In another venue, the subject arose that the Chevrolet Volt has been recalled for a software update that will limit the amount of time the car will idle if the owner walks away with the car left on.

The problem is that people have walked away from the Volt in a garage situation, allowing the car to eventually start the gasoline motor, which causes a buildup of carbon monoxide that will eventually work its way through the ceiling of a garage into whatever room is above the garage, and of course these rooms are usually bedrooms.

When questioned about my car, I said that it would be a hard thing to do unconsciously, because the Sport Hybrid warns you (like all RLX will warn you) by beeping at you when you're walking beyond the car's control zone with the transmitter in your pocket.

But that also raised a question for which I don't see an answer anywhere.

Will the RLX shut itself off after a time, or will it run until the tank's empty?

 

I am noticeing a rough idle right now for some reason. Just got oil changed yesterday at Honda, hopefully they did it right.

 

This may sound like a silly answer, but the idle limit in the scenario suggested may be at least partially governed by the HVAC system. If the car requires heating, the CPU would keep the car's ICE idling until the set temperature was reached at which time it shifts into electric mode and shuts down the ICE. I presume that, even with the electric A/C unit, the car would switch the ICE on if the HVAC was calling for cooling for a long period of time if for no other reason than to recharge the battery.

How long this process would continue, I have no idea. I know I had to sit and wait for maybe half an hour once picking up my father from a doctor's appointment on a cool morning, and the ICE did cycle on and off as heat was called for. I would assume that if the heat was set on hi on a cold winter day and the car left idling, that the car would run the ICE until the tank ran dry. Purely a guess.

 

My experience in the winter time was that the heat required the ICE to stay running more often, thus the worse mpg recorded. Now that it is warm, and I use AC when needed, I see no difference in mpg with or without it on, and my idling is in EV mode every time. BTW my local trips (10 miles or less) are consistently returning 36-42 mpg and highway only trips are typically in the 30-33 mpg range. The torque delivery is so addicting. I freaking love it.

 

Couldn't agree more. Power, handling, quiet ride, smoothness and great gas mileage -- what's not to love about the Sports Hybrid.

 

I wish that I could think of what is so different with the Chevy Volt and Caddy ELR that they thought a recall was necessary.

 

GM's offered a silly solution to a silly problem. If you have a hybrid with a gas engine, backup or no, and you start it up, OPEN THE GARAGE. I don't think the RLX hybrid is any different from the Volt/ELR in that regard.

I think GM has simply been so pilloried in the media for its lack of attention to the infamous ignition key problem that they are overreacting even to minor crises, or (in this case) to a non-crisis.

 

I thought the problem was that they entered the garage and ICE shut down in idle. Thus, the person did not think car (ICE) was running and did not shut off the car.
Closed garage and then ICE came on due to HVAC or battery charge.

MY EV shuts itself off after a certain time period if you have car in park, and have exited car. Seems like same logic could be applied to Hybrid