Can starting in EV mode be dangerous?

Another consideration should be the temperature. If you are going out in 70 degree weather in Florida that will be different than 20 degree weather in Chicago, or -30 degree weather in Alaska. But I think the EV won't work under a certain temperature anyway.

But, at least with regular engines, almost all wear occurs when the engine is colder than operating temperature. And the temperature to wear increase is dramatic as the temperature decreases. So at least in the Prius, by having the warm thermos too for the engine will reduce any possible wear to a minimum.

Driving this way is undoubtedly an unusual situation, which the Prius can probably withstand for the most part, but I too think if it can be avoided that is probably better.

 

i have not experienced any temperature limitations with EV operation. yesterday it was 25ºF and i moved my car out of my parking space to my neighbors (she had gone to work) so it could catch the morning sun and help clear the glass before i went to work.

but i will agree, although it doesnt hurt your Prius, i prefer to run EV at the end of the day and charge and warmup in the morning as others have mentioned.

 

The only reasons I can see for using EV on morning start up would be:

a. to move car a short distance and not start the engine.
b. to move a bit to a point where you can coast a good distance and then start up delayed to where you really need the engine and it can warm up faster.

If in case b I would just push EV again while coasting so engine would be on and ready when I needed power. No need to wait for computer to force engine start.

Generally seems better to run on EV at the end of a run at night.

 

Quick question for the smart guys (and gals!) on this thread:

Can EV mode only be engaged when the vehicle is stopped? I've read that somewhere, and haven't tested it yet. But it can be disengaged at any time/speed. Right?

 

it can be engaged when moving

 

Thanks Dave. I only use mine from a stop (to keep the ICE from ever firing) so wasn't sure. And I DO know I've read that somewhere in my many pre-purchase web travels.

I'll finally pass the 10 mile mark on my 2006 this weekend. I'll likely learn a lot when I actually drive the thing.

 

I'll agree that you won't hurt the engine with EV usage, because it's all computer-protected. I do think that accelerating under EV is inefficient.

 

Jumping back to the "graceful" wakeup...

As soon as you hear the triple beeps indicating EV is being disengaged, you can usually get a smooth wakeup if you just ease off the gas a bit as if you were gliding. Works like a champ for me.

 

was cold enough that i actually turned the heat on in my house (its still on). something i rarely do.

 

no, you get a 3-beep warning which basically means the car refuses to accept the EV command. took me a while to figure out all the beep patterns in the car.

does the 06 have a warning on the MFD?

 

How cool is that! Wish I had that feature. I forget the exact stages but I seem to recall that there is another window (stage IIIa) where EV mode is available prior to full hybrid mode. I sometimes find this w/ luck (to turn off the ICE and tool around the line for coffee for example).

 

ooh, a visual warning. totally cool. B)

 

It's a pop-down that says "can not engage EV mode at this time" or something like that. It slides down for a couple of seconds and slides back up.

I also noticed something else today. The 06 doesn't have the snowflake (cold outside) indicator, but my car gave me a pop-down today that said something about it being 37 degrees outside. I don't remember exactly when it occurred, but it was definately there. Just thought I'd pass that on.

 

the 05 has that too. little icon shows up for a couple seconds, then disappears.

i could live without the snowflake on the dash though...