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EV Mode limit is 10mph.... is this right?

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by blenderbender, Nov 15, 2017.

  1. blenderbender

    blenderbender Junior Member

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    Hi... new to forum and to my 2013 Prius C2. Been looking around and notice lots of folks saying that EV Mode is next to useless, though it sounds like on the Prius it's good up to 25 mph. Dealer told me it was good for up to 15 mph before it kicks out. In 450 miles since getting mine I've never gotten above 10 mph before kicking into normal drive mode. Is 10 mph what everyone else is seeing? Is it something that can be tweaked by dealer? It isn't worth the bother of hitting the switch for 10 mph limit. Thanks for any input!
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Go with that. Use it for the occasional garage to driveway shuffle, IF it'll work.
     
  3. Sean Nelson

    Sean Nelson Active Member

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    First of all, it's important to note that there are two different kinds of "EV Mode". The mode you're talking about is the one where you press the "EV Mode" switch to request that the car run solely on electricity. That mode is limited to something like around 8 to 10 MPH (it cuts out at around 15 km/h on my Canadian Prius C).

    The other mode is initiated by the car itself whenever it senses conditions that make it more efficient to run on electricity (which of course was previously generated by the engine anyway). The car uses the current battery level, state of engine warm-up, load on the engine, speed, and probably other factors to decide. The car can initiate EV mode on it's own at speeds up to 74 km/h (around 40MPH).

    So - is it worth it to push the "EV Mode" button to ask the car to run on electricity only? The answer for me is yes - I routinely put the car into EV mode when I'm backing out of the garage so that the engine won't come on until the door is closed and I'm ready to proceed. Since the engine always fires up when the car is started from cold I like to be moving so as to get some benefit from it rather then just be fiddling around wasting the fuel.

    In fact I often travel the couple of hundred feet through my back lane to the street in EV mode so that I can wait for a traffic opening and get moving at full speed before the engine comes on. The Prius C is smart enough to use electric propulsion only (unless you really mash the throttle to the floorboard) for the first dozen or so seconds of engine operation to ensure that oil has circulated before putting it under load, so I'm happy to do this knowing that it won't have an adverse an impact on it.
     
  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Does the 'c' have the same engine temperature dependence as the Liftback?

    For my Liftback, the EV button works up to 25 MPH when the engine is reasonably well warmed. Below 68F, it doesn't work at all. In between, it works to 10 MPH.

    These temperature limits are specific to North American models. European market models can use EV down to freezing level.
     
  5. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Ditto. Never had to use it. I actually don't have that button. That's how useless it is.
     
  6. Sean Nelson

    Sean Nelson Active Member

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    Yeah, the EV Mode button isn't effective when the engine is cold. It also won't work when the battery isn't reasonably full - I've never paid enough attention to know for sure but I think it might need around 3 or 4 bars of charge.

    I installed a block heater and I often use it in the winter to pre-warm the engine to minimize warmup times. It's enough to let me engage EV mode even if the car has been sitting in cool temperatures that would normally preclude it.
     
  7. Sean Nelson

    Sean Nelson Active Member

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    Yes - it won't come on if the car's been sitting in pretty cool or cold temperatures. And it needs a certain minimum battery level as well, perhaps 3 or 4 bars.

    I installed a block heater in my Prius C to minimize engine warmup times and it lets me use EV mode at colder temperatures than would otherwise be possible.
     
  8. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    Not exactly right. It is the EV BUTTON that is useless......since the computer will over-ride it for lots of reasons.
    And yes, if you do push it, it likely will go off around 10 MPH.
    The computer does NOT like being told what to do !!! :ROFLMAO:
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    There are two types of EV Mode (one initiated with the button and one without) and within the EV Drive Mode (the one initiated with the button), there are two sub parameters/settings.

    The one you're asking about appears to be when you press the EV mode button.

    I think the Prius c is similar to the Gen 3 Prius in terms of operation so I'll go with that explanation.

    There are two speed limits for EV Drive Mode operation - 10 mph and 25 mph.

    When the engine is cold, EV Drive Mode is limited to 10 mph. Once the engine is warmed up (above...60°C or 70°C), then you will unlock the higher speed limit. It's basically for emissions purposes. (Engine is cold, therefore already uses more fuel than if it was running at operating temperature so the car will use the battery to supplement your power needs while keeping the engine rpm as low as possible to reduce emissions while it is warming up)
     
    michaud85 and ztanos like this.