As the Spring Festival holiday is approaching, I believe many car enthusiasts are making plans for long-distance travels. As a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle owner, I have no anxiety about long-distance energy supplementation. Every long holiday, we can see news of crowded high-speed charging stations. When driving my EVgo car through the congested charging station, I have only one thought in mind: leave the electricity to those who need it more.
Although we can refuel, we still need to take long-distance travel plans seriously. Therefore, I have sorted out the top 10 knowledge points that car enthusiasts most want to know to make your journey more reassuring.
When driving at high speeds, which energy mode saves the most fuel?
I believe this is the most concerned issue for everyone. My suggestion here is to keep the remaining battery level above 80% before departure, and choose the hybrid or fuel priority mode. In fact, the fuel consumption under these two modes at high speeds is basically the same.
When driving at high speeds, fuel consumption has a lot to do with speed. Based on my own experience of driving at high speeds, when the battery level is around 80%, the fuel consumption on a 100 km/h cruise is about 7 liters, 110 km/h cruise is about 8 liters, and 120 km/h cruise is about 9 liters. You can drive according to actual road conditions and personal habits. It is recommended to set the energy regen to comfortable when driving at high speeds, with a longer sliding distance, to bring a better overall driving experience and does not affect energy-saving.
What should I pay attention to when driving long distances with ADAS?
When using ADAS for long-distance driving, you must not rely too much on it. You should hold the steering wheel and always pay attention to the road conditions ahead. Do not be careless. It is recommended that you watch the video for the “Quick Guide to ADAS” to learn about the usage and precautions.
Can the range extender generate electricity to recharge the battery during high-speed driving?
If your remaining battery level is low when you start your trip, you can switch the energy mode to fuel priority and select forced generation to recharge the battery. Note that the overall fuel consumption level will significantly increase during the process of recharging the battery.
If you don’t want to charge back, it’s okay. For Ideal vehicles, driving at low battery level (around 20%) would only cause slight power reduction at high speed, and would not have much impact on other aspects.
Do we need to plan the charging route during the journey?
Of course, not necessary. Unless there is a destination charger, such as the hotel you are staying at has a charging station that can supply some power, otherwise it is indeed unnecessary. When the fast charging price is at 2 yuan per degree, the cost of use is only slightly lower than the per-kilometer cost of refueling, but if the time cost is taken into consideration, it may not necessarily be cost-effective. Therefore, I only recommend charging under one specific situation during your journey, which is when there is a cheap fast charger at your destination. In other situations, it is really not necessary.
What parts of the vehicle need to be checked before departure?
- Tires
Mainly inspect the external appearance of the tires for obvious scratches, bulges, or major damage that involves the cord. If so, it is not recommended to drive on the highway with damaged tires. The vehicle has tire pressure monitoring, and the standard tire pressure is 2.5bar, which can be checked in the vehicle center card of the central control screen.
- Windshield washer
You can add some windshield washer appropriately before departure, and the adding position is under the cover plate on the left side of the front compartment. The hood uses a two-stage locking buckle. To open our hood, you also need to press the handle on the lower left of the driver’s seat twice continuously. When closing, just gently lower the hood with a little force.
3. On-board Tools
In the trunk, there are three tools that everyone should know about. The first is an air pump. If there is a slow leak due to a punctured tire, use the air pump to inflate it and drive to a place where the tire can be repaired. The second thing is the triangle warning sign. When emergency parking is required on a highway, place the triangle warning sign at least 150 meters away from the parking position to ensure the safety of the vehicle and pedestrians. The third item is a reflective vest. When you need to get off the vehicle to place the warning sign or handle a vehicle problem for a long time on the highway, you must wear a reflective vest, especially at night. Please open the trunk to check whether these three tools are in good condition before driving.
Should I change to off-road tires for long-distance non-paved road driving?
It is recommended that you change to off-road tires. After all, the ideal L series SUV is equipped with quiet road tires. If it is for short-distance and lightweight non-paved road driving, you can use the original factory tires. However, for long-distance non-paved road driving like the Ali North cross-country route, you must change to off-road tires (cross-country tires) to ensure driving safety.
What should I do if I encounter a tire blowout?
A tire blowout while driving is a rare event, but it is a high-risk situation. If the rear tire blows out, the safety factor is relatively high. After keeping the vehicle under control, immediately turn on the hazard warning lights and pull over to the side of the road. If the front tire blows out, which is more dangerous because it is a turning wheel, do not step on the brakes instinctively. Instead, tightly grip the steering wheel and control the vehicle. If you need to slow down, use a pumping brake technique. If it occurs on a highway, after parking the vehicle on the side of the road, be sure to place the warning sign at least 150 meters away and wait outside the highway guardrail for rescue.
### Is there any charge for high-speed towing service?
Ideal car provides free road rescue for all vehicles during the whole-vehicle warranty period. However, non-highway administrative towing cannot enter the highway. If towing is needed, it will be towed to the nearest toll station by the highway administration, and then Ideal will provide free towing service.
You don’t have to worry about the towing fees generated by the highway administration. Ideal car can reimburse the fees for you with your ticket. (Please note that if the highway administration towed the vehicle to the exit of the expressway and the owner did not choose the Ideal road rescue, the highway administration towing fee cannot be reimbursed. Please be sure to send the reimbursement-related materials to the designated address within 30 natural days after the accident. Please consult Ideal customer service for the specific process).
What are the ways to quickly find Ideal customer service?
- Let Ideal buddy call customer service for you
If you need to communicate with customer service during the journey, you can wake up Ideal buddy and say “call customer service” to it under the condition that Bluetooth phone has been connected.
- Dial 400-686-0900 on your phone
Please save Ideal car’s customer service phone number 400-686-0900 to your phone book for easy calling when needed.
- Ideal Car App [Service] function entrance
You can quickly contact customer service through the service module on the car control page of the Ideal Car App.
What should I do if I encounter bad weather?
For car owners in areas with strong influence of rain and snow, you can turn on the “slippery road” mode to ensure the stability of the vehicle when it is raining.“`
The above are the precautions for long-distance travel that we have prepared for you. Finally, let me remind you: Bring some cash with you when you go out, remember to bring a physical key with you, do not drive when fatigued, and all passengers should fasten their seat belts, hope every ideal car enthusiast can have a safe journey and return home smoothly.
“`
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.