I'm new here! Not only to the forum, but to the Prius line. Was originally going to get a Volt, but once I test drove it, I hated how claustrophobic and heavy it felt. Anyway, wanted to say hey, and also if there's any "Prius Prime" starter kit of info or "things to know", I'm all ears. Still reading up on everything about this car. EV Auto vs. EV Mode vs. HV mode + Normal/eco/power mode?! Sheesh. Also if anyone has any info on how to hack the garbage 11.6" display to mirror my google maps from my phone, that'd be awesome.
This I have to agree. lol Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to mirror google maps AFAIK. I still use our trusty Germin for nav. Welcome and enjoy the ride.
Toyota, in their wisdom, uses the word Mode to mean two completely different things. EV Auto vs. EV Mode vs. HV mode This is about engine operation. In EV, you'll run on battery as long as there is battery power available, then the system switches to HV. In EV Auto, you'll run on battery except in sections of heavy load (uphill, lots of throttle) where the engine cuts in to help. I find this gives me lower total gasoline consumption on one hilly route we drive that is beyond the battery range. Otherwise it's not much use. HV is mainly running the engine. Sometimes the system will stop the engine and only run on battery. There are endless debates here about the best way to squeeze out the last percent of efficiency. Don't worry. Use EV all the time and let the system do what it does very well. Normal/eco/power mode Totally different thing. This is all about the sensitivity of the accelerator pedal. In ECO you push a lot of pedal to get going. In PWR you get a lot more zip for the same push. Normal is in between. There is no more total power, just more zip. Use whatever you feel comfortable with. My wife, for example, uses ECO all the time except when she's on the freeway using PWR and may want to scoot into a gap in traffic.
Super helpful, thanks! It confirmed a lot of my suspicions as i've been experimenting. At the moment I typically do EV mode. if I have to drive a long distance (ie. greater than the battery range round trip) then I'll switch into HV. And because the drive mode resets every start up, I've just left it in normal mode. Is there a way to quickly get into power mode, like holding down the drive mode for a second or two or something like that?
There is no need for you to switch to HV. The system does that for you. Some will say that they want to run in HV to save some battery power for a long uphill or city driving or something. That's OK, but not needed. If you hold down the HV button for a couple of seconds it switches into battery charging mode. I still haven't found a use for that. I don't want to burn gasoline to charge the battery. Just a tap of the left of the three buttons switches accelerator mode...ECO > Normal > PWR > ECO, etc.
Only time I’ve used charge mode was on a 5+ hour freeway drive that was going to end in a small town where I wanted to have EV miles. iPad ?
