Ev, eco, pwr

Here's a good thread (of many) that discuss the four driving modes. This one offers a PDF document of those modes.

 

I was thinking this morning if the EV mode is useless. Doesn't the car go into EV mode automatically under the same certain conditions? Pushing the EV button doesn't guarantee that the Prius will go into EV mode.

 

Try this: -

 

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...e-explain-eco-mode-gen-iii-2.html#post1037726

Ken@Japan

 

Pat, you should make this a Thread and have the sticky it in the Main forums.

 

Are you asking about the EV cancel level on each mode?
Is the following chart is clear for you?

Ken@Japan

 

I want to know the same thing.
What is the difference between pressing the EV button and driving in ECO mode and the cars ICE shuts off and you are in electric mode?

 

Yes, you can accelerate harder when in EV mode vs regular driving (in ECO, Normal or PWR) and the ICE happens to be off, before the ICE turns on. But the set point where EV mode is "canceled" varies based on engine temperature (or some temp), speed, battery SOC and accelerator pedal pressure (and maybe more items than this).

For example, if the car is very warm and has a high SOC you can push it (accelerate) harder before EV mode is canceled. But if the car is colder and or the battery SOC is lower it is very sensitive and EV mode is canceled at a lower speed and/or at a lower HSI level.

3PriusMike

 

I am wondering the same thing. I think EV mode is redundant because it seems you get the same results using ECO mode.

 

Have you ever read page 169 of owners manual about the EV mode?
If so, let's discuss based on the owners manual descriptions.

Ken@Japan

 

No. When you are in EV mode you are requesting and getting 100% running in Electric Vehicle mode with power from the battery and the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) off. When in EV mode and you exceed one of the (somewhat mysterious) limits you get kicked out of EV mode back into whatever previous mode you were in.

When you are in ECO mode the ICE will turn on or off as required based on your power demands, the road steepness, etc. Also, in ECO mode power demands from other than the accelerator pedal (i.e. heating and AC) have a lesser impact than when in normal mode or PWR mode.

To observe the difference: drive a few miles to get the car warmed up, then try ECO, normal and PWR modes (normal is when you are not in ECO or PWR). Now try EV mode. You'll need the battery state of charge (SOC) to be at least 4 bars to go into EV mode (sometimes only 3 bars if the car is very warm). You'll have to be going less than 25 mph and stay less than that. If you don't accelerate too hard you can stay in EV mode for a relatively long time through many starts and stops. You'll get kicked out of EV mode if the car gets too cold, the battery SOC drops to 2-3 bars or you go too fast or accelerate too hard. (May not be a complete list... if the car is mildly warmup up the EV mode speed limit is 10 mph, not 25 mph.)

3PriusMike

 

Also, consider the fact that if I am just moving the car around for a wash, with the engine cold, I don't need it to come on and start warming up for 10 seconds before I get where I'm going and turn it back off. In that case, I press POWER, wait 1 second for READY light and beep, then press EV button to stop engine from starting while I am moving it out of the garage.

 

AFAIK,
There are differences on limited EV speed.
JP: 20 mph when cold, 34 mph after warming up
NA: 10 mph when cold, 25 mph after warming up

Ken@Japan