Well, for the last couple of days the engine is kicking on with a full charged battery in EV/ECO mode. Is anyone experiencing the same scenario? It indicates that the engine is charging the battery while going down hill while applying the brakes...
Once the battery is full you can't use regenerative braking to slow the car and it switches to hydraulics. But that's where B mode comes it: it spins the engine to provide drag and avoids using the hydraulic brakes in a situation where the heavy use could cause the brakes to overheat and be damaged. You can use B on long downhills where regen fills the battery or on very steep hills where regenerative braking can't provide enough braking force to hold your speed.
I had a lot of questions about ICE. Got lots of good answers on this thread .. http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-prius-plug-in/107717-there-any-pattern-when-ice-comes.html
