They reduced the EV mode top speed to 53mph?

Yes, but you should still be able to use all the electrons over the course of the commute. May very well produce results similar to what you planned in terms of gas burned, CO2, etc.

 

And we still don't know they reduced the top EV speed...

 

Exactly. Don't these details just apply to the European version of the PHEV?

 

This is what it said:

It is unclear 53mph is the top speed in EV mode or 14.5 miles range is attainable at up to 53mph.

 

Is there a significance to 85 km/h (53 mph) in Europe?

If Toyota wanted to indicate the maximum "urban" distance available in EV, wouldn't that be the way they specify it?
.

 

I think its a limititaiton to the power inverter in the Prius, that may be the max allowed, anything more then the engine spins up and is used to generate the extra power required for the motor. This may be a carry over from the existing design, as it sounds like they didn't change it very much. I can't locate what the Gen 3 KW's are for MG1 and MG2, but that has a lot to do with it...

 

Urban cycle's top speed is 50 km/h.



Extra Urban cycle:

 

If there really was an EV speed reduction, it would be with respect to longevity. We know for a fact that both Gen 2 & 3 could deliver 100 km/h with the engine at 0 RPM.
.

 

sure, but that did have a larger pack (5.2KW), perhaps with the smaller pack size, they lowered the max EV speed, as at the higher speeds the current draw is a lot larger (wind resistance friction is much greater at 62 than 53 mph), and is probably a lot tougher on the battery longevity. Also, to get the same 13 miles of EV range with the smaller pack, it probably had to be reduced (TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) Again, it was probably a compromise, as its not a pure EV, and doesn't pretend to be. Even with blended mode, its probably not burning a whole lot of fuel.

 

That sound probable, until you consider the Iconic prototype with the dual NiMH packs could also deliver up to 100 km/h.
.

Longevity has always been among the high priorities, so I thought I'd toss it out there.
.

 

To me, the wording says max was cut to 53. But we won't know until we know.

600 mules is a different beast than providing warranty on thousands of them.

The issue of draw on a smaller pack might have been an issue for longevity of the pack. Also, the MG1 spin rate might have been a concern.

 

EV is targeted for City use primarily where it is more efficient, hence EV-City. In city driving, we are unlikely to hit higher speed in City anyway, and higher speed uses more Kwh more quickly. IMO, the switch should be where gasoline is starting to be more efficient.

European Press Release!
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid returns 112 MPGe

 

It almost sounds like the driver can select EV power or EV speed, but not both.
Does that make engineering sense given what we know about the drivetrain ?

Anyway, we should try to keep in mind that EV is meant to imply no petrol AND no ICE spin; presumably higher speeds will be available at no petrol but ICE spins from battery supplied energy like all generations of Prius so far -- the so-called 'power glide.'

 

I think I will be using EV-City for all electric city driving.
Once on the highway, switch to ECO Mode, then back to EV-City on exiting the highway.
The HV/EV apparently will be switched on automatically from EV-City mode when EV battery pack has no more charge or the speed is higher than _ _ mph.

 

As I read it, engine will spin over 53 mph. In EV mode, fuel will tend to be injected and power demand split between the ICE and the pack as a function of SoC and other factors. In EV-City mode, fuel will tend to be cut, so you have drag from pumping the ICE over 53. I suspect if over 53 much of the time on a drive segment, one would go HV or EV mode depending on how much SoC preservation one wants.