Hello, I just bought a used 2012 PIP (this is my 3rd Prius- first PIP). The charging cable was missing from the car, the dealer has ordered one and will get it to me within the next few weeks. Unlike my 2010 regular Prius- when I push the EV/HV mode button on the PIP- to put the car into EV mode, it will not go into EV mode. The battery icon shows full. There is an error message that says something to the effect that EV mode is not available at this time. The question is- is EV mode only available when the battery has been charged via the charging cable, even though the battery is fully charged via regeneration? Thanks, Mike
You have charge in order to shift into. EV mode. You shoud get a message that EV battery is not charged
MRH, Mostly true, unless you get on a long, long downhill run. Once you have a full charge from the wall outlet at home, or from a public /commercial unit, then regen will help to keep the battery charged, more generously than in your other Prius'. You will then have a number indicating an "estimated" EV Range, based on previous driving conditions. When that EV Range number is not in evidence, it is unavailable. That full charge you saw, along with the error message, will still get you up to a mile or so, depending on terrain traffic, and how light you can be on the throttle, just like on your 2010. Wonder how the dealer took the car in w/o the charging unit. Somebody wasn't paying attention. Or maybe it was stolen, even an inside job. Good luck.
Also note that the "full" battery you're currently seeing on the screen has lines through it. That's when you're in HV mode. When you can use EV, the battery will have no lines through it.
There is one HV battery in the PiP. The majority of it is allocated to the EV mode that lasts approximately 12 miles. After that, it simulates the HV battery in a regular Prius by using a small portion of the battery. The full battery you're seeing may be the "regular hybrid" portion and the "EV" portion is empty. There's a difference between the two displays, but I'm not sure what it is.
This makes sense - thanks. A brand new charging cable arrived today - and I am currently charging the car. Looking forward to seeing how the total system works when driven tomorrow! Mike
When the battery is displayed with a smooth fill, it shows capacity to full. When the battery is displayed in small segments (bars) it shows the zoomed view of the last few remaining %. It's a nice and informative indication once you understand it.
"Portion" in this sense is not a physical part of the battery; it is just a portion of the charge. It is all in the hybrid control software. By pressing the EV/HV button when there is charge left, the software will go into hybrid mode to preserve that charge, but if the state of charge gets too low, then the system is forced into hybrid mode.
I was reffering to this: FULL EMPTY Your battery indicator does change to bars when battery is running out, does it?
Right, but it still looks like segments to my tired old eyes, although they are more pronounced in the EV battery level indicator.
It's a low resolution display. Actually, your eyes are still sharp enough to notice pixels wich form the "solid" picture of a battery. You outperform your PiP!
It's available at other times, but that kind of side-steps the purpose of being a plug-in hybrid. For starters, the behavior of "EV mode" is different for the plug-in than it is for the regular model. The plug offers both more power and more speed. It also allows you to engage it without the emission system already have been pre-warmed, but will consume gas for the sake of cleansing emissions once you have exceeded the power/speed threshold. Put simply, the system is designed to take advantage of plug-supplied electricity. You'll see that by watching the MPG display. At times, it will be sustained at the max, even though the engine is running. That's achieved by taking advantage of the battery-pack to allow the engine to run at a very low RPM, which in turn is very efficient. Those miles of travel won't be counted as "EV" though, since the engine wasn't stopped. They'll be counted as "HV" miles instead. Over time, you'll observe when it's best to allow the system to do that. The "HV/EV" button lets you disengage that electricity boost. For long drives on the highway, you'll find saving the battery-pack for later better overall. You'll also discover there are circumstances that will allow you to top-off the battery through brake-regenerating, like when exiting off the highway. It's quite a dynamic system, very smart with how it utilizes the electricity available by taking advantage of the engine at times. Here's a starter video for newbies... Watch the EV available go down, being used up entirely 14 miles into the drive.
