Do you find EV mode useful and, if so, how do you use it?

I doubt Ben sees anything that low if he is in PEI Canada. It is a small island surrounded by the ocean to temper the climate.

 

Never even pushed it. Marketing people.

 

Well, I use the button when moving the car in and out of the garage...for example to remove recycling cans.

Yes, there has to be "x" number of bars on the dash screen's icon.
Yes, seems to go out if EV mode at 20 miles an hour.

In stop and go commute traffic I will press the button, well, just because I can.
To me in this traffic the EV doesn't seem so effective.
Leaving in regular mode is more relaxing.

USA 2016 v.

 

Should ICE starts while the car is idle (say red traffic light) and battery is at least over 25% I may stop ICE by activating EV button.

 

Does that work when the temperature is below 50F ?

 

We have about freezing point temp now. (sorry i'm not good with F)
And yes, this trick could not work right out of the garage - the car should be warm enough.

 

Why? You really aren't saving any gas/petrol by stopping the car from doing something it considered necessary for optimum performance.

 

We can't do this on the UK models, once the ICE has started on its own, it will carry on going until it has completed whatever it needed to start the ICE to do, pressing the EV button comes up with the message EV not available.

 

This tank I've been using Power mode 100% of the time. Feels better with more pull and the mileage has stayed the same or increased. I find if the battery is up it'll stay in EV mode longer and even way past that white line.

Can't stand the sluggishness of the ECO mode.

Tried EV mode a few times...meh. Now if it had Ludicrous mode.

 

Computer is optimized for a long driving distance and at every given moment Prius does not know how far I need to drive.
So if commute is relatively short, say under 5-10 km, and weather conditions depending, the manual optimization may be more efficient from MPG point of view.
IMHO/YMMV.

 

I wish the prius had an "impending downhill" button so it would run down the battery in anticipation of a huge regen opportunity. The car doesn't know the context of where it's going.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I'm a new gen 4 owner. 3 days. So far with forced EV mode (pressing the EV button) it will only use the battery, until you go above 25 mph at which point it will disengage the FORCED EV. You can still remain in EV mode depending on your mode (ECO, Normal, Power) and how heavy your foot is. I have been able to cruise from 0-50 on EV alone by being very light footed. I'm pretty sure someone out there has gone higher. But Forced EV could def help get up there. If you floor it in Forced EV the ICE will kick in for sure, even from 0.

 

Congratulations - enjoy your PRIUS.

Yes, sounds normal. The best idea is to just drive it for a few weeks/couple of months and get used to the car. I've had mine for 7 months and I'm still learning. Trying to force EV mode seems to have very little beneficial effect, and in fact sometimes negative effect. For instance if you use it till the battery is depleted, it will use the ICE extensively till there is sufficient battery again - even in places where it would have been advantageous for it to automatically have gone into EV mode.

ECO, Normal and Power seem to, in most situations, have mainly a bearing on throttle response - ECO means it is easier to modulate the throttle, Power has more instant result. There are some other effects - ECO moderates the Climate Control in some ways as well.

If you go to YouTube and search for " jettlash1000 ", he's put up a number of PRIUS Gen 4 videos where he's experimented with EV and other modes which you could find interesting.

 

Just to clarify a bit on EV mode, since I read several correct but also non-correct things about it and possible usage.

1. EV Mode is mostly a marketing thing - why? because it has a very limited useful use, that often is simply obtained by being light on the gas pedal and let the computer run the car in EV mode in any case (green EV light on).
2. the EV mode is available if there is enough battery charge (3 bars) - it will go down to 2 and then start the ICE to charge it back
3. EV mode is disabled if you accelerate too much, if you are too fast - EV mode is speed limited to about 30-40mph//50km/h - whereas the EV light on (e.g. gliding/sailing electrically) is possible on low loads up to 55-60mph//90-100km/h
4. EV Mode can be activated when turning on the car, if the battery is charged enough, by pressing the button before the ICE kicks in and starts the warp-up process; if the ICE is warming up, you cannot enter EV Mode
5. it can happen that the battery is full, ICE is warm but it still stays on at e.g. traffic lights --> what temperature is your heater set? try to turn it off to see if the engine stops; are you in ECO mode on the heating? ECO will reduce ICE usage to keep the cabin warm, but having the fan blowing cooler but slower air on your face (reduce "wind-chill");
6. the ICE might not turn off at the very first stop after warm up even if the battery is full and with heater or outside temps not requiring hot cabin air, as the ICE goes through a sort of "first run cycle". In Gen3 posts I think it was referred to as the "warm-up ceremony" (I know - weird name)

This all being said, then is the EV mode button useful for?

• for sure not in general driving/traffic as the energy used in the battery, comes from fuel you have to burn someplace else; in general stay in Drive and let the computer do its thing - yes, it *does* know better! - the user's manual (that *nobody* reads, says exactly the same - EV mode should not be used for general everyday driving!); simply accelerate without going beyond the mid-bar to use the battery if so desired, though not necessary
• EV mode is very useful to move the car from point A to B when the distance is less than what the battery can provide (namely no more than 2km with a full charge). Practically that means, moving between 2 spots in a mall parking lot, or 2 buildings of an office complex; this especially if the car is cold and have the car go through an ICE warm up cycle would be totally useless
• when you have to move the car in the driveway when ICE is cold

In all other situations (e.g. arriving in the driveway at night, stop/go traffic, etc), simply accelerating mildly and as long as there are 2 bars, and planets align in terms of heating setting, external temps, ICE status, battery temps, no need for the EV button, simply glide in EV mode (EV light on) in D.

One last thing, though of little use, the driving modes to affect the way the EV Mode behaves - i.e. the modes affect also the response to the accelerator in EV mode. Useful? not really since you can only go so fast and accelerate so hard in EV mode.

 

Thanks - great summary.

 

It isn't very useful except to force the car in EV mode when you have a decent charge on the battery. I use it when the battery is full, then taking off from a signal light and coming up to another stop with cars behind me. It will force the car in EV up to 20 or 25 MPH depending on how full the battery is, while pressing the throttle up to the red part of the eco meter. I however don't use it much unless I want to use the battery before another regen stop.

 

I tend to use EV mode when I crawl silently into a retail store car park. It's exhilarating to almost noiselessly (high pitched whine actually) float along and reverse park into a bay. The lack of any engine sound can really creep out people who have NO idea what the Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive really is. The latter use of EV mode is usually accomplished without even touching the EV button.

To me, the EV button reminds me of the thrusters on a spacecraft. You can use it for slow manoeuvres in grinding traffic, or you can use it to re-park your Prius, over a rather short distance without using petrol. The use mentioned is kinda analogical to undocking a Soyuz Spaceship from one ISS docking port and relocating it to another, all without firing the main engines . Needless to say, I have done this outside my home on several occasions, if "The Spaceship" is initially parked to far away from my home, due to too many temporary visitors in the area


iPhone ?

 

Wow, you have a Soyuz spaceship outside your home ?

 

I use EV mode to drive up on ramps to change oil or work under the vehicle. It allows one to creep up very slowly with fine control of speed, without having to use the brakes.

 

I just read that much and envisioned you using EV mode to enter a freeway.