Something I noticed today and I'm wondering if it's as intended. We got a 2021 Prius LE recently (used) and mostly I like it a lot. Fuel economy has been amazing and it seems like it has plenty of power even in Eco mode. One thing I've noticed is that if I use the DRCC the car will never drive on the electric engine alone. I base this on what I see in that meter thing that shows your efficiency. When DRCC is on it never lights up the EV indicator. When I turn that off and drive myself I can get it to light up a lot on a highway drive. It doesn't matter too much as I still seem to get great fuel economy, but I was curious if this was the expected behavior? Or maybe it just doesn't show it as being "EV" even when it is when DRCC is on?
It will. Its just winter conditions. Speed also plays a factor. The car won't run in EV+DRCC mode if you go too fast because it requires more power.
My daily commute (140 miles round trip) has a several mile long gradual descent where even at 68 mph the ICE is off. It varies between slight regeneration and no-flow coasting. I remember both my Gen II and III would run the ICE all the time above 41 mph.
When I got my 2016, I too noticed the EV indicator was not coming on when I thought it should, so I began using the power distribution display (the one with the arrows from the power sources to the wheels) and found it to be more informative. It seemed to better indicate when the ICE was off and not providing power. Regardless of which display you decide to use, remember the computer is very good at optimizing power delivery and shutting down the ICE when not needed. In other words, don't obsess on the eco displays when you're driving. Use a light foot on the accelerator and anticipate slow downs, lifting early to avoid wasting too much energy in braking. Like any car, "Jack Rabbit" starts and hard braking kill your economy.
With my ‘22 XLE, if running around 65 mph or higher it very seldom runs in EV (unless I’m going down a steep grade) whether DRCC is on or not. Anything less than 65 it will cycle in and out of EV.
