T8's New Hold and Charge Functions, formerly Save Mode (May 2016 Update, US + ?)

Gary-16-Xc90 · May 21, 2016

Many of the T8 owners who installed the May 2016 update in the US (and maybe other markets) have noticed that the Save Mode is gone from the Drive Modes. Although I do not understand the rationale, I thought I would share what I have read in the manual and ask that others contribute their insights as well.

First, the MY2016 Owners manual (web, app, car) have not been updated yet. In the short term, you can go to the MY2017 Owners manual in the Volvo manual app. Thanks to others who have shared, you can go to My Cars in the menu and add MY2017 for reference. Hopefully, the MY16 owners manual will be updated soon.

Second, you can search for "Maintaining/increasing the hybrid battery's charge while driving". It says "The hybrid battery functions Hold and Charge while driving are available in all drive modes." I believe this means that the Save functionality was moved out of the Driver Mode list because the functions can be used in any drive mode.

Third, the Hold and Charge modes are accessible via Sensus if you swipe from left to right to the function view. If you scroll towards the bottom, you will see two buttons - one being "Hold" and the other being "Charge". You can toggle between these as you drive. It is not as convenient as the Drive Mode selector, but the good news is that it can be used in all drive modes and is reasonably accessible via Sensus.

Fourth, here is what the manual says for each function:

Hold
Battery level sustained for later use. This function saves the hybrid's battery charge for use at a later time such as when driving in an urban area or residential neighborhood. Hold is available regardless of the hybrid battery's charge level. The vehicle will function as in normal hybrid driving and will use energy from, e.g., regenerative braking to support the gasoline engine.

Charge
Engine charges hybrid battery. This function is only available when the hybrid battery's charge level is low and recharge the battery up to 33%, after which the Hold function will be activated automatically.

Fifth, the current set of Drive Modes after the May 2016 update are: AWD, Pure, Hybrid, Power, Off-Road and Individual (if activated). (The order may not be accurate but the modes are.)

Sixth, the May 2016 update was commonly referenced by R89702 (2016-05-10), TJ31543 (2016-05-10) and TJ31569 (2016-05-10). Subsequent to May 10, 2016, additional updates to individual modules arise from time to time and would be typically be installed at your next service appointment (as best I know).

Gary-16-Xc90 · May 21, 2016

My experience has been that the "charge" function works reasonably fast. My car, this evening, was at about 5% and charged to 33% within 20 minutes of driving between 30-60 mph. As the manual says, the Hold (Save) feature is automatically activated once the charge level reaches 33%.

Just think of "Hold" as being the same as "Save". The nice thing is that "Save" and "Charge" both work in any drive mode which is a positive development. I wish there was a way for the charge feature to charge up to 49% rather than 33%. I do not know the details of why 33% was chosen but I assume it is to prevent the risk of overcharging and to provide some tolerance. I also assume that the 33% is based on the ~7.2 Kwh capacity for hybrid/pure use - not the ~9 Kwh size of the battery.

I am hoping that T8 owners will be provided more details on the hybrid system to enhance our understanding and optimize our use.

goVolvo · May 21, 2016

Seems to me the only reason to use "hold" would be after charged overnight, hold the battery level until the time later in the day you want it, for some racing in power mode maybe? Any other reason to use "hold"? Guess it is just convenient to set to "charge" always.

Gary-16-Xc90 · May 21, 2016

goVolvo said:
Seems to me the only reason to use "hold" would be after charged overnight, hold the battery level until the time later in the day you want it, for some racing in power mode maybe? Any other reason to use "hold"? Guess it is just convenient to set to "charge" always.

I use Hold (Save) after I am up to speed at highway or interstate speeds at 60 mph and above. It is particularly useful if you are headed somewhere that has the risk of some stop-and-go traffic such as the big city metro areas and construction zones. Even with Hold on, the car is still operating as a hybrid - using battery and/or ICE as demanded.

It seems to be that the car performs much better or more reliably with battery in stop-in-go traffic when you have at least 50% of your battery. What I mean by that the hybrid system will use ICE less often (if at all) particularly at speeds below 30 mph.

As for power mode, I rarely use it, but, yes, it is best to have a +50% battery charge to ensure that power mode works as you expect. I don't think using Power mode on an empty battery is going to give you the results that you might expect. That is based on a sales person telling me that they sent a T8 out on a demo with an empty battery. Customer was not impressed with power mode.

"Charge" can only be turned on once the battery falls below 33% or so. I wish it could be +49%.

Hope that helps and that others who have more experience than me will chime in too.

username_074 · May 21, 2016

@goVolvo - The reason for the 'SAVE' or newer 'HOLD' is to preserve the battery charge for when it is most efficient to use. We use 'SAVE' when we are going to travel on the Interstate. Logic - The battery has roughly 20 miles of ideal range. According to the owner's manual, the battery is most efficient at 45 mph or slower (in-town). At higher speeds the battery losses efficiency very quickly. So, what we do is we place the car into 'SAVE/HOLD' when we are about to enter the highway. We drive at highway speeds on the ICE and get the rated 24+ mpg. When we get within 20 miles (or whatever the remaining range of the battery is) from our destination, we switch back to 'Hybrid' and pretty much run on battery the whole way.

If you do not use 'SAVE/HOLD' the vehicle will deplete the battery first, and then leave you solely with the ICE.

What does our method accomplish? A few more empgs, and for long trips it ensures that we have a safety buffer of up to 20 miles on battery, should we run out of gas or something happen to the ICE. That safety cushion is a great peace of mind.

derickma · May 21, 2016

I like the new function better, maybe not the implementation. The problem with the old save mode was that when you got down to the last bit of battery you didn't know if it was going to charge or save the battery. Now if I'm on the highway and want to store some energy for later I can tell it exactly what I want it to do.

I do however with they implemented this different having to swipe to activate or deactivate takes some getting used to, I've moved the buttons so when I swipe the camera is in the middle of the screen with 2 save mode buttons on either side.

Maybe in the next model we can have something like the park button to activate the save mode.

Gary-16-Xc90 · May 21, 2016

derickma said:
I like the new function better, maybe not the implementation. The problem with the old save mode was that when you got down to the last bit of battery you didn't know if it was going to charge or save the battery. Now if I'm on the highway and want to store some energy for later I can tell it exactly what I want it to do.

I do however with they implemented this different having to swipe to activate or deactivate takes some getting used to, I've moved the buttons so when I swipe the camera is in the middle of the screen with 2 save mode buttons on either side.

Maybe in the next model we can have something like the park button to activate the save mode.

Excellent ideas. I never thought to move the icons. That I will do. As for a Park-like button for Hold, that would nice. Maybe even incorporated through the multi-function controls on the steering wheel although that is pretty busy and not as simple/easy as a button. Such a button could even be a three-way toggle for Normal, Hold and Charge.

alexr · May 21, 2016

We took delivery of our T8 Hybrid and it came preloaded with the May update. I've been frustrated that I had no idea what the Charge function button was for and couldn't find any reference to it in the [very poor] owner's manual.

Many thanks for figuring this out!

rpmccormick · May 28, 2016

While I have not upgraded the software yet (chicken) ... I like the change. I switch all the time between hybrid, pure and save. As others have noted - I'll use battery power to get me to the Interstate and then switch to save mode ... once I get off the highway go back to electric drive.

I find that roller selector in the centre console to be not so easy to use. My arm is long and I have to really stretch back to push and spin. I much prefer the swipe on the screen and single tap approach. And I have already organised the location of my icons in groups for what I use. Tip: the ones you don't use / want ... just put them very low down on the page - it is like hiding them.

Brutus99 · Jun 10, 2016

Great idea, was just reading about it today

Richard_Canada · Jun 11, 2016

I believe it is dangerous to change a feature that is used while driving and not to inform the owner. OK I read this forum and knew about it, but when the dealer installed the panoramic window fix their was no mention that it would change so many other things. Volvo should insist that dealers sit in the cars and explain what has changed regarding any feature that is used while driving. Drilling through sensus menus to find something is just as dangerous as texting while driving.

Spartanator · Jun 12, 2016

I like the new charge and hold feature better than the save drive mode. However, I think the system should be more autonomous. When the system is low on battery power, instead of running the ICE engine when the battery is drained, it should automatically revert to charge mode instead of me having to turn on charge mode.

Gary-16-Xc90 · Jun 12, 2016

Spartanator said:
I like the new charge and hold feature better than the save drive mode. However, I think the system should be more autonomous. When the system is low on battery power, instead of running the ICE engine when the battery is drained, it should automatically revert to charge mode instead of me having to turn on charge mode.

:thumbup: I would prefer that feature, too. When the charge goes below [x]%, I would like the charge feature initiated automatically (based on a driver profile or system setting). I understand that the battery has a reserve (for certain functions). But a charge status that is at 0-10% is not nearly as comforting as one at 33-50%. Plus, the hybrid system [seems to] operate more predictably above 33% charge status. I am confident that Volvo will continue to evolve the hybrid system with software updates and guidance for the MY16 and MY17.

Brutus99 · Jun 13, 2016

After it recharges the battery to 33% on the Charge setting, can you still charge it a little more driving in "B" mode? I wish it would charge to more than just 33% oh well, better than nothing I guess.

rpmccormick · Jun 14, 2016

Brutus99 said:
After it recharges the battery to 33% on the Charge setting, can you still charge it a little more driving in "B" mode?

No - the only way you would likely see any significant increase in battery whilst driving in B mode would be if you were using no energy (e.g., going down hill).

My best guess is Volvo has chosen the set points they have based on some factors including the efficiency of electric generation using the ICE. One test I have not done is to compute the fuel consumption when driving (at certain speeds) with the generator in-line and off-line. This would be pretty crude - you'd have to do something like find a stretch of Interstate highway where you could drive the same route / distance to get a number of samples for each mode.

Richard_Canada · Jun 19, 2016

Am I blind I can't find the charge button on the swipe left with zero battery but the hold is there. I did find the button and activate the charge function by drilling down into the setting my car etc.. menus

** Thanks for the replies, I have have found my missing button and moved it to the centre of the screen **

Envoyé de mon iPad en utilisant Tapatalk

Gary-16-Xc90 · Jun 19, 2016

Richard_Canada said:
Am I blind I can't find the charge button on the swipe left with zero battery but the hold is there. I did find the button and activate the charge function by drilling down into the setting my car etc.. menus.

Envoyé de mon iPad en utilisant Tapatalk

When you swipe left, did you then scroll down to reveal the other buttons? Like other posters suggested, I moved the buttons nearer to the top to avoid scrolling.

Brutus99 · Jun 19, 2016

Gary-16-Xc90 said:
Like other posters suggested, I moved the buttons nearer to the top to avoid scrolling.

I didn't realize you can move them! Do you just hold and drag like on your phone lol?

Gary-16-Xc90 · Jun 19, 2016

Brutus99 said:
I didn't realize you can move them! Do you just hold and drag like on your phone lol?

Yes, just press, hold and drag to any open space or row. Unlike iOS, it does not displace another icon. You just need to move them around until you are satisfied. I think you could fit most, if not, all icons on the left systems page onto one page and eliminate scrolling. Good luck in your design.

CVO · Jan 26, 2021

Hi, dusting off this thread since we just purchased our first Volvo Recharge and I still feel like I'm studying nuclear physics but my degree is in art. After reading the entire thread (and searching other places as well), I still don't know what the COST of using "Engine charges hybrid battery" option is.... I assume it's not "free"... but what is it?
I was coming back from the Cascade mountains and my route took me down a very long (~15 miles) hill so I was wondering what I should use to recharge the battery for my return to town: "B" mode or "Recharge" or both or what?
Thanks.

T8's New Hold and Charge Functions, formerly Save Mode (May 2016 Update, US + ?)

Gary-16-Xc90

Gary-16-Xc90

goVolvo

Gary-16-Xc90

username_074

derickma

Gary-16-Xc90

alexr

rpmccormick

Brutus99

Richard_Canada

Spartanator

Gary-16-Xc90

Brutus99

rpmccormick

Richard_Canada

Gary-16-Xc90

Brutus99

Gary-16-Xc90

CVO

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