On the Consumption Screen some of the yellow bars have a little car in it and some don't. I assume that the more cars the better, but not even sure what I'm doing to get them there.
as far as i know, the cars represent the amount of energy the car recharged back to the batteries... so a long down-hill stretch will result in more green cars.... You'll see at the top of the screen it shows a green car and something like "car = 50kwH regenerated"
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ucsbgaucho @ Feb 12 2007, 04:42 PM) [snapback]389186[/snapback]</div> Those are not cars. They are little Green Leaves, and they represent regenerated power.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius The First @ Feb 12 2007, 03:45 PM) [snapback]389187[/snapback]</div> Well, I don't have my car on right now, but I think they're actually little cars with a leaf vein motif on them (like the little car in the upper left corner of the screen).
Pat is right, they are leaf-veined cars. They show you that you have recovered energy through regenerative braking, but more is not better. Ideally, you wouldn't have any cars, because you'd drive as if you didn't have brakes, coasting up to a stop sign, etc. Of course, you do have to brake in normal traffic, so don't fret about getting them. Just remember that there is a loss of energy every time it's converted from one form to another. Gasoline energy goes into the ICE to make kinetic energy. There are some losses; internal combustion loses some of the energy as heat that doesn't move the car forward. Wind, rain, and tires slow you down, as does going up a hill, all using energy. When you step on the brakes and the electric motors turn into generators, putting energy back into the battery, there are some mechanical losses. When electric energy is turned into chenical energy in the battery, there is some loss. In a conventional car, all those losses just turn into heat and go out into the world. The Prius recaptures some of that energy that would otherwise turn into heat, which is what makes it more efficient than conventional cars. But recapturing more is not better than using less.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMichSr @ Feb 12 2007, 06:38 PM) [snapback]389185[/snapback]</div> Welcome to the site. You aren't really doing anything. The car is charging the battery either through regenerative braking or running the ICE.
In the debate as to whether those "little green things" are leaves or cars - - I vote, "cars." Or maybe they might be leaves with WHEELS!
It's in your Owner's Manual - 2007 Issue, pp 167-168 [Not evident or easy to find]. Page 168: "Fuel Consumption Screen - 2. Indicates the energy recovered for 5 minutes with symbols. One symbol refers to 50 Wh or the energy by which a 50 W bulb illuminates for an hour. Up to 4 symbols will be shown." The "symbol" is a car with leaf and sometimes you can see partial symbols. This energy helps maintain the charge of the main traction battery and is generated by regenerative brakeing or coasting. You can see it "at work" on the Energy Monitor Screen when the "arrows" show the front wheels rotating with the arrows flowing back into the main battery. Your Owner's Manual is not casual reading and information is not well indexed, but there is a lot of useful information to be found therein.
