Newbie here… I need some basic info re PHEV/HEV

To add a little to Tideland Prius's post above...

The GEN 5 Prius Prime is designed so that it can run up to 40 miles (give or take) at speeds up to just beyond 80 MPH.

When I had the 2017 Prime (which had a smaller battery) that I could take care of all of my normal errands for the day without having to recharge AND without needing to resort to using the ICE. It had a range of about 27 -> 32 miles. The 2024 model has a bigger battery (just a bit bigger) and will travel 40 miles (in my case) without needing a recharge. In both cases, I only run out of charge once or twice a year. In both cars I recharge the main battery from my garage when I get home from running errands.

Also, in both the 2017 and 2024 models I take several monthly long trips and it seamlessly switches to ICE when it needs to. They also regenerate power and store it whenever I drive down a long incline.

 

You do have the option to select "Charge" mode to refill the battery up to 80% from the engine, but that's not generally an efficient thing to do. You can do it if you are depleted and want to be able to run in EV mode for a while, but it would have been more efficient to run in HV mode to save charge for later and not let the charge get depleted in the first place.

The efficient ways to operate are charging from the mains, and using that charge, or running like a normal hybrid, holding charge. And you can alternate between those - it's generally best to run electric at low speed and on fuel at high speed, if you are on a long trip. Refilling the battery from the engine is not efficient.

 

Great comments from KMO,dbstoo and Tideland ,to add a little to their post , I use CHARGE mode when I feel that the gas is getting old , burning it before going stale

 

You only have to think about it if you want to. You have 2 different power trains, so if you want you can decide to manually juggle them to maximise efficiency. Or you can just not think about it, and leave it in "auto".

"HV" Mode is a request to roughly hold charge level, so if you just use that you'll end the trip without using your charge. You need to select "Auto EV/HV" or "EV" to use any charge you have. (The car defaults to one of those on start-up if you have charge).

Outside the US, "Auto EV/HV" mode has the "Predictive EV Drive" function, which will plan when to use charge based on your route, automatically switching over "HV Mode" for the faster segments. In the US this isn't fitted, so Auto EV/HV mode will tend to just use up the EV charge at the start of a long journey.

 

Yes, the PHEV has a default auto mode where the operator (like my wife as an example) can just drive it but there are options that others can explore and benefit from. For example: on a 100 mile highway trip, it's most efficient to use the gasoline hybrid mode on the highway and save the electricity for in town/lower speeds when you get there. Auto-mode would use up all of the electricity at the beginning of the trip and rely on gasoline for the remainder.

PHEV's also have the extended idle ability (AKA car camping) to operate for very long periods of time without the ICE running. So many uses for this besides overnighting.

A PHEV is almost like getting two drivetrains for slightly more than the price of one. With tax credits, it's almost a no-brainer but some PHEV's have reduced cabin or cargo space due to the larger battery. The newest designs are eliminating or negating it to the point of being a non-issue.

 

If you can do your daily commute 100% in EV, including highway speeds, then switching to HV for the highway is a small optimization that is, for the most part, not really necessary if you're charging overnight at home every day.

Personally, if I'm planning to do a lot more driving than just to/from work, when I'm going into the office with lower traffic, I use HV mode so that I can have more than enough EV mode for the rest of the day. If I'm only going to/from work and nothing else, I just keep it in auto/EV mode, and don't bother changing it. Even when less efficient at a highway speed, its still cheaper to use the electricity. I will however, make sure I do at least one HV mode drive a week, just to make sure the engine lubricates itself, gas doesn't go stale, etc.

I got the car Jan 31, and I've put 4500km on it, roughly one tank of gas has been used. And that's intentionally running HV more often to get the break in period for engine on time done sooner.

 

Good practice to exercice the ICE once in a few weeks or once a month. My usage is 75% EV ..so I go one fill every season.

 

Excellent info already.

We got our first Hybrid in 2017 when my wife gave her old 2008 Corolla to our daughter, who needed a vehicle after being t-boned at a grocery store. (Everyone was okay.) The Corolla is approaching 200,000 now and running great...one of the indestructible Yotas for sure.

We went to the dealer looking for another car for her and she spotted a light-green sedan so we looked at it. Prius? But she liked it and we drove it around...she fell in love and still loves that car. I was jealous of her 60+ mpg so replaced my old Scion with a 2021 AWD Prius in 2021. It does take getting used to with all the strange sounds and the high-tech stuff (A/C, lane notifications, tons of BEEPING for everything but once you learn why it's beeping...like you left your keys in the car, you're good!)

For folks who are interested in hybrids but aren't familiar with them, I send them to The Car Care Nut's YouTube channel...he has 6 videos that go over the whole car and also describes the plug-in Hybrids. (I never got a plug-in because they cost more and most of our trips are over 40-miles so wouldn't really take advantage of the running on just the battery so would be in hybrid mode mostly.)