C350e owners club

[Mike the Merc]

Hi all

Took delivery of mine Christmas eve, ordered at the end of Jan. Fleet vehicle with Hitachi. Having a problem this morning, and cant see its been covered. The E'mode is greyed out, hybrid isnt kicking in either and on a 50 mile journey i've charged the battery using the engine sat at 75%. Arrived at the office, engine off and back on and battery still not kicking in...... suspect i'm back to the dealer!?!

That was what mine did when the gearbox failed, I could only crawl back with the petrol engine, is the car selecting the gears smoothly and working as it should with out the electric power? Do you have it in Eco or comfort mode? I dont think e drive works in sport or sport plus.

 

[goldinr87]

car drives absolutley fine, had it between eco, comfort and sport during the drive to try and work it out. Very odd indeed, worked first thing as i pulled off the drive, kicked into engine and never went back...... Havent contacted the dealer waiting a call back

 

[markcoopers]

Dear all,

I collect mine next week, so in anticipation those with a car already, why does preheat improve the electric range? is this just because it is plugged in using mains to preheat rather than car battery when driving?
Did I read correctly that preheat is a setting in Mercedes me that needs each day setting individually?

Also any tips for setting the car up/useful tips about settings people have found works best for them?

Cheers,

 

[mardeman]

The battery operates better when warm. also, if the car is warm when you get in, in theory you don't need to use the heater.

It is very frustrating that you cant set the pre-heat for each day as I go out the same time every day to work.

Lots of stuff to learn. I haven't read the manual, but if I did, I would learn even more.

 

[fields5069]

When mine is only plugged into the mains drawing 8 amps, pre-heat depletes the battery. I suspect I need more amps but the 13 amp option leaves the plug feeling quite warm.

I believe pre-heat (assuming the battery's not getting depleted) increases range as it also pre-heats the battery to correct operating temperature.

Edit to say that Mercedes have now activated my connected services, so I went out this morning to a nice warm car.

 

[Dazneuk]

Hi Guys

I need to order a new company car but ideally want a MY17 for any updates and possible CarPlay.

Due to the current wait times if I order now would I potentially get a MY17 as I know last year MY16 was from June?

Thanks

Darren

 

[Dieseldrinker]

Hi everyone - after an 8 month wait, my estate is arriving next week. I understand that the Sport spec does not include mats, which for a £42k car seems mean. What have others done / planning to do? OEM velour or ribbed? Third party?

I got carpet mats supplied as that is part of the deal my employer has with Lex, though at this time of year they get grotty quickly. So I've also bought a set of rubber mats off eBay for under £20 which arrived yesterday and look good enough.

 

[derekthetree]

its a turbo 2.0

So it is! I'd not been sure ever since someone asked me at work. The literature isn't explicit online, "Electronically controlled direct injection plus electric motor" for the C350e rather than "Common-rail diesel with turbocharger" for a C220d.

A bit of googling set me straight.

In that case a bit more than 208bhp should be feasible Is it the same unit as the A45?

 

[mbboyracer]

Battery Charging

Folks, a couple of thoughts to pass the time waiting for mine to arrive in April.

I'm getting ready for the battery charging process; had the 10mm² cable installed during some garden work complete with a dedicated circuit and 32A CB. No fancy charging point yet but I have a Swedish CTEK MXS 10Amp charger for normal use. This has an automated 8-stage charging process with temperature compensation. Cost about £100 from Halfords.

Do I need a "Proper" Charger? Why do they cost so much? What's inside the box that justifies paying £500-£700? Any recommendations for a suitable brand of Charging Point?

How easy would it be to use my CTEK charger that can be directly (and safely) wired to the battery terminals and uses a quick connect system?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Rdt123]

Some good news. After ordering in October and having my date slip from April 14th to the 27th; the dealer has now informed me they expect delivery on February 5th

Happy days

 

[mbboyracer]

Further to the above, I found out too late to edit my post that it says in the brochure (on-line) that:

"The C 350 e uses the currently most advanced form of hybrid technology. Its electrical energy storage unit is a high-voltage lithium-ion battery which can be charged from an external power source and so makes an effective contribution to the low consumption and emission figures. The battery is water-cooled, weighs around 100 kilograms and is mounted in a sheet steel housing underneath the rear axle in order to maximize crash safety, driving dynamics and boot space"

So, "high voltage" is probably why we need an external source. I can understand why a high voltage is used; it reduces the amperage required for a give power, thereby allowing thinner lighter conductors. Formula One KERS seems to use 400-500volts and a huge number of Amps.

An ordinary 12-15v charger will obviously not do the job.

But anyway, it might be useful to see this discussed

 

[mbboyracer]

Some good news. After ordering in October and having my date slip from April 14th to the 27th; the dealer has now informed me they expect delivery on February 5th

Happy days

Well Done! Me jealous? Noooo....

 

[Rdt123]

Thanks. Funny I was thinking about the car a lot when I ordered it and then seemed to have forgotten for a month till I got the email.

 

[JP350e]

Folks, a couple of thoughts to pass the time waiting for mine to arrive in April.

I'm getting ready for the battery charging process; had the 10mm² cable installed during some garden work complete with a dedicated circuit and 32A CB. No fancy charging point yet but I have a Swedish CTEK MXS 10Amp charger for normal use. This has an automated 8-stage charging process with temperature compensation. Cost about £100 from Halfords.

Do I need a "Proper" Charger? Why do they cost so much? What's inside the box that justifies paying £500-£700? Any recommendations for a suitable brand of Charging Point?

How easy would it be to use my CTEK charger that can be directly (and safely) wired to the battery terminals and uses a quick connect system?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I would suggest doing some reading up on hybrids. You battery charger will charge the 12v accessory battery. Not the high voltage lithium ion car battery pack. Yes you need a dedicated charger (EVSE). Either use the "brick" supplied with the car and a 13a domestic socket (note these cost a few hundred pounds if you wanted to buy one) or the other cable and have adedicated charge point installed!

ZapMap.com is a good site for learning about EV's!

 

[mbboyracer]

Either use the "brick" supplied with the car and a 13a domestic socket (note these cost a few hundred pounds if you wanted to buy one) or the other cable and have adedicated charge point installed!

ZapMap.com is a good site for learning about EV's!

Thanks very much for comments and for reminding me about zapmap.com. I had found it earlier by googling but didn't notice how comprehensive it was and then forgot it! Going to read it more thoroughly when there is time. A quick glance did not tell me whether the AC becomes DC and the voltage is regulated in the cable (brick?) or in the car. Car will come with two cables: Mode 2 for the house and Mode 3 for charge points. I haven't seen either of them yet so can't imagine what the "brick" is/does. If it's all done in the "brick" or in the charge point then there must be some sort of Industry/International standard. I'll be driving in Europe very soon after delivery (I hope!) so I would like to know about this stuff. Anyway, I am a Geek so this is how I am!

By the way, you may not have noticed my second post on this subject (#511) at the top of page. Hope your charging issue has been resolved and is long forgotten.

 

[JP350e]

Thanks very much for comments and for reminding me about zapmap.com. I had found it earlier by googling but didn't notice how comprehensive it was and then forgot it! Going to read it more thoroughly when there is time. A quick glance did not tell me whether the AC becomes DC and the voltage is regulated in the cable (brick?) or in the car. Car will come with two cables: Mode 2 for the house and Mode 3 for charge points. I haven't seen either of them yet so can't imagine what the "brick" is/does. If it's all done in the "brick" or in the charge point then there must be some sort of Industry/International standard. I'll be driving in Europe very soon after delivery (I hope!) so I would like to know about this stuff. Anyway, I am a Geek so this is how I am!

By the way, you may not have noticed my second post on this subject (#511) at the top of page. Hope your charging issue has been resolved and is long forgotten.

The mode 2 cable is the brick, you'll see why when you get it!! The mode 3 cable is for charge points either out and about or if you have a dedicated charge point fitted at home without a tethered cable (which is what I have as my wife has a fully electric Nissan Leaf).

When charging, I believe that the car basically extends the cars CAN bus to the charger to properly control the charging - with the mode 2 brick cable, the brick does this communication or with the mode 3, the charge point does it.

You can use the brick abroad with a suitable plug adaptor but make sure it's very good quality as it will draw the full 13amps and gets hot, or you can turn it down to 8amps which could be preferable. The mode 3 cable is standard at the charge point end, the problem you'll find in Europe is the multitude of charge station providers, the access cards required and the fees associated with them!

 

[runarg]

This was a strange experience. Before a short trip to the local store today I decided to pre-heat to see if that could lead to a better electric range. When I turned on pre-heating this morning I saw that the electric range was 19km, like it always is when fully charged. I came back 1.5 haur later to drive to the store. The car was warm, but when starting I noticed that the electric range was now only 12km!!! The charging cable was plugged in all the time during pre-heating.
Is that normal? Also, I was not able to secelt E-mode when I started. It was greyed out!

Some additional information: I checked my charger and it was set to half strength (8A?) like the dealer told me to always use. I changed it to full (13A?) and tried again. Also this time the battery was fully charged when starting, it showed a range of 19km. At the departure time the car was warm, but the range was only 14km. That's 2km more than when I used 8A, but I don't think that's good at all!

 

[ASnowman]

Some additional information: I checked my charger and it was set to half strength (8A?) like the dealer told me to always use. I changed it to full (13A?) and tried again. Also this time the battery was fully charged when starting, it showed a range of 19km. At the departure time the car was warm, but the range was only 14km. That's 2km more than when I used 8A, but I don't think that's good at all!

What is the real km you get when you drive nice and turn of A/C?
Real figures compared to what the car predicts.
The figures you get is based on historical usage also as far as I know.
Whats the outside temperature now?
Snow on the road?
Lots of things that could affect mileage.

 

[JP350e]

Some additional information: I checked my charger and it was set to half strength (8A?) like the dealer told me to always use. I changed it to full (13A?) and tried again. Also this time the battery was fully charged when starting, it showed a range of 19km. At the departure time the car was warm, but the range was only 14km. That's 2km more than when I used 8A, but I don't think that's good at all!

I've had this happen also when it was very cold one morning. I think the pre-heat function draws more current than the 8a supply, hence a reduced battery % charge. Using either the 13a setting or the 16a charge point I have hasn't repeated the problem at all.

 

[runarg]

What is the real km you get when you drive nice and turn of A/C?
Real figures compared to what the car predicts.
The figures you get is based on historical usage also as far as I know.
Whats the outside temperature now?
Snow on the road?
Lots of things that could affect mileage.

Like I said in earlier posts, the car usually predicts about 19km when fully charged. And real distance I can drive if it's flat is usually about 10km! The temperature has been from about +10C to -7C. I have not tried to drive without AC, that will be too cold. But can that make such a big difference?