Does using Eco-mode increase battery wear?

There is no reason it should.
The main change is that Eco makes the accelerator position more gradual, you push longer to get a given amount of acceleration. this is just a User interface change.

Additionally, the A/C is less concerned with second by second changes, so when you need power, it relaxes.

I cannot confirm the rumor than it has a similar effect in the Cruise Control, that it is slightly less tense about exact speeds.

None of these should make the battery do any additional work. For many owners the battery will last the life of the vehicle.

 

Good question.

I have often thought using Eco would shorten the life of the car in that it does seem to hold the car in electric more often due to the reduced accelerator 'feel'.

Did the gen2 Prius have an Eco mode? If it didn't I wonder if this is why the car lasts so well?

 

US Gen II Prius and earlier have no eco, power nor EV buttons. However, the EV buttons were present on Gen IIs in many other countries.

 

I beleive the mode buttons just adjust throttle sensitivity, climate control, and engine shut down when the car stops. Shouldn't have anything to do with battery life!

 

I can't imagine the Eco mode affects the battery directly but what I (and I assume the op) was getting at is that when using Eco mode the car will operate on electric more than in normal mode. In town or heavy traffic I find that the car will hold itself in electric more often and for longer when in Eco mode. This extra battery use might have a negative effect on the long term battery life. Hope this explains our query more clearly.

 

I think we can safely say the car is going to take care of itself. Don't think there is anything we can do (within normal conditions) that will shorten the life of the HV battery. The 12v battery... well that is another story.

 

It probably increases wear similar in significance to how much it decreases gasoline use, which is to say basically nothing at all. ECO mode is a waste of time. If it's increasing you by 5 mpg it's nothing you couldn't do in normal mode if you are a little more deliberate with your throttle control

 

I tried that and still was 4-5mpg less than ECO. Maybe the difference is pronounced more during the winter.

 

Hi Hyperdrive,

I will echo what GrumpyCabbie stated as I certainly see the car stayed in electric mode longer due to the dulled gas pedal's sensivitiy. And also wonder whether extensive use of ECO mode would shorten the battery life.

I have been in experimental mode for the past year of ownership and found that driving in stop/start traffic in NORMAL mode gives a good balance between being economical and quick acceleration without seeing angry drivers behind me. I switched to ECO mode at highway cruising as I do not require brisk acceleration, i.e. travelling at a fairly constant cruising speed. I have been able to achieve a 0.2 to 0.3l/100km (3 mpg-us) improvement with this technique. This includes some occasional POWER mode usage for some brisk acceleration.

Good luck!

 

Probably, but probably not to a degree anybody really cares. Ultimately much of the purpose of the drivetrain is to shift movement into and out of the battery anyway, so in a sense if we could maximize use of the battery, and thus shorten its life, we'd achieve the better goal of fuel economy anyway. And the 8 year warranty is in effect anyway.

 

I would say no. The Owner's Manual does not mention anywhere that using a particular mode will affect the battery's life.
ECO is *very* useful (at least for me) in winter in town. And it is also *very* helpful for me, to fine tune throttle.
As others have written, the software of the Prius is written to preserve the battery, not to kill it anytime before the warranty finishes (5 years in EU, 8 years in the US; why the difference? because we are stupid and accept this and there is no law from the EU that forces a specific warranty time - Kia with 7 is kicking butt and still much better than the crappy 2 that you get from any German brand).

 

ECO mode makes the A/C, the heater fan, and the CC work more efficiently as has been well documented here in this forum and in the owners manual. I'm not convinced it yields 5mpg improvement as suggested by the OP, but maybe 1 or 2 mpg with big variability depending on conditions.

 

I am not too sure about CC - my experience shows that CC works always the same regardless of mode use. Is there a post or a resource that outlines the differences of CC behaviour depending on selected mode?

 

I've heard rumor of some calculations or some such graphed showing differences but never seen it. Surely if there is a meaningful difference somebody has documented it. All I see are endless anecdotes but they are not convincing. I'm positive it makes _some_ difference but I suspect it's extremely, "hugely" small.

 

Would Toyota include any mode that could possibly lead to a single battery replacement under warranty conditions? Nah! Use whatever setting gives you the best driving experience for your needs!

 

I ONLY use ECO mode. Actually, I have not used any other mode. I'll let you know in 12 years if it was bad for the Hybrid Battery, though I can't imagine why ECO should adversely impact it. The only ECO mode adverse I've read on the forum is during extreme hot summer temperatures when the a/c can't keep up. I've read read that normal mode is better for operating a/c.

 

I traded in my 2008 Prius for the Prius V which has the EV, ECO and PWR. I've only had it for a couple of days, but it seems to get about 5mpg better if I just leave it in ECO / EV mode… I haven't been able to put a lot of miles on it, but looking forward to maybe next weekend.

I topped the car off after the gauge read 3/4 full gas and only averaged 40mpg… Then put it in EV / ECO mode only and drove it about 20 miles and average bumped up to just under 48 which is about the same as my 2008 Prius. If I could consistently average roughly the same mpg as my 2008 would be awesome. I will subscribe to this thread and take notes from the more experienced users of the EV and ECO modes.

 

Thanks Tom!!! I think you're correct that it's ok to just leave it in the ECO mode… I'm keeping my fingers crossed the Prius V will get about the same as my 2008...