I am sorry if this has already been discussed but I am having trouble finding things using the search function. I have a 2011 Prius II. Usually when I put the car in EV mode, I get kicked out at 10mph for excessive speed. There have been a couple of times when it has allowed me to stay in EV mode up to around 25mph before it kicked me out for low battery. I saw in the owners manual a list of reasons why it won't let you into EV mode to begin with but no details on why it kicks you out at different speeds. Can anyone explain? I am sure it is not best to use EV mode too much but I have been playing around with it a little to understand it more. Thanks!
You were accelerating too fast. Steady pressure on the gas pedal will get you to higher speed in EV mode.
Thai, Thanks for the reply. I have seen two messages for being kicked out. One for excessive speed (that is what I get in this situation) and the other for excessive acceleration. I think you are talking about the later.
Also note there are restrictions on EV mode when you first start the car. I just read about a 10 MPH vs the 25 MPH limit for EV mode yesterday. It has to do with the different stages the Prius goes through when you first start it up. Please see link below which describes the stages and note that in stage "S2" the limit of EV is 10 mph while in stage "s3" the MPH limit of EV mode is 25 MPH. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-discussion/76501-gen3-warming-up-stages.html
I rarely use it. If you just accelerate slowly to begin with, it will stay in EV mode anyway. The EV button seems sort of like wasted real estate to me.
It can keep the ICE from starting if you're just starting the car to move it a matter of yards. That's all I ever use it for.
That's pretty much all I've ever used it for. If I accelerate or go any faster than driveway speed, the ICE kicks in. But, it's another button to push...I like pushing buttons. Only, I wish they would've made it red. That would've made it seem a whole lot more important.
The point of the EV button is to allow you to accelerate harder. Without it, you are limited to the GREEN zone on the Eco-Meter. With it, both the WHITE & RED zones become available for engine-off driving too. .
That is for you folks living closer to the tropics. For those of us living closer to the arctic, it won't even go into EV mode before the morning warmup except after the half dozen warmest nights of the year. An engine coolant temperature of 68F (20C) at startup is the breakpoint between no-EV and <10-mph-EV.
I've found that if I get into EV at 0 mph I can get up to 10 before it boots me but if I am granted--because that's all it is, you must be granted by kingly edict--the right to enter EV while I'm already at speed, then it will let me hit 25. Maybe it is just that when I hit EV from 0 mph it's before it's warmed up and that is the limiting factor, though. The EV deactivation message is not helpful at all. No idea why they cannot make it more descriptive.
I may have to experiment with this more then. Anytime I've ever used it, I feel like I have to accelerate like I have an egg under my foot...otherwise, the ICE kicks in...and it's always way before I ever reach the center line on the readout.
Played with EV mode a little more. I did confirm that I get the boot at 10mph during warm-up. After warm-up I can stay in EV mode until 25mph. If you drain the battery down to 2-3 bars you get kicked out for a low battery. They seem to have a great system in place to protect the battery. Also, when warmed up you can accelerate much more aggressively on all electric.
