2006 HCH Electric Only Mode Operation

Looks interesting indeed.

Seems to be a bit of excitement that they might be able to pulse and glide faster than the 40 MPH limit that the Prius basically imposes. Very interesting.

 

"Enhanced Assist" is the most appropriate term for this new mode.

It is definitely nothing like stealth.

 

I don't think they can do EV mode at higher speed than the Prius. Quote from that site about EV mode,

 

I read the whole thread.

There was some excitement because at first, it seemed like it was possible to use this mode at any speed, creating the possibliity of high speed pulse and glide technique. The Prius stealth mode facilitates pulse and glide up to 40 MPH, afterwhich the engine will start to turn over no matter what.

But it seems like from their tests, they are able to achieve electric only at highway speeds, but due to the higher speeds, the spinning engine, speed bleeds off quite quickly without significant assist, ie. use of the battery. The engine turning over probably does have a significant effect.

So while it is promising, it's not everything they were hoping for.

That being said, the new civic drivers seem to be doing pretty fairly with their mileage. Averaging high 40s and 50s judging from that thread.

 

i think what they meant was that you can't accelerate with EV only. The question has been whether they can achieve EV at high speeds and use it to maintain speed. They are exploring the possiblities of the 'glide' part of pulse and glide with the new HCH.

The Prius has been able to use battery power only at even highway speeds, but the ICE must turn over, even though it is not burning any gas... similar to the HCH-II. Extended use of the battery power only mode at highway speeds will obviously drain the battery, so it's not sustainable.

 

You are right. After reading further into the thread, they were saying they can do EV mode at 60MPH with little downgrade.
I hope this competition can lead to better hybrids (better I don't mean more hp <_< ).

 

Whoop-de-doo!!! They can maintain quasi-EV mode for 30 seconds. As long as they don't try to accelerate. But can they get in it and drive it a block or two without ever starting the engine? Or will it shut the engine off and leave it off for that stop-and-slow traffic jam?

The Civic is a great car. But the HCH is just a Civic with an electric assist. The Prius is tomorrow's car today.

 

If most people get the same mileage in HCH-II vs. Prius, what difference does that make? Granted, there aren't many cars in the database yet, but as of now, HCH-II owners are averaging 45.2 in the winter!

 

No, but the Prius can't either when the engine is cold, and that's how it will be when you get in to drive the vast majority of time. So, that ability is somewhat moot. And when it is possible, it's such a slow acceleration most folks won't bother.
The only real advantage in the Prius is electric motivation during a smarling stop-and-go creep. But it only last so long, and the engine starts for recharge. How much time do you really spend in a snarling creap? Cold weather and cold engine inhibits most of Prius' advantages anyway.

The new Civic is a fine car in-and-of-itself, both the hybrid and non-hybrid will sell like crazy because it's such a fine basic car (comfort, handling, styling etc.) to start with.
A non-hybrid Prius would never sell. Simply because it is lacking in all other automobile merits. It's looks are rationalized as fashionable only because it's a hybrid. The overpricing is rationalized as acceptable only because it's a hybrid. It's poor road manners are accepted only because it's fashionable hybrid.
How many complaints do we read everyday about jittery road manners, changing tires right away, packing the door with sound deadening material etc. A non-hybrid Prius would be a total bomb. The non-hybid civic is award winning. Likewise for the Civic Hybrid.

 

I've said the same thing myself. I like to say the Prius is the better hybrid but the HCH is the better car... the HCH runs its engine basically all the time, the electric motor is too weak to even maintain a fixed speed, and I find a Prius gets better mileage when driven normally than the HCH... but I don't enjoy driving the Prius at all, and I really enjoy my new HCH. And I still got 42 mpg average my last tank, accelerating fairly rapidly, speeding, and going 80 mph on the highway.

 

In all honesty, I'm glad that you like your HCH. All cars are way too expensive to not like them after you buy them. Nothing is worse than hearing somebody having a lot of post-purchase dissonance after they have dropped $20k or better on a car. Plus it prompts people to do financially stupid things, such as tradeing off the car early, etc.

However, I've read nearly all the posts about tires, handling, acceleration, sound deadning material and I do not see these as material convictions of the Prius, but individuals expressing individual taste issues. In general, folks that complain about the handling are used to larger, heavier and very different vehicles. Anyone who expects to move from a pick-up or a large car to a Prius and expect it to handle the same is ignorant of what they are buying. The same goes for nearly every other issue folks have. A $21K car is not going to have the same sound insulation as a $30+K car. Yet, folks who have owned those more expensive cars that move down to a Prius don't immediatly understand that the Prius is not equal to the vehicle they are giving up.

As far as how enjoyable a car is to drive, that is also very much an issue of personal taste. The Prius is quite enjoyable to drive if you are willing to change your ideas about how a car is supposed to drive. I did the moment I drove off the lot with it. I couldn't understand why the vehicle industry hadn't chosen to embrace CVT technology sooner or why many domestic manufacturers were dragging their feet on developing hybrids in earnest. Engine stop is so valueable to saving fuel and improving efficiency, and yet it is only acheivable with hybrid technologies. Oh well, a larger issue that doesn't need to be discussed here.

I've learned to read the boards with an open mind, but discount many comments based upon the lack of logic behind them. That is the only way I survive here.

 

Keep in mind that unless you have the EV switch, the Prius's stealth mode isn't much more powerful than the Honda's electric motor. I believe the Prius is limited to 21kW or 23kW in normal, non-ev switch, stealth.

 

I think Edmunds recently tested both, and despite themselves saying they wanted to like HCH more, Prius was better car at the end, and got better mpg... Thats with 2005 Prius .

It was faster (10.9 vs 12.4 0-60), bigger (96.2 vs 90.9 cubic feet) and more economical (48.3 vs 42.9mpg).

Case closed. next?

 

I think their conclusion was that the two cars were very close. For highway driving, the Civic can do better in the mileage department than the Prius. In addition, they praised the Civic for it's better handling and sportier feel.

the Prius did win on overall mileage and power, however.

 

It's not more powerful, but it's certainly more flexible than the Honda system, allowing for ICE shutdown at a much wider range of speeds and conditions.

 

OK, I get it, you don't like the Prius, and you're entitled to your opinion, but you have to take some of those posts with a gain of salt. My other car is a Corolla, and it came with crappy tires too, is louder inside, and doesn't really handle any better than the Prius - except for crosswinds (and yes, I do know how to drive - I've raced Solo 2 and some open class stuff). The Prius doesn't feel like it's stuck to the road, and I think that's what people are really complaining about (whether they know it or not). IMO, the base model Civic doesn't handle all that well either. I don't own Toyotas for the joy of driving, or any other such nonsense. I own them for their outstanding reliability and overall economy. I owned the Hondas for the exact same reasons.

The HCH v. Prius undercurrent of this thread is silly. It's still us (pro-hybrid) v. everybody else.