Featured Conditions best for Eco, Normal and Power mode

Yup, just confirmed it but even though the energy from the traction battery is no longer evident, it still drops the estimated EV by about 2 miles

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

yayyyyyy!!!!!!

 

If the Prime is like the first generation plug-in, the estimated EV range is degraded by a fixed percentage if the climate control system is turned on, regardless of the actual drain. Run the fan on low, or run the A/C or heat pump with high speed fan: same factor.

 

now if only Boston could win a ball game. edit, damn! Hell musta froze over! Boston won!

 

we were saved by the new challenge rule.

 

Sorry, noob questions here:

1) If the battery on my Prius Prime is drained but I set my car to ECO mode, will the engine still run on electricity?

2) And does Normal mode make the engine run on gas?

 

You're overthinking the effect of ECO mode. You'll get awesome fuel economy no matter what the mode is, and you don't have to drive like a snail in order to achieve that awesome fuel economy. I personally keep mine in "normal" mode all the time, and I get awesome fuel economy**

Common sense answers (short version in red):

1) The battery on your Prime is *never* fully drained. If the battery charge gets is low enough, it acts like a hybrid, regardless of whether you are in ECO, Normal, or PWR mode. "Acts like a hybrid" means that the gas engine kicks on and off to keep your battery partly charged in the general range just below 0.1 miles of EV-only operation. The Prime (and any Prius) will never let your battery get fully drained - it needs the battery to do lots of vital things (one example... your car can't travel in reverse without it****)

2) No. Neither Normal, PWR, nor ECO modes "make the engine run on gas". As long as you are in EV mode, you can be in normal, PWR, or ECO mode, and the gas engine will not come on even if you floor the gas pedal***

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**I'd brag more, but your questions aren't directly related to fuel economy

***(except for some very unusual circumstances for Southern California like extreme cold or use of "max" defrost in cold climates)

****and another, more technical thing - heck, the Prime can't make the power from the gas engine make your tires turn without electric power from one of the electric motors providing resistance to one of the gears in the transmission (known as the PSD, or Power Split device).

 

When the battery is empty, the vehicle has no other choice, it must run the ICE.

ECO, NORM and PWR perform a bunch of presets to the software that influence economy and performance. they have no effect on when the ICE will run.

 

Thanks. I currently have Prime in ECO mode but my batteries isn’t charged at all. I noticed that when I start my car initially, I don’t hear my engine for a couple of minutes but after that I can hear my engine start and I continuously hear it from there on. I’m concerned that might not be good for the car since it seems to start the engine while I’m mid-driving.

If I set my Prime in Normal Mode, will the engine start the moment I push the Power On button?

Thanks. Same question as to breakfast, currently have Prime in ECO mode but my batteries isn’t charged at all. I noticed that when I start my car initially, I don’t hear my engine for a couple of minutes but after that I can hear my engine start and I continuously hear it from there on. I’m concerned that might not be good for the car since it seems to start the engine while I’m mid-driving.

If I set my Prime in Normal Mode, will the engine start the moment I push the Power On button? And what does ICE stand for?

 

Is your goal to charge the battery? Use CHG mode.

ICE - Internal Combustion Engine.

 

There is no "empty" ever. You'll run out of EV capacity, but there is always HV capacity available and even that still has a buffer.

Watch near the end of this video. After I use up the EV, the engine runs for a little, then shuts off. The dashboard shows regular usable range being depleted. That phone-app on the right shows actual capacity.

 

Thanks guys. I don’t plan to charge my Prime regularly any time soon. Is there any way I can start the ICE on my Prime the moment I press the Power On button like a traditional Hybrid?

 

That's what the HV/EV toggle button us for.

Just push that after starting the vehicle.

 

Prime by default starts in EV mode every time you turn on the vehicle. Even if you do not regularly charge the battery, what's remaining in the battery for normal hybrid drive is sufficient to start the car in EV mode just for a while, that's why your car is starting in EV mode without ICE kicking in right away. You can switch to HV mode immediately after your START by hitting HV/EV mode button. That will turn the ICE on. That said, I can't think of any reason you have to do that to protect the engine.

Possible scenario in which you want to switch to HV immediately after you START the car is when you want to save traction battery charge for EV drive later on. However, in your case, you have no traction battery charged, so this does not apply. My car also starts in HV mode in middle of winter when our temp is below 14F, because at this temp and below ICE turns on automatically even if you have EV charge left.

 

Thank you! That’s what I was looking to find out.

Thanks. I was assuming that having ICE turn on while I’m idle might be better than having it turn on mid-drive but I have no proof of this.

Thanks, that’s good to know.

You guys answered all my questions! Thanks again.

 

The Prime is a Prius at heart, and it's designed to have the ICE turn on and off all the time - doesn't matter whether you are at idle or not. There is no starter motor at all - the engine starts by having one of the electric motors (MG1) spin it up to operating speed without fuel, and then fuel is injected into the spinning engine, where it starts easily regardless of how fast your car is traveling.

 

Oh, so if I turn on the ICE in the parking lot before I drive off it can turn off again automatically mid-drive depending on the situation? Or will the ICE remain on until I Power Off?

 

Without charging, you will be driving strictly on HV mode. Even on HV mode, after driving for a while with ICE on, it will shut down automatically and "EV" light will come on when you have enough battery charge and computer determine you can drive on EV. You don't have to do anything. I am experimenting right now with my PRIME to drive without any charge to see real MPG with gasoline only. I am getting ~65mpg without any special hypermilage efforts.

 

As we've noted before, Toyota uses the word "Mode" for two completely unrelated functions. About EV/EV Auto/HV modes, there are 4 choices. Four.
-EV uses only the battery to drive as long as there is some charge showing on the panel. Even with no charge level showing, there's still some in the battery. Once the battery is depleted the engine runs most of the time. Sometimes the engine and battery both run. Sometimes the engine shuts off and just the battery propels the car. It all works automatically, smoothly, no problem.
-EV Auto runs the car on the battery until you mash the accelerator, then it adds some gasoline engine to the mix. On certain runs this results in a net gas savings. Once the battery is depleted it runs as noted above.
-HV runs the gas engine all the time. There may be some battery power used when needed for more acceleration.
-Hold the HV button in until the display changes and you're now using the engine to both propel the car and recharge the battery. I don't know why this is there, but there must be a good reason somewhere.

So...I use EV all the time. Except...on one road with a couple of steep hills and I know I'll deplete the battery before I reach my destination, I'll use EV Auto. The total gasoline used is less than in EV-only. If I know I'd need a lot of power out of a cold engine, I might run HV for a short distance just to get the engine warm in easy driving before that place I know that I'll need a lot of power...a freeway get-on, for example. Then I'd go back to EV. If I was on the highway and I knew there was a long steep hill ahead, I might find that HV Charge in advance of the hill gave me engine plus battery power when I got there...I'd switch Charge off for the hill climb. I'd have to try that to see if it was an advantage.

The other Mode function...ECO, Normal, PWR...I like the feel of Normal. I switch to PWR when I need to zip into a hole in traffic. As said above, this is just about the sensitivity of the accelerator pedal. It does not directly relate to the engine operation.

Reiterating...our Primes have two electric motor-generators and a gasoline engine. One, two, or three can combine to drive the car through the continuously variable transmission. Toyota has designed it to be smooth and nearly seamless. The motor-generators can drive the car, or the car can drive them to generate electricity and recharge the battery. Don't over-think it. Drive safely, drive courteously, drive efficiently.