ECO button 24/7

My brother always insists on driving his Sonata Blue when we visit them in Cocoa Beach in Feb, so I have no idea what my mileage would be there. I can say that I only got 39 mpg last time between Marianna and Titusville, but it was windy, rainy and unusually cold, and we had stopped in Tallahassee for the night, so the car was really cold starting out the next morning. I'm looking forward to seeing how mileage does next April when we go from Savannah to Key West and back.

 

We took a trip in ours last year. A little over 1100 miles from Houston to Grand Junction, CO and then onto Moab, UT. Round trip through the mountains using both ECO and Regular modes averaged a respectable 49.6 MPG overall. Coming back home, a cold front had passed through. Going over the divide on I-70 at night it was a crisp 19 degrees as per the readout on the dash. Needless to say the heat was on that night.

 

Over the entire period of my Prius Ownership I'd say I've probably used ECO mode and "Normal" about equally. But now find myself staying in "Normal" mode more and more often.

I feel like when you are new to Hybrid Synergy Drive, and inexperienced in driving a Hybrid, Eco mode and the more "forgiving" accelerator pedal response CAN help you learn to drive the Prius more efficiently. Plus any advantages the interaction with the AC/Heating system that is changed.

BUT...with experience, I don't really notice a big difference in MPG between Normal and ECO any more. In fact, I think the slightly more aggressive accelerator pedal response can sometimes be advantageous to better MPG. Allows me to gain momentum quicker, and getting the most out of momentum is a LOT to the advantage of owning a Prius.

I feel like I can modulate and control HSD as efficiently in Normal, as I can in ECO, and I like the "normal" drive feel better.

It's NOT that I don't use ECO, from time to time if MPG's are dipping, but the longer I own the Prius the less I use it. And I'm not sure the advantage of ECO is that great anymore.

 

Does anyone know for SURE what the difference or differences are in how the Prius uses the AC in ECO vs. How it uses it in Normal?

I know Toyota says there is a difference in the interaction or how the AC is utilized. But it seems pretty vague to me.

About the only thing I seem to notice is that in ECO it seems like it takes longer for the AC to kick in, like it waits until the engine is running before it starts. This may or may not be my imagination. I would think the advantage to that would be that as you use the all Electric AC, the engine is simultaneously recharging the HV battery. No direct drain, keeping the system from reaching a point where AC has drained the HV battery to the point where it is forcing the engine on to recharge.

But really again? I use my AC in ECO mode, and I use it in Normal mode, and as far as comfort and cabin temperature, I don't notice a big difference.

When it's REALLY hot, I just more or less trust that Toyota has built in advantage in AC use in ECO mode, so those may be the times I choose ECO the most. But really? I don't notice too much difference in results or even actions. About the only thing I seem to notice is that on initial start up, it seems like it takes a little longer for the AC to kick in, when in ECO.

 

There are other threads about the delay in starting the AC. My experience (always in Normal mode) is that it waits several seconds from READY to begin blowing, and by that time, the ICE has started.

 

I'm not sure what the difference in AC is in ECO/Normal. I stay in ECO and I see the AC at all different outputs. Here is a picture of the AC load at .47 horse power. If it's very hot in the "room" and I'm in LOW/max fan I've seen up to 2.2 horse power.

 

Living in Florida I use the AC just about all the time (except the "two" days a year it's cold in the morning). Once the cabin is comfortable the AC horse power load is so low I don't think it changes the MPG much. I really don't know what AC would be like in Normal.

On very hot days with the traction battery temperature very high >45 C I run the AC on LOW/ max. fan just to help cool the battery. I have successfully cooled the battery from 52 C to 44 C in 15 minutes.

Above 50 C TB temperature the car protects the battery by running the engine all the time and letting the TB rest. I have a thread with pictures showing this. I'll post the link shortly.

Here is the link. First Time Traction Battery in Protection Mode at Over 50 C | PriusChat

 

I've had mine in Eco mode since the day bought it, to the point that I basically have forgotten the other modes exist. Maybe if I remember some day I'll switch it and see if I notice a difference...

 

I use all four modes. It depends on how I feel that day, what kind of traffic etc. If I want the precise pedal feel, I go with ECO. If I am just driving and want max A/C, I go with Regular. If I am fixing to get on the freeway or need to get it moving QUICK, I use POWER. I hardly use the EV mode whatsoever. If I want to EV, I simply slow down enough to "glide" or drive slowly enough to kick in the EV automatically.

I have found unless I am real tired, that "Regular" mode is fine for me. At first, I needed ECO to help me get into glides easier, but after getting used to the HSI on the Gen III, I was able to glide fairly easy in "Regular" mode. It boils down to how much dexterity one has, or at least that is how I see it.

FWIW, those who came from a Gen I or Gen II into the Gen III usually have a better feel for P&G than a newcomer who has not driven a Prius before.

The above is my opinion, and nothing else. If you agree, please click "like". If you don't, then please disregard.

 

If you're driving long enough, the AC on ECO gets you there, and I doubt you burn more energy in the process. The AC works hard if there's a big difference in temperature and slows down as you get closer to the set temperature. Going int PWR mode only makes the AC work a little harder (in my observations). PWR mode is more effective for cooling down the car in a short time. Since PWR mode doesn't stay on, at best, turning off ECO mode will get you more effective cooling from the AC if you have a remote starter or remote AC feature.

 

I've gotten 50+mpg in all of the modes including PWR. However I find ECO works just fine however it does make my leg work more. PWR mode feels great when in situations where you have to merge in crazy fast moving traffic, like in SoCal where traffic changes like the weather. I know straight line performance should be equal regardless of mode but PWR does make driving more enjoyable and easier when you have to move. I read somewhere that in Europe, the Prius's standard mode is our PWR mode. I am not sure if that's true.

 

I like the fact Toyota took advantage of the "fly" by wire throttle and maped the different modes. They could have easily just maped normal mode only.

The aircraft I fly has fly by wire elevator, rudder, power levers (throttles), and brakes. The ailerons are the only primary control that is cable and push/pull tubes.

Do any other cars have the option for throttle response?

 

Most newer sportier luxury cars have a "sport" mode which alters throttle resposne, steering, suspension, transmission shift points, etc. Back in 2001, the BMW M3 has a "Sport" button that drastically altered throttle response.

 

I just rolled over 10 000 miles and just about a year of ownership on my 15 Persona and for most of those except the last 500 I've stayed in Eco mode. About 500 miles ago I switched to normal mode and I'll admit the car is more "fun" to drive I feel. It feels more like a normal car while accelerating and passing. Maybe a slight decrease in mph due to me just not really caring about P&G and the very best mpg now...

But yeah, to optimize mpg Eco def. is key as P&G I feel is so much easier to accomplish with ease plus I tend to accelerate slower as it's just that little bit harder to do this reminding you to be frugal on the pedal.

Pwr mode is just too twitchy I find. It does feel like a mini turbo when pressing the pedal coming from Eco mode. Lol. I don't care what anyone says about it just making the pedal harder to push, car is quicker or at least feels quicker because you only have to touch it to get the equivalent of mashing the pedal almost to the floor in Eco.

 

Cool stuff! Thanks.

 

Thanks for the picture. I ve been driving Ford products without that option (Dad worked for Ford and I get a great discount) and didn't really think about this being available in other cars.

 

Yeah, there's really no reason not to just use ECO mode all the time. Generally speaking all it does is change the throttle response to the gas pedal so it takes more travel to get some quick acceleration, which tends to make you less aggressive on the gas. I guess there are some other very slight tweaks to the "when do I turn the engine on" logic, and A/C doesn't max out quite as much when you first start out.

Personally we live in Central Texas and its pretty hot, the A/C is more than adequate in ECO, maybe it takes 2 minutes to cool off the interior instead of one, I'm not picky. I just leave it at 74 all the time, seems comfortable.