As with most things, it just depends. That scenario covers light loads while heavy throttle/high speeds will require the ICE to add power to the wheels. On my route to out of town and the highway on ramp where I know I'll be switching to gas, I engaged HV mode at the last stop sign and typically get about 30-45 secs of warmup before needing power from the ICE for the 75+mph speeds.
I engage HV mode in a similar manner for our Prime. While the car should take care of itself, I'll try to help it along if I know what lies ahead. So plus 1 to the above.
What I said about power requests from the right foot still hold true; just the thresholds can be set higher (or avoided longer) with more powerful EV components in the equation.
Yeah..the whole current conversation arose from a 'side' question I asked about if the ICE on a Prime would turn on in COLD weather ( i.e. - under 14F so the heat pump won't kick in ) if I have the heat on in a parked car. And if so, if a block heater would be beneficial on the Prime. Thought it would be a simple answer...but the conversation turned into...something.
I can't answer for the Prime per se but my other PHEV's each have different set points for ICE activation. Sorry I don't recall the actual temps (I think my gen1 volt was 25f) because that's not important to me as I don't see those kind of temps where I live. One can also pre-condition the vehicle via the plug and warm both the interior and battery to avoid many unnecessary start ups; drivers in colder climes really, really like this feature. The conversation concerning low fuel economy on short trips has not changed just expanded. Reduced EV range or ICE startups on PHEV's due to very cold weather have the same lowering effect on economy (physics yo') but no where near the amount that vehicles without a plug incur; hybrids included.
