She also was very impressed with the Cayenne's premium interior. All the tech in the car and on the dash is very appealing. I'll probably be yelling at the dash....

She as an allocation. Porsche has given her the production milestones. The two of us and our salesman have gone over the configuration with the proverbial fine tooth comb. She has until December 10th to make changes. She is finding that this ordering/customization is very exciting.

So, news at 11

Stormy_Monday wrote: Wed Nov 13, 2024 5:54 am "On a side note, did you ever get your Coco floor mat samples and/or order a set?"

I was told "no" by my financial advisor. So it's on hold for now.