First Fillup

Yes, I agree... so bottom line is that a half-fillup is unlikely to make economic sense even if one wants that small savings, since a $40 gas cost would become (very roughly) $40.20 (assuming no EV and accounting for the shrinking weight as one uses it, and then down to, say $40.10 because of the EV effect, so it cannot justify an extra stop.

Still, long-term it is logical to removal any stupid weight from a car. In my '05 Prius I removed that mat that protects the rear... but it my brand-new PiP I am not doing it!

And, John1701, thanks for the icon explanation. There is no additional battery pack for the hybrid mode, so I guess it just has an allotment in the main battery pack for hybrid mode. So it is like it is zooming in on a smaller section of the battery for the hybrid-icon-view.

 

The one battery pack is managed by the software, and the display indicates which mode the software is currently using. When the battery has been depleted, the software essentially reverts to the conventional Prius behavior, and manages the state of charge within a fairly narrow range, and the displayed charge level zooms in to indicate the charge level within that range. On the regular Prius, that display covers a wide range on the (smaller) battery.