I've had my Plug-In since May 2012. It used to stay in EV mode when I "asked" it to, but now, it just goes in and out for no apparent reason. I'm not driving on the highway, not accelerating quickly, no AC, temp outside between 50-70. Also, the battery only charges to 9 miles now (and I am careful to use a timer). I'm very disappointed. I bought the car to drive to work 10 miles (off highway) and want to use EV mode exclusively.Will Toyota do something about my car not staying in EV mode (I know they won't do anything about the reduction in battery capacity).
There are other causes for it to turn on the ICE, just for example, if you drive ~120 miles without the ICE turning on...if you hit the front defroster button... As far as the battery only charging to 9 miles, is that the number under the battery, or are you actually observing 9 miles on the trip computer? With the cold weather here in Oregon, I've observed my estimated EV miles dropped to about 10 miles after a full charge (from ~12). I also noticed that they went back up to 10.6 when we had a week of unseasonably warm weather.
And make certain your temp is set to LO. Even though the fan is off, by not having it set to LO, at least on mine, my ICE would start sometimes for no other reason that I could figure out.
Please have a look at our FAQ. It addresses both the miles reduction issue as well as reasons for why the ICE might start. You will see numbers returning to what you were getting a year ago is the weather gets warmer.
If you want to drive in EV mode exclusively, you bought the wrong vehicle. You should have bought a Leaf or VOLT.
shoot, i meant to say that! of course, the downside they don't mention is running out of juice or putting up with poor mog's after the juice runs out.
The Leaf or VOLT is perfect for the OP. He is only driving 20 miles round trip. He only needs to recharge every three days and use no gas for the Leaf. He only needs to recharge every other day if he drive conservatively and no gas, careless about the depleted mode MPG.
Try searching for the "cold weather grill blocking" threads here on PChat - that really helps in cold weather.
If you park outside overnight in cold weather, the battery will be cold and won't be able to output enough power. Therefore, ICE can trigger to assist. I park in a warm garage so I have been getting consistent EV experience.
Recently, I have had the opposite experience. I park in a garage; run the engine daily; temps in the mid 50's; don't accelerate rapidly; vent system all sent to off; And for no reason the ICE will start on the way to work. Happens occasionally. Would like to know why.
Do you happen to have downhill at the beginning of your trip (fully charged)? The FAQ covered that as well.
