What Happened to Instant Torque?

First, your posting on a Prius forum. Maybe you want a Tesla instead?

Second, have you tried the PWR mode?

 

The Prius electric motor is far too small. It's there to assist the gas motor and chug along at slow speeds. Just compare the power of electric motors in the Prius versus those in EVs (Toyota Rav4 EV: 115 kW; Plug in Prius 60 kW; Hybrid Prius: 50 kW). I've got a Prius and a Toyota Rav4 EV. You just can't compare the electric drive of the Prius hybrid with the raw power in a true EV. Different animals.

 

You do realize that the Prius's battery is capable of outputting energy at a peak rate of 36hp, right?

So you do get instant torque. Just the maximum torque you can imagine getting out of a 3000+lb car with a 36hp engine.

The rest of the torque comes on as it does with any other ICE... as a function of engine RPMs.

 

third, prius is not electric propulsion. unless you have a pip. even then, it's a hybrid. it's built for clean mpg's.

 

Agree with all the above! If you want a lot of torque it will have to be an a Chev. Volt or all electric car.

 

Simple.
Acceleration equals force divided by mass.

Electric motors do give you instant torque, but this doesn't translate into instant acceleration for a few reasons.
First of all, IIRC the Prius is fly by wire.
In a proper car, there is a mechanical link between the little pedal on the right, and the motor(s).
Sometimes this is as unsophisticated as a cable between the pedal and the throttle body.
I'll leave the theological arguments over which one is better to the gearheads and the eco-weenies, but suffice it to say that I believe that when you "hit the gas" in a Prius, you're really sending an electrical request for a some acceleration(probably via a TPI reading.)
A Prius likes to mull things over for a few milliseconds before sending air and fuel into the cylinders and current into the motor.
It's not easy being green.
These things take a little time.
Secondly...the electric motor isn't huge, and it takes big motors to make big torque, otherwise?
A matchbox car sized motor would suffice.
You may get all of its torque instantly, but it still takes a little while for this force to get to the front tires and even a small car like the G3 still tilts the scales at around 3200 pounds (IIRC.)
The acceleration that results from you squashing the right pedal into the floorboard won't cause your eyeballs to bounce off of the back of your skull but even the trial-sized Prius has enough grunt to get out of its own way (kinda....) and from zero to about 25 it actually feels rather quick, rather like a golf cart going from zero to about 5mph.
They actually noodled all of this out fairly well too because if you stomp on the right pedal you can actually get the front tires to break traction a little bit before the car decides that you're having entirely too much fun and overrides your request for acceleration.
IIRC, the PWR mode simply makes the request for acceleration a little more strident, and it happens a little more quickly. Neither motor nor engine actually produce more "power" but the throttle response does feel a little different.
Rather like taking off ankle weights.

Still....the Prius is somewhat biased against this PWR setting, since it will not allow you to actually (*gasp!*) remain in PWR mode after you've finished and powered down like it will in ECO mode.
I don't fault the people in Aichi for this, since a Prius is a Prius, and a Corvette Z-06 is a Corvette Z-06.

They do what they do.

 

Are you using ECO, Normal, or PWR mode?

ECO will add a bit of time delay as part of its gas pedal filtering, along with remapping the position response. PWR will minimize any delay.

 

I have to agree with the OP.

There are some threads and posts proclaiming the great advantage of the "Instant Torque" of The Prius. I find these to be misleading.

I'd say, those are pretty over rated.

Although The Prius may start momentum by moving on the Electric Motor, it is pretty sluggish and weak. The real torque kicks in when the engine starts.

It's just how you drive it. I don't see this as a flaw or even a weakness. Just the nature of the beast. In fact I think in most urban regular driving scenario's the need or desire for "Instant Torque" is over rated.

But if you bought a Prius expecting some type of electric motor assisted rubber burning instant torque? You will be disappointed.

 

Yes, but that will quickly fade when you realize that you're not spending nearly so much for gas!

 

Well, I'm not disappointed. And as noted, if you put it in Power Mode and/or simply press the accelerator aggressively, you'll get decent torque comparable I think to any 4 cylinder vehicle.

But before purchasing, I had read some threads and/or posts that seemed to suggest the electric motor start of a Prius offered a quicker off the line acceleration.

I think that assertion in my experience is not true.

I however LIKE the fact that I can start off slowly and quietly...and economically, AND/OR really hit the accelerator and go.

I don't see it as a flaw, I actually see it as another operational advantage of HSD and Prius.

 

Not to disagree with the folks here but in my 2013 Prius I can chatter the front wheels in PWR mode if I floor it. Naturally this works better on a warmed up ICE and Hybrid system. Far more starting torque than my old Highlander v6 and my wife's Lexus 330 v6.

Naturally that fades out but at least initially there's plenty of torque that I see.

Of course if you have a Prius, who cares and I drive exclusively on ECO Mode but it's there if you want it.

 

You are correct that electric motors can develop full torque at zero speed. With VF drives you have full control of the torque output and ramp rate. Toyota engineers have designed the system for the torque output that meets their design requirements.

 

Small electric motor. The instant torque is there as you'll see if you consider how quickly the Prius gets rolling from a stop.

 

Yeah, but nobody is denying that the electric motors don't allow for instant torque, but as has been pointed out, as it starts rolling it's a 3000lb vehicle being moved by the instant torque of a 36hp electric motor.

As has also been pointed out, that means that the "instant" torque doesn't translate directly into any real impressive instant acceleration.

Anything noticeable in that arena happens once the ICE kicks in.

And yes, if you floor a Prius in Power Mode...or any mode...it moves fine.

Of course I like it the way it is. I think the low HP instant torque of the electric motor allows the Prius to start out and act more refined than most normal ICE vehicles, if my desire ISN'T to burn rubber or accelerate rapidly.

And hey, in most urban, city like driving, that's the acceleration I most often want.

But I have to disagree with anyone that thinks the electric motor start of a Prius provides anything but a economical, quiet and smooth slow acceleration. Any noticeable translation of torque into speed is happening with the cooperation of the ICE.

 

Or tires too. I once killed a pair of tires on a Granada in 3000 miles. Another time I kiled a set in 10, 000 miles with an '83 Thunderbird. Notice a pattern? Rear wheel drive V8 cars, and I was much younger...... Yes low end torque can be a good thing but it can take its toll on the car. Driver too..... since I rolled the Granada 5 times, end over end... One cracked rib.