Keeping EV battery 40% full?

As always, very helpful... thanks Dr. I. The "even if stopped" comment is helpful since that seemed mysterious. Maybe I can try to not charge fully, though that does take a bit of fussing.

 

Forgot to include the link to a whole thread on the subject

Living on top of a hill | PriusChat

Maybe some other useful ideas there.

 

if you're interrupting the warm up cycle, you may be damaging the system, i'm not sure tho. one of dr. i's solutions above is a better way to go.

 

The Classic model performed housekeeping (engine startup after parking to cleanse/purge emissions). We were told by an engineer interrupting that process was fine. It would simply pick up where it left off later. Good thing too, since that was really annoying having the engine sometimes run upon arriving in my garage. Nothing ever came up as a sign not to either.

So, I feel quite comfortable stopping the engine prior to warm-up completing with the PHV. It happens on a regular basis, running out of electricity just shy of my destination and when I move the Prius to a spot for plugging in.

 

thanks john, and no issue with the rough start syndrome?

 

I would expect stopping the engine when it starts is mostly about water and other contaminates in the oil, and only secondly about unburned fuel in the cylinders. For the oil it might be an issue if you keep doing it for weeks and never run the ice to full temp (which burns off water and helps filters out the contaminates). For a PHEV with a large EV range, like the Volt or CMAX, I can see that being more an an issue but not for the PiP -- chances are very good you'll run the ice with a day or so.

Water in the oil is mostly a long-term reliability thing, nto a rough start. Rough start might occur be from leaving unburned lower-quality fuel in cold cylinders that then slow evaporates leaving residue on parts. So it may also be function of the quality of gas, local humidity and how quickly you kill off the engine.

 

Nope. That's a nice side-benefit of E10, something we've been taking advantage of since the 90's here in Minnesota.

 

so, people without e10 might have problems?

 

I regularly go a week or so without running the ICE. I get the ICE coming on, automatically, because I've gone 124 miles without the ICE every so often.

Mike

 

Yep.. Volt allows 6 weeks between EMM. If you shut off when it does the start, does it automically retry on the next start (the volt does). Water accumulation for week or so is not that bad.. its for months where it reallly because becomes an issue.

E10, with respect to water, is both better and worse . Ethanol is more hydrophilic (attracts more water). It does ensure the water will not freeze (which is good in MN) but in general increase overall water content which if the engine sits too long is bad.

 

Don't forget that Prius doesn't shut off the engine until it has reached a state where it can remain that that way for an extended period. So, starting it to run only briefly won't be like a traditional car that is just abruptly stopped without any prepartation.

 

I heard someone call it an executive decision too. In the end it probably was much like any decision made. I believe it was from a podcast with Chelsea Sexton saying it. I swear 90% of what you have called fictitious was on podcasts or audio interviews from way back that I've heard as well. Like the diesel prototype of the Volt. Or even the fuel cell version.


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While many of us like Diesel, I think the perception of having to pay for an even more expensive fuel (Diesel seems to be more expensive than Premium in my area) than what the Volt requires now might not go over well with the general public. Yes, I know Diesel offers more energy/BTU, but good luck explaining that.

 

If you, John or anyone want to make statements about what other people have said it would be nice to have sources so we can decide the reliability/authenticity of the source. It would not surprise me if there are podcasts from media folks presenting their views on "why" such decisions were made. Media musing on causes is just their guessing. But I've not even see that evidence.


Chelsea Sexton had no formal role in the Volt development and it is unlikely she had any is any inside information on such decision As an outspoken community member and blogger she was added as a "community Advisory Board" (e.g ) long after such decisions were made. Given her professionalism I would still consider it unlikly she would have said, what John was alluding to that the lack of hold mode was "too much like a prius". She did write about Volt Mules related to a prius. She writes “in range extended mode- the thing is already Prius quiet.” I've listened to her on this podcast at Priuschat where, e.g.m she said The Volt is the best PHEV of all the one she seen and she explains its better for her than C-max or PiP. But I did not her say hold mode decision was at all related to a prius.. So if it was a pod cast from her any ideas which one. And either way it means, at best, it is her views. But its hard to fight against vague unsubstainated claims like John frequently makes (and for which he vary rarely provides support when challenged), maybe because it is frequent for people to misremember such things and filter what they hear/see with their bias.


There was no diesel or FC "volt", though there concept cars described as Diesel E-FLEX (the name for the underlying platform in the early days) Frankfurt Preview: Opel E-Flex Concept - Carscoops and
Fuel Cell E-Flex (Shanghai Motor Show: GM unveils fuel cell E-Flex). When a company shows a concept it may or may not lead to a product (more often not).

Overall what is your fuel costs per mile? My volt is at $.026.
Yes YMMV and you may occasionally get 50mpg on your beetle, just as I get it on my volt when I use gas at all.

EPA for the Diesel Beetle (automatic) is 29 City, 39 Highway/ 32 combined.

The volt (when using gas) is 35 City, 40Highway, 37 Combined.

So the Volt already blows a beetle away when on gas (by EPA). Furthermore gas is very infrequent for most drivers, with the voltstat median being 169 miles and average over about 21Million miles, being 131 MPG. Having a 40ish mile EV battery for most trips greatly reduces the demand for gas.

 

Nope not important. I've heard it before but not from John. Didn't believe it then but it just wasn't important enough to challenge. In fact it got a chuckle from me if anything.



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Hmmm, my commute is less than 3 miles and my Gen II Prius never had a problem with moisture. Rusted out a muffler, twice, on my truck but not the Gen II Prius.

Now all the mechanics that work with my wife (DOT), tell me the gas in my tank is going to go bad.


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