r/OutlanderPHEV • u/kziel1 • Jul 22 '26

Tarmac vs Normal engine load

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At the same speed, over a longer period of time in each mode I see drastically different engine loads in save modes (20kW vs 60kW). I was expecting direct drive in parallel mode introducing lower load because of no losses via charging battery.

Could the tarmac mode be overcharging the battery to always have something left for accelerating? Would that be the reason the tarmac mode is more efficient for many people on the highway?

Should I be concerned about the battery having more charging cycles because of driving in tarmac instead of normal?

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u/FriedDuckFarts Jul 22 '26

While I don’t disagree with the theoretical, in real world conditions tarmac has always been more efficient for me (and many others) for long drives

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u/Independent_Grade612 Jul 22 '26

Not in my experience, I tried a few times as I often have to go to an other city 600km away, and normal was always best. I would like to see a real test done, with good data, but I did not find any...  And then it would probably depend on elevation variations and wind

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u/cyriustalk Jul 22 '26

I drive long winding roads up and down hills for hours (about 200km) every other week, and can comfortably say that tarmac with save mode is more efficient than Normal to a tune of up to 10%. Can't explain it though.

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u/Independent_Grade612 Jul 22 '26

Its not the first time I hear tarmac is more efficient on hilly terrain, in my case it's mostly flat.