I've driven this section of road 4 times in a non-hybrid and I know the top speed the 2 lane roadway allows is only about 15 mph with hairpin curves - some requiring 10 mph. Altitude is between 10K & 12K. Next year I'll be driving it in the 2008 Prius Base I just bought this month. By the time I start up that grade, I'll have done plenty of freeway climbing on I-70 and the Prius will be warmed up nicely but I have concerns about making up that final section before the summit. I'm thinking it'll take about 30 minutes to cover the distance and that will be totally on the electric power. Anyone done this? Right now I'm in FL and have no place to "practice" a hill like that.
Bad conclusion, I think. More like it will be about 90% on gas engine power as the battery will be drained in the first few minutes........I think. Others who have done mountains in your model will be able to provide more specific information. (Took 2 tries to get this reply posted.)
welcome to priuschat! do you own the prius now? you say you just got it, have you tried driving just on electric? i'm wondering if the prius will even survive a trip like that.
Having trouble with the "quote" function ?? Hitting the "reply" button in the lower right corner will automatically quote the post that you are replying to. Not quoting sometimes makes it difficult to determine which previous message you are replying TO.
i would be wary of the body roll associated with the prius. hairpins are already an issue there but i feel that the body roll in a prius is something to take note of. you could perhaps look into a mid-chassis brace and or front/rear sway bars. though not in a prius, I did hairpin loops/switchbacks in the Great Smoky mountains in NC and TN. Route 441. never again. the ICE will automatically kick on when the battery level runs too low. no need to worry about that. It will keep to bring your HV battery level to its "minimum" State of Charge level.
so you won't tell us how you're going to drive for half an hour in ev unless an experienced mountain driver asks?
I would not worry about handling at 15mph, regardless of the curves. I have many thousands of miles in the mountains with both a GenII and a GenIII. They both did fine. Mileage downhill is a lot better than mileage uphill....
SOK, You misunderstand how the Prius works. If the traction battery SOC is ~ mid-level, the petrol engine kicks in when the power demand reaches ~ 10 kW. No problem going up the mountain all day long, so long as you have petrol.
Thanks to all those with good solid feedback and experience. My only concern was that last little stretch of roadway anyway and now I'm just going to stop worrying about it and enjoy my Prius.
Colorado driver here. Grades and drives like that are no problem at all. The HV pack will reach minimum charge pretty quickly, as mentioned, so then you'll just be on gasoline power, which is limited, but there's no question about making it. When the HV pack is at min, the gasoline engine will tend to rev pretty high if you're giving it much go pedal. I like to hold it back and take it easy on it, so I modulate the pedal to hold the engine at an estimated 3500 rpm or so (a healthy crank, but nothing near a scream). It usually pulls the car over the top at a reasonable pace, and then after cresting the summit, the HV battery will have a chance to recharge and you'll get your electric drive back. I think the Gen 2 (even non-Touring) handles and corners nicely on the hairpins. Much, much better than my other rig (1985 Toyota 4wd). Just a note that it has been theorized that frequent, large charge/discharge cycles of the HV battery, as occur in mountain driving, may shorten its usable life. If you plan on these steep passes on a regular basis, you might consider a non-hybrid vehicle if you are concerned about HV battery life. That's a beautiful drive! Enjoy it, and the car!
