46 MPH is the new threshold for STEALTH

Yea I saw that today also. Here is a pic of one I took.

 

Can someone please translate this into English? Non-Prius-tech speech for us wannabees. Sounds interesting and exciting - whatever it is.

 

Stealth is a mode of operation where the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) is shut down. You can use EV for some propulsion, but most of us use it to glide(coast) in this mode. The Gen II stealth limit was 41 MPH. The Gen III limit is 45 MPH. This is a huge improvement.

When you hear talk about P&G (Pulse and Glide), the glide portion is stealth mode.

 

Aha! So - if you're driving under 45 MPH and let up on the accelerator, the ICE will shut down. Does it do this immediately or delay a bit to allow for minor driving fluctuations - ie getting a bit too close to the car ahead. The delay would minimize unnecessary quick shutdown and startup. On the other hand, coasting to a stoplight = ICE down and regenerative braking charging the battery, right? And there's no drag from the engine as a "normal" car?

 

Nice! You will get a wider speed range to P&G. I believe the Fusion hybrid has the same 47 MPH limit.

 

John is right, and he has some very good graphics on his site that explain the HSD operation.

 

If you get it to drop in stealth (ICE off-0rpm) before 46, hold your foot steady (or kick it in neutral) and glide forever. I dropped into stealth tonight and glided up to 58 mph before I started a climb and had to light the ICE.

 

I just love free energy. I live in Southern Oregon where 6% grades for 6 to 8 miles is the norm. Right now I just put the car in neutral and coast. I have to tap the brakes to stop accelerating. My MPG shoots up to 99.9. The fun part is matching the RPM with the cars speed when you put it back in gear. I have done that so many times it feels seamless.

Dan

 

I was on a 7% a couple of days ago and you will LOVE the glide of the 2010. What makes it even better is the fact that it will enter a glide VERY easy. A very slight decline will get you a steady glide for a good distance.

 

That IS awesome! So now I can keep the engine off up to 45 mph ... used to be driving on 35mph roads was the route to best FE, but now we'll be able to glide steathily along at higher speeds!

Thanks for the translation!

 

I don't have a Prius yet, so I would like to know a little more about how the shifter works. After you go into drive by moving the shifter to the left and down, I assume, because it is a "joystick" design, that it returns to it's original position. To "kick it in neutral", do you then just tap it to the left?

The Car and Driver negative review said it was hard to find neutral. Thanks.

Roy

 

It's very easy to hit neutral. As you mentioned, tap the shifter left and it goes into neutral.
The Car and Driver staff must have been blind and had paralyzed arms.

 

You hold the shifter to the left and hold it there for a split second. It is not hard to find neutral at all.

 

As a newcomer, I would like to know if the glide is where the wheels rotating are recharging the battery. If you go to neutral, do you stop recharging the battery, and why would you do this?

Thanks for the info in advance..

 

Glide is where you are not using any energy and not replacing any energy. Think of a skateboard. The pulse is when you push off and the glide is when you are just riding. In this condition, you are not using any energy out of the gasoline or battery and you are minimizing drag by not regenerating and energy back into the battery.

In neutral, you are not charging or regererating.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks for the explanation. As a newbie still waiting for my Prius, I finally understand how pulse and glide really works. It doesn't seem to be as hard to do as I previously thought.

 

Thank you for the very interesting 46 mph threshold.
Has anyone found any speedometer offset, display vs actual(or GPS)?

Japanese 2010 Prius has 5km/h (3 mph) offset.

Ken@Japan