Prius Prime Acceleration

Me neither, and I'm at high altitude in the mountains with a full car pretty often.

 

Then why did Toyota's chief engineer say that the Ev mode power limit was 76kW and the HV mode electrical power limit was 52kW?

 

Toyota EU site says it explicitly, 68 kW in EV mode.

"EV power has also been increased by some 83% thanks to the development of the Toyota’s first hybrid powertrain to feature a Dual Motor Drive System. A new, highly-compact one-way clutch within the transaxle allows the hybrid system generator to act as a second electric motor. This boosts EV driving power to 68 kW for better acceleration and an even more engaging performance, whilst greatly reducing engine start up frequency."

http://newsroom.toyota.eu/pressrelease/5285//prius-plug-hybrid-new-benchmark-fuel-efficiency

 

I said the highways around here. Have you ever driven on Rt 22 in Union, NJ?

 

i must have missed that one. but i've been driving in many parts of the country for over 40 years. my personal opinion is that prius acceleration is enough, but some people want and like more.

 

I'd trust the guy who designed it more than some marketing wonks.

 

Is it worse than the one I have every morning where I have to make a 90 degree left turn and accelerate from 0 to 50 while climbing a 7% grade all at nearly 6000 feet of altitude?

 

I would trust more the official release by Toyota. No language barrier.

 

trust but verify.

 

They had a translator standing right next to the guy!

 

Testing was done earlier. Here's a confirmation of the :15sec 0-60mph time from another person who was in the car during the acceleration test (cued to statement @ 2:41):

 

Doesn't matter. We don't know the state of charge at the time, and we do know that if it's near depletion that dual motor mode will be disabled, reducing power from 76kW to around 53kW. That would extend 0-60 from 11 seconds (assumed in Ev since Toyota says it's about the same in Ev as in Hv) to 15 seconds. What we don't know is what other situations could cause the same thing. For example, if the battery is hot from a hot soak in the sun, that might do it as well.

 

It has been interesting to watch so many take the greenwashing bait. Having participated in the acceleration arguments for the Classic model Prius 15 years ago, I'm quite familiar with the traps you fall into.

First is to trick you into believing a specific value is required, an essential you cannot survive without. In this case, the 10-second 0 to 60 speed is portrayed as necessary.

Second is to avoid any detail which could reveal that value stated is a misrepresentation of what actually happens in real-world driving. In this case, maximum acceleration is so rare, you'll be well aware of when you actually need it.

Third is to prevent the situation as if there are no other alternatives available, that it is an absolute which cannot be fulfilled by any other means. In this case, the "EV Auto" mode isn't an option.

Fourth is to misrepresent the alternative when it is eventually presented. In this case, make sure people don't discover that the "EV Auto" mode provides blending, like the EV-BOOST mode did with Prius PHV.

Long story short, the antagonists don't want you to discover the remarkable MPG resulting from the use of the "EV Auto" mode. They want you to ignore that button, hoping everyone believes the only way to achieve such incredible efficiency must be through the use of only EV driving.

 

That what I meant by language barrier...

 

Eastbound

Westbound

From experience, these were light days. Very, very few acceleration or deceleration lanes. Lanes that appear and disappear without notice. Lots of U-turns that take you from fast lane to fast lane. A long section where businesses are in between westbound and eastbound. Lots of crashes from people stopping to turn. It's soo bad with pedestrian fatalities that there are shuttles that ferry people from one side to the other. Stay away from cars with out of state plates. You better have good brakes, too.

 

Looks like a smooth, easy drive mostly at 45mph.

Try this left-turn dead-stop merge to 50mph up a 7% grade:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.914313,-105.1383745,3a,75y,351.55h,86.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scyIZVsGdJ42iOj_bB0DpjA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Or this stop sign U-turn directly on to the highway, plus you have to get left right away or you'll be stuck in an only-turn lane:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7317156,-105.0152071,3a,75y,236.87h,87.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szibSiBuy6reIxQT01lBNlA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This one is really fun. Turn right at 15mph then accelerate to 65mph up a steep hill followed by 7 miles straight of 7% grade at 60mph from 8,800 feet to 11,200 feet of altitude:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.628476,-106.0651909,3a,75y,337.49h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spX8jg7xFJqAx1HvIgwzlWA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I've all of those safely without issue (and without flooring the pedal) in my 2004 Prius.

 

I rather have the acceleration and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

Look, I have two cars - a 2004 Prius and a 1988 Mazda MX-6 GT Turbo. The Mazda is 0-60 is about 6.8 seconds (7.2 measured at high altitude). While it's certainly fun to get pressed back in the Mazda (especially after a power shift), both are equally safe in getting onto the highway. I've never once had trouble merging in either one because of lack of power.

 

In an emergency situation I want my car to give me all its has, so, for the prime, if 40-60 acceleration (or 40-70 or whatever) is slower in EV than in HV, then when I floor the pedal for emergency I would expect that at speeds above ~40-45 mph the engine will join even in EV mode.
Some here will say that some test drives reports saying it is staying in EV all the way, my answer is that I am waiting to see how the production model will behave. After all it is not a BEV and in an emergency I don't really care for EV games.
Having said that, with my PiP I cannot recall more than twice flooring the pedal.

 

I've been in a power-needed emergency a few times in my life, all of them below 20mph. One time, a lady ran a stop sign at a 4-way stop after I had already started going. I floored it and she passed right by my back bumper. If I hadn't, she'd have hit me in the passenger door. Another time, we were going slowly, probably under 30, when the light turned red in front of me. I hit the brakes and looked in the mirror to see the guy behind me hit the gas. I floored it at around 20 and he locked them up. I went through the light and he slid to a stop part way into the intersection.