Just went to the grocery store and back (EV mode) and saw that my EV range dropped like rock. I started with ~14.5 miles of range and after ~8 miles of driving my range had dropped to ~3.5. Does the battery/motor operate less efficiently in cold weather. (Temperature = ~30F.)
Climate was set to the lowest fan speed at 70F. Seat heater was on low, and I used the heated steering wheel for part of the trip. Even so, the range quotes are taking the climate control into account. (The car gives estimates with both the climate control on and off.)
climate, seat heater, and heated steering wheel are vampire suckers, your battery is draining even when you're at a complete standstill or parked.
turn off Climate, seat heater, heated steering wheel and you will notice a big difference in EV range
I drove 12.2 miles on EV while it was 19 degrees out, made it back on the same 12.2 miles on EV but the big difference is I had all heating systems off. and I had 3.0 miles left in EV
New Prime Advanced with only 152 miles. I took my wife to work this morning; a 23.2 mile round trip in 22F snowy weather. Trip is about 50/50 highway (55mph) and urban roads. We used seat heaters (HI) and occasionally the ECO Heat to defog the windows. I made the entire 23.2 mile trip in EV with 2.1 miles left. Similar conditions in my 2012 PIP would produce 83mpg for this trip. I'm very pleased (but my wife would enjoy some "heat"!). My only issue now is the 6 hours to charge before going back to pick up the wife....... I'm starting to look at Level 2 chargers..... any recommendations?
going 55 MPH lessens the total time that you're draining the battery while heating your car vs going 35 MPH on the same road. So by ECO heat you mean with climate on and NOT front defroster? Because as soon as you turn on front defroster ICE kicks in.
just curious, how many MPG was that trip? since you have the advanced model you can find those details on the ECO dashboard.
You likely would have had more EV miles left driving the same way during a mild spring day. When it is cold out; the air is denser, the grease in the wheel bearings is thicker, same with the transaxle fluid, and the rolling resistance of the tires increased along with the pressure likely having dropped. And cold will kill it too, at least for lead acid 12 volts, but Li-ion can have plaquing form when charged too quickly at too low a temperature. The car has fan powered cooling for the battery, and will switch to hybrid mode if the battery temps get too high. Most of us will run the A/C in cases of real hot weather. That cabin air will cool the battery.
When using the ECO Heat, it uses the Heat Pump and directs the air between the windshield and floor vents, so "mild" defogging of the windshield can be accomplished without kicking on the ICE. You are correct, if you select the "Defroster", the ICE will immediately kick on to generate traditional water jacket heat.
Fuel Consumption was 999.9mpg, ECO Driving Score 97/100. The entire 23.2 mile trip (in 22F weather) was completed without the ICE kicking on. Still had 2.1 miles (estimated range) left. So that's pretty good EV range for a brand new "prius", considering the temperature and nothing is broken in (tires and drivetrain).
so....25.3 EV, not bad, but with climate off it would probably jump up to 28 EV, that's what my EV usually is at. Don't get me wrong,lol, I do use climate except when I'm going on that trip that's 12.2 miles away.
