EV mode. Is it really practical?

I have had mine for two months and the only time I use it is in the underground parking garage where I work and if I am in a long bumper to bumper stop and go traffic
situation.
Jeff

 

" EV mode. Is it really practical?"
No, it is not. The Prius is not an electric vehicle; it is a hybrid.
My advice is to stick with "NORMAL" (neither ECO, EV or PWR).

 

If the car is not warmed up I would not bother with EV unless you are just moving the car from the garage at less than 9 mph. You can duplicate the use of EV, when warmed up, with very light application of the throttle.

 

It's a hybrid, so charge comes from the fuel. Just consider EV mode as a way to avoid engine warm-up when you're moving the car a short distance at low speed, such as in your driveway or in a parking lot.

Whether to use ECO, PWR or normal (neither ECO nor PWR) modes is mainly a matter of personal preference.

 

When approaching home, I typically have lots of battery charge available and need extra power for climbing hills in the neighborhood. So, using it works well for me. Why allow the engine to start then?
.

 

brianwalton, it takes a little work to use, but if you are trying to get some extra mpg you can do it...

I use it when I know I am going to get on highway. Definitely has limitations which I geuss is necessary for most hybrid drivers but wish i could limit it cutting out all the time.

 

You use EV Mode, without expressly pushing the EV button, every time you manoeuvre around a parking lot with a light touch on the gas, or moving forward in a line up of cars, things like that. Typically that’s how I get into it. The only time I’ll give it a try, push the button, is if the car’s been parked a while, and I want to move it a few yards, and ensure it doesn't start up. If ambient temperatures and state of charge are in your favour, it’ll let you in.

Also, I gave up on ECO mode maybe 6 months back, just got frustrated with the too slow gas pedal response. Per other responders, I leave it in the (unidentified) Normal mode, basically having all the buttons off.

 

In my northern climate, this also comes with a ten second time limit, after which the ICE automatically fires up. In U.S. climates where 'cold' is above 68F, this time limit does not apply.

Many of us do well by staying in ECO full time.

One of my EV tricks is to pause the warmup cycle at the first traffic light, where my engine has reached only 75-85F. It won't shut down by itself until 103F with climate control off (hotter if the heat is on, and Normal mode has higher thresholds). But is warm enough to sustain EV after cycling the ignition off and on. So it stays in EV until I get the green light, then automatically fires up the engine when I start driving again, no additional operator intervention needed.

 

In a month of ownership, I've never used the EV button. In fact, in the bunch of times I rented these, never used EV button. Maybe someday I'll try it. I just power up in normal mode and go. Might use Eco under certain conditions.

 

I uses it just to move in parking or while I wait at a drive true!

 

EV mode is a gimmick to enable you to impress your friends

 

There is that aspect of giving a brief taste of what's to come; otherwise, you'd have no idea what the potential is.
.

 

Taking in and out of the garage without stinking it up with gas fumes.

 

I wish I could use it a lot more, but I am limited to just using it when driving in our neighborhood or in the parking lot. I guess I could use it more if I wanted to piss people off by my super slow driving.

 

When I first got the car, I tested all four modes. It's been in ECO ever since.

 

Shopping last night with the family, we were in a complex with a big parking lot and stores spread out around it. We went to three stores at opposite ends of the lot from each other. I voted for walking but it was cold and I lost the vote.
Power on the car, hit the EV button I installed (GenII), short pulse & glide to the next store. Saved two unnecessary warm-up cycles. Also use it to pull out of the garage & park on the street for washing, put back in garage, etc. Purely to avoid warm-up idle when not planning to drive any significant distance.

- D

 

But don't you have to hack the gen2 to get the EV mode as it wasn't available on America Prii? EV mode was available on rest of world models.

The American gen3 Prii EV mode is much more restricted that the EV mode offered on the gen3 elsewhere. My gen3 Prius will kick out of EV at 20 mph when cold and 30mph (50kmh) when warm.