ECO Score Clarification

No, red zone is not 7,000 rpm "red lining" in a regular car. I believe C is computer controlled and it won't let you "rev" the engine. So you're OK in the red zone just not good MPG while in there.

For hills I try not to drive in the red zone if no one behind me. When someone in the back I drive the speed limit so I won't upset them too much.

 

No, not at all. Try to stay out of the red area for fuel economy, but if you can't, you can't.

You actually cannot red-line a Prius. The computer controls the throttle and not only will it not redline the engine, but if I understand it correctly, it also won't bother revving past the point that generates the maximum torque.

 

Another thing I've noticed about the start score is that getting up to speed, gently, but not "taking forever," gives me 10 start points higher. Though I'm still gentle on the throttle and it's trickier on hills. I've managed start scores ranging from 2 to 100. (...I know ouch, 2...it was one time and I let right off the gas after like a second, the car has only 2000 miles so I don't want to break it in it)

 

I can get really good starts (4 or 5 bars consistently) a good cruising score (4 bars, rarly have i gotten a 5 for cruising) and was sitting at 87 until I stopped and then it drops down to high 70's. I for the life of me can't figure how to stop. I slow down over such a long distance I don't understand how I am getting such back stopping results. Am I missing something here?

My highest total score is 87 i believe. has anyone gotten higher? I can only imagine how hard it is to get a 100

 

Yes, it's not hard to get above 90. You're possibly stopping too slowly. It likes a long consistent stop, one where you hold the regen level almost at the end of the display for as long as possible. If you're stopping so slowly that you're using only some regen capability, you will probably get a lower score. The ECO score does not like gliding stops. It should, but it doesn't.

I have officially stopped using ECO Score and have switched to ECO Savings with my estimated fuel cost displayed. The score was good for initial acclimatisation, but it became annoying and pointless over time.

 

My new thing is aiming for a Start score of 98-100, every time. Yeah cruise is weird, I don't get why I get only 4 bars all the time.

 

I'm definitely stopping to slowly then, I now see that I'll get a higher stopping score by pressing brake lightly longer so that regen blue bar goes further whereas before I was barely getting the regen bar to move. Thanks for clarifying


Tapatalk is tha shizzle

 

Using a ScanGauge II, the highest revs I ever see is 4800 rpm, under load at WOT.
That's not very taxing, and certainly not abusive with this motor.

There actually might be more power to be had in the 4800-5800 range, there certainly is in other 1NZ motors.

 

Well I set a new personal best today, I was able to get onto the highway and I was able to hold an ECO score of 100 for 51 seconds.

Then later as I was about to get off the highway, I saw all these Es on my touchscreen navigation thingy... I got 3 of them which I've never seen happen before




The other neat thing is after today's rain earlier I got to see a pretty rainbow

 

Here's some techniques I've used and for the most part works. One caveat though, above all else, try to stay with the flow of traffic as much as possible. If you're going considerably slower than everyone else, and they can't easily pass you by, you're going to add to the negative impression many of them probably have about hybrid drivers. Worst case scenario, you're still probably getting better mpg than they are in their cars, unless they're driving electric or a hybrid too.

But every now and again, when you see these situations pop up, put these tricks to use to save a little gas. Pulse and Glide for instance, which the video below will explain, isn't too practical most of the time. But if you're by yourself on the freeway, or taking a quiet back road, it can really boost your mpg.

In case you don't want to read my wall of text, here's a video that essentially says the same stuff I'm posting here:

To get the best scores, and generally stay in the 90's, when accelerating and cruising, try to stay within about 1/4 to 3/4 of the way in the second green bar, which is the gas engine zone. The first green is the electric/hybrid motor, and the red bar uses both of the engines.

So when possible, try to avoid being in the red too long, and don't use the first green bar for extended periods. I generally only use the battery when driving around in a parking lot, or when going down a hill where I don't need much acceleration to keep my momentum up. Otherwise you'll drain the battery really fast, and the engine kicks back on to recharge it, negating any savings you might of been trying for.

When coming to a stop, what I do if I can anticipate a red light coming up, and more importantly, there's no cars directly behind me, is I let go of the accelerator, and then I press it gently, just enough so that the blue bar isn't lit up at all, and I avoid as much green as possible in the first bar (this will take practice, so don't feel bad if you can't get it right the first couple of times. It took me months to get used to doing this). As you get closer, generally about 100-150 feet or so, press the brakes gently, so that the blue is lit up about 1/4 to no more than 1/2. The longer you can stay like this, the higher your stop score will be. Then when you're about to hit the red light/stop sign, press the brakes down fully to stop.

The prius doesn't like sudden stops, so if you can, try to gently slow down and then press the brakes just as you're about to hit the stop sign or red light.

As a bonus, your real brakes don't kick in until you press the brakes very hard. Until then it's the regen brakes working to take some of that energy and put it back in the battery. So if you can avoid the jackrabbit stops, you can make them last for a really long time, and recharge your battery slightly. There are people here who have made claims of still being on their original brake pads well into the 100k-150k mile range. And having driven my prius c for a little over a year, I can believe that. Which means it's one less thing you have to replace, along with no belts in the engine (one thing that pushed me into the "buy" territory when I was car shopping).

Plus if you're not going too much over the speed limit, you don't have to worry about being pulled over by cops for speeding either. Another incentive to not be a speed demon on the road.

 

double rainbow!

 

Hmmm on seeing my earlier post in this thread, I should point out that I've since switched back to ECO Score.

Yes, it's kind of annoying for all the times it punishes you, sometimes for the wrong reasons, mostly just for things out of your control, but I was finding that I was letting bad practices creep in and it does tend to keep me in line.

 

My best eco score was 97 but surprisingly that wasn't with my best mpg. My best mpg was a 40 mile drive to check out where a friend's wedding is - a mix of in town stop and go with some roads that allowed speeds up to 45. Got an mpg of 75 for that trip but an eco score of only 82. So I have found it seems the score is better related to how you drive under the present circumstances than in what your final mpg at destination is.

 

The ECO Score doesn't accumulate over a trip. It resets each and every time you stop.

 

For about the 2nd time in 10 months of Prius C II ownership, I somehow scored full 100's across the board on a recent trip home from my son's school. It was at least 3 miles in between stops. Was probably only the 4th time I've received full bars on the "Cruise" panel. It's mysterious.

 

You will tend to get better scores if you never get pas the eco line, which is when the ICE kicks on.