Horrific Gas Mileage Hemi eTorque

[cmdr bobert]

It is my understanding that the eTorque only helps with stop and go with extra torque "push" to get the truck moving from a stop. It that is the case, it certainly would only help "city" stop and go mileage and not highway mileage - it doesn't just automatically kick in during highway driving like a hybrid vehicle does and therefore can't help in highway driving mpg.

The eTorque generator/electric motor is larger than the standard alternator and produces a lot of torque as an electric motor but also needs a lot of HP to turn in generator mode. Generator mode hopefully is mostly done in regenerative braking or slowing down mode but if not, it is drawing a lot more power from the engine than the standard alternator would.

Power in = Power out. If you are adding extra power/torque to the wheels at the start from a stop than you are using the generated stored energy from the battery that must have been generated and stored there and must be replaced by generated and stored energy for the next "boost".

Again, if everything is working properly and energy was generated while slowing down or stopping that it is a win-win and the energy was generated for free and no power was used from the engine = more starting take off boost with less gasoline fuel consumption.

If everything is not working properly and the energy is not being completely replaced while slowing down or braking/stopping than the power of the engine is used to generate the electricity to recharge the battery.

I am sure that the eTorque generator turns harder that the standard alternator for quick charging/regeneration and would hope that it is "variable" for general system charging.

My other car is a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, a great comfortable ride that gets an average 40 mpg with no sacrifice in performance compared to the smaller standard gas engine.

OK, then explain Ram's website. Here's a screen shot. Notice the benefits they tout are best in class fuel economy and driving range.

 

[mofomikes]

I picked up my Ram 1500 Longhorn eTorque last month and it was getting about 10mpg city while driving for fuel economy as much as possible. I was pretty concerned by this.
Now I have about 2000km on it and its up to around 15mpg city with MDS kicking in much more often.

I find MDS engages more often if you take your foot off the throttle completely after acceleration and gingerly give it slight throttle to maintain cruising speed, rather than just backing off the throttle from acceleration to cruising speed. Has anyone noticed this or is it just me?

 

[Edwards]

I picked up my Ram 1500 Longhorn eTorque last month and it was getting about 10mpg city while driving for fuel economy as much as possible. I was pretty concerned by this.
Now I have about 2000km on it and its up to around 15mpg city with MDS kicking in much more often.

I find MDS engages more often if you take your foot off the throttle completely after acceleration and gingerly give it slight throttle to maintain cruising speed, rather than just backing off the throttle from acceleration to cruising speed. Has anyone noticed this or is it just me?

Yes, I've noticed this as well.

 

[DanSkan]

OK, then explain Ram's website. Here's a screen shot. Notice the benefits they tout are best in class fuel economy and driving range.

View attachment 15966

And how many are getting the 17/22 mpg as advertised? This is the whole reason for this thread.

 

[DanSkan]

FYI: According to Ram it also helps with passing. From my experience though, my city mileage is crap and the instantaneous mpg is still like 3mpg getting going from a stop (but that could be like a programed guess).


2019 Ram 1500 Bighorn | 5.7L eTorque | 3.92 R.A.R.

Yes, it is supposed to help with passing and the extra will help if you need it.

But back to the MPG - if the eTorque kicks in to pass then it depletes a good deal of the energy power stored in the battery and then must generate the power again to charge the battery - that comes from the engine and if not stopping or slowing down, there is no regen from that and the generator must replenish the charge in the batteries from additional power from the engine burning fuel.

Just talking about MPG here, not the extra power from the eTorque.

 

[cmdr bobert]

And how many are getting the 17/22 mpg as advertised? This is the whole reason for this thread.

That’s my point. There are occasional posters who say the point of the etorque is not fuel economy - that it’s for performance and for extending the lifespan of other components.

Ram is marketing etorque as a fuel economy feature. There is no acceptable excuse for the results many are observing.

 

[Zinger]

Yes, it is supposed to help with passing and the extra will help if you need it.

But back to the MPG - if the eTorque kicks in to pass then it depletes a good deal of the energy power stored in the battery and then must generate the power again to charge the battery - that comes from the engine and if not stopping or slowing down, there is no regen from that and the generator must replenish the charge in the batteries from additional power from the engine burning fuel.

Just talking about MPG here, not the extra power from the eTorque.

My understanding is that all eTorque will do is help bring the engine up to the lower gear RPM and that's it. No additional boost is added once the downshift is complete and the reqired RPM is reached. That still takes energy, but it can't be much since we're talking milliseconds.

The reverse is true for upshifts, but that would be regen energy from loading the engine to bring the RPM down.

 

[Gman]

There's plenty of information in these forums regarding the 6 modes of eTorque. There's no need to make assumptions about what it does or doesn't do.

I'm getting the 22 on the highway. I don't get 17 in town because of ME and my right foot, not the truck.

 

[djwdjw]

FYI: According to Ram it also helps with passing.

I don't think anything I've read suggests that. It apparently does some rev matching on shifts, but can't really say that's helping with passing.

 

[Rototerrier]

Getting 16.9 on mine. I ordered my replacement truck without etorque.

 

[drbobvs]

Just had the 3 updates done and noticed my radio wont let me turn on surround sound. Can anyone else confirm this?

 

[jimwjones]

I've got 7,000 miles on my limited etorque with 3.92's. Dash display says 13mpg it was 11-12 mpg for the first few thousand miles. Like the way the truck performs and it shifts great, but that was a lot to spend for no real economy benefit.

 

[RamTruckMan]

Just had the 3 updates done and noticed my radio wont let me turn on surround sound. Can anyone else confirm this?

Mine also but I also had the radio fix done


2019 Ram 1500 Bighorn | 5.7L eTorque | 3.92 R.A.R.

 

[slimchance]

yesterday got gas at Sams ... HC to 18.2 .... dash said 18.4 .... all local driving on snowy roads with auto4wd on 3,342 miles and no updates done yet

 

[1guyandtools]

Still waiting for my new truck that I ordered. 5.7 hemi w/3:21 gears . Most of the complaints about the mileage is the gears. I am not sure what viscosity oil that is recommended but I always drive it gentle for 50 miles. Drive it like I stold it til 1000. Dump the oil and run full synthetic. Change it again at 5000 and every 5000. 0-20 synthetic does get you about 2mpg over 5-30.

 

[Gman]

I've been really happy with the 3.21 RAR. Towing is something I will rarely do, but sailing down the highway at 70mph, yeah I do that. Get great mileage on the highway. Better than my much smaller Mercedes GL 450.

 

[RamTruckMan]

I've been really happy with the 3.21 RAR. Towing is something I will rarely do, but sailing down the highway at 70mph, yeah I do that. Get great mileage on the highway. Better than my much smaller Mercedes GL 450.

How's your city?


2019 Ram 1500 Bighorn | 5.7L eTorque | 3.92 R.A.R.

 

[Gman]

Drive home last night, I stopped at Costco and gassed up and reset my average mpg, drove to Sam's for some shopping, and then home. All surface streets only at evening rush. Got 18.6mpg. If I really work at it, I can get it under 15.

 

[RamTruckMan]

Drive home last night, I stopped at Costco and gassed up and reset my average mpg, drove to Sam's for some shopping, and then home. All surface streets only at evening rush. Got 18.6mpg. If I really work at it, I can get it under 15.

Thanks. OK.. next question... Off the line, does your instant economy show 3 or 6 mpg or does your trucks eTorque keep it higher? Because 18.6 City is phenomenal.


2019 Ram 1500 Bighorn | 5.7L eTorque | 3.92 R.A.R.

 

[Gman]

Yeah, instant economy is just as low starting off the line. eTorque gets you moving and starts the engine, but its application is brief and the engine takes the load.

If I'm aggressive and launch at the intersection, I can kill the mileage (which is easy to do). When I trade fun for mileage, I don't complain about the mileage.

The more stops and starts you have, the worse your mpg is likely to be. The stops aren't a penalty due to eTorque stop/start. Accelerating that much mass from a stop, and depending on how quickly you get there, is the killer.

I've been picking routes that tend to keep moving, even if they're longer. I find my drive time is pretty much the same.

I'm also finding as the truck breaks in that I'm in MDS much more often. I was actually surprised yesterday as I was climbing a hill and the truck stayed in ECO. The truck rolls very easily on the Michelin Defender LTX tires and doesn't require much throttle to maintain speed.