confused about when ICE should run?

It has to warm the engine up to avoid cold starts. If the engine is started at a colder temperature, there will be more emissions, and if it starts at a warmer temperature there will be lower emissions. So it keeps emissions ratings down. Thats why people block the grille and buy block heaters, to allow the ICE to shut off sooner.

In my opinion, for the PiP, its not ideal programming. I think they could likely get a more efficient and lower emission overall by adjusting some of the parameters that are standard on the regular prius to fit the useage patterns of a PiP.

I usually only need the ICE once in a 12 mie EV trip to change lanes, or avoid a guy stopping to make a left, etc. By the time I am in HV mode and battery is dead, the ICE has cooled all the way back down anyways, so that 2 extra minutes its on intermittently is causing more emissions. But how in the world could Toyota know how each person uses their ICE in EV mode?

I pull over and restart the car if the ICE comes on and I know I wont be using it for the rest of the trip. Not sure if thats smart, but hey, I just love seeing the 999mpg on the display at the end.

 

There should be a kill switch preventing the ICE from starting before the battery is discherged.

Where are the tuners when we need them ?

 

That would be dangerous when you need a full acceleration in case of an emergency.

 

Or the system could be designed from the ground up as a full powered EV drive with a button to control/activate the ICE when the driver wanted to preserve EV range, provide additional heat at their discretion, not come on at what seems like random or inopportune times, etc.

 

Hmm, you maybe on to something.

 

In Europe we have a EV-City button that allows the accelerator to be depressed down to 90% before the ice kicks in. But no power mode on the other hand.

 

First, once engine warm-up is complete, subsequent uses are extremely short. So having a drive with the need for several hard accelerations works out to be cleaner than repeated starts of a cold engine.

Second, the *EV* symbol indicates when the engine is off & stopped. If you are feeling it, that means it is still spinning but not necessarily consuming any fuel.

Third, welcome to the forum and we hope you are enjoying your plug-in Prius.

 

i really really really really hope someone can make a mod here for us in the states to engage that mode in place of power mode, which i will never use. i've found myself inadvertently starting the gas engine in EV mode almost five times now, and it's annoying as hell.

 

I've done that too, but I think it's not very good for the engine to start, and then not warm up. What I'd like to see Toyota do is supply a mechanical "detent" on the accelerator pedal so, with medium pressure, my foot will know when it's reached the end of the EV pedal range. Then I won't need to stare at the display every time I want to go up a hill or accelerate.

Also, "off" is not an acceptable heater setting for wet winters (one needs to clear the windshield), and "LO" is not a heat setting which completely avoids an ICE start. So I guess I'm stuck with a bunch of starts in winter that I really didn't need or want.

It would be way fun to get involved in a code rewrite. I'll bet that as a group we could make this car really sing!

 

HUD (Heads Up Display) allows you to see the Eco-Meter in your line-of-sight.

As for power demand, I've been surprised how many times while "Just Driving It" the engine didn't start.

Huh? Where did you hear that?

 

Just watch HSI and keep it out of the power range(red) and ICE wont start.

Dan

 

been there done that. like i said, inadvertently i've had it happen. what's worse is that the indicator is nowhere near linear, and it's very easy to go over the edge once you go beyond 85%.

 

Are you driving in ECO mode? ECO mode is non-linear in mapping accelerator to throttle, so it is ambiguous where the low sensitivity and high sensitivity regions are. As a result, I find it is too easy to overshoot the amount of acceleration I want. Normal mode is linear, so I find controlling the throttle much easier.

 

It gives you the feeling you no longer have control. Mostly it has been happening since the cooler weather. Even tho I have the grill partially blocked I'll get sequences where every start has 2-3 pips with less than full. I'm driving the same, not getting into power, etc. my best performance is always leaving my garage and then after 4-6 blocks, the engine comes on. I think it is sensing OAT. Outside air temperature. Possibly, there is nothing we can do about it.

 

it was 33 degrees this morning, still in EV no problems here

 

That is strange. It's definitely colder in Michigan than California.

 

climate change.

 

32 and dark on the way home tonite. went to work in ev and came home in ev until i ran out of juice with about a mile to go. definately cannot make it in ev anymore. but no problem keeping the ice off while i have juice.

 

That'll do it