I noticed the owners manual says you can use the ev button to get up to 25mph before it disengages and uses the hybrid drive. However on my 2010 even if accelerating slowly in ev I can only get up to 12mph before the mfd displays "excessive speed, ev has been disabled". Has anyone else experienced this?
Yep. When the engine is cold, you can only get up to 11. If everything is warmed up, then you can get up to 25.
If you start with the engine coolant temperature below 68 F (20 C), you won't be able to get into EV at all. Can you read out the coolant temperature at that point? If below a certain threshold (150F???), then the higher EV speed range remains locked out. While most typical driving will get it above that point, there are multiple ways for it to remain or fall below that point.
Ok I finally figured it out. Seems I have to drive in normal mode or power mode in order to get the electronics heated up properly before I can do it. Once the engine is warmed up properly I can switch back to Eco and use ev. If I use Eco it seems it takes longer for things to heat up which could be the area I live in since it is much cooler and flatter here than other parts of the us. Now I need to get a alignment. They didn't do it before selling the car which is goofy IMHO but it can be challenging driving with a slightly off steering wheel lol
ECO also reduces temperature thresholds for ICE autostop. In city traffic with lots of stops, or low speed driving where the ICE can be shut off, this can delay full warmup. Note also that even after warmup, the temperature can still fall below the needed threshold and lock out the higher EV speed range again. This is more likely with ECO mode, city traffic, and cold outside temperatures where you are using cabin heat.
