Mine is so seamless that most of the time I only know if I either hear it, or see the RPG gauge move.

 

It’s not a mild hybrid, it’s a PHEV.

 

Finland might have the mild version as well.
1.5L engine.
We don’t get that here.

 

I’ve noticed both.

Sometimes smooth.

Sometimes it starts the ICE to warm itself up before providing power (usually in the morning with heat on).

Sometimes it doesn’t know what it wants to do and freaks out.
Power becomes very wonky, as if it doesn’t know which engine it wants to prioritize.

This usually happens when I’m on a parkway, crawling at 10-20 mph (EV) then the 2 lanes open up to 4 and it’s go time!
Cold engine to 65 mph, hesitates.
Power to ICE! No, EV! Nope, ICE! Mmm… EV! Nooooo, ICE!
Bing bing! “Plug in to condition battery”.
My face evet time this message pops up: 😑

Charges all freaking night…
Condition battery my 🍑.

Anyway, I’m not sure if the 1.5L mild hybrid experiences this.. but thought I’d share what happens from time to time.
Happens maybe 2-3 times a month in winter.
MAYBE 1-2 times a month in summer.

 

Okay! Have you driven other PHEV:s? Did they behave similary? In my car worst jolt happens usually at speeds of 50-60kmh and when you drive curvy road, when you have to let gas pedal and start engine braking, so it switches of the engine and when you press the gas pedal again then it starts the engine and you can feel the jolt, which is too noticiable sometimes in my opinion.

 

We're building an FAQ over in Hornetowners.com, and this is an entry that directly addresses what you're seeing:



Ensuring A Smooth Transition to Engine Operation in Cooler Weather

When a Hornet with a cold engine transitions from battery to engine operation, it can exhibit 'bucking' and loss of speed, unless the combustion engine is ready to operate.

None of us would take a stone-cold engine straight onto the highway and ask maximum performance from it.

Make sure that whenever leaving your driveway for a situation where the engine will be needed (like a freeway drive), just pull back on the + paddle to manually start the engine. It will run until it warms up sufficiently, then shut down. After this point, it will be ready for duty whenever needed on your drive.


When higher performance from a cold-engine Hornet R/T is requested, several things will happen:

1. Engine start is commanded.
2. Because the engine is below minimum operating parameters, it is disconnected from the transmission and allowed to run unloaded. You'll see it hitting around 2200 RPM during this time.
   1. Because this is a 'cold start', the engine is going to run rough.
   2. You'll hear gurgling and popping from the exhaust as the engine is operating in 'open-loop' mode and the fuel mixture is changing dramatically to facilitate warmup.
3. Meanwhile, the hybrid system is attempting to switch over to engine power, only to find that there is none - because the engine isn't ready to be brought online - as it's cold.
4. The car will buck and slow, because the hybrid system is looking for power from the ICE side, and can't get it.
5. After a certain period of running unloaded, the engine hits minimum operating parameters, the hybrid system can NOW find power from the engine, and off you go, likely with a few new gray hairs.