Hybrid Synergy Drive Benefits over Conventional Cars

5) When the engine's not running the car moves smoooothly and quietly. Ahhhh.

6) You stop and the engine turns off (unless it's still warming up or the battery's low). Not only is it quiet but you don't feel any vibration on your foot.

7) If you're not working the climate control hard, you'll often hit a traffic jam and see mileage* go up. The important thing about that is that you're not going to be rolling in an 8mph jam worrying about running out of gas.

* OK, it's related to mileage, but it's a special case

 

8) 3 modes of operation...to please everyone's desires. For me, i love ECO setting for daily driving...and i use PWR mode when i see that i need to merge onto highways emergently or turn onto a busy intersection. EV mode is useful when i am near my house in my subdivision or at my workplace parking lot. Love the flexibility of the system. Have your cake and eat it too!

 

9) Four modes of operation Normal mode not selecting any of the modes listed in 8 EV,ECO,PWR.

10) PriusChat even though Pruis ownership is not required.

 

11) Longer engine life... due to the start-up process spinning the engine to a faster speed and waiting for oil-pressure prior to fuel & spark... having a lower maximum rpm... and simply not using it as much.
.

 

2a) Besides the lack of clunk is the lack of jolt that you feel when you shift into R or D.

12) Much longer brake life due to regenerative braking. Many folks have gone 100K+ miles on their original pads. CTV British Columbia - Hybrids prove very reliable - CTV News reports "We change the brakes on a Toyota Corolla every seven to eight weeks, but on a Prius we change the brakes every 18 months or so..."

6a or 13) Engine can stop running at low speeds which are inefficient for the ICE to run at.

14) Energy recaptured by regenerative braking can be repurposed for later use.

15) Simple transmission design: only 1 planetary gearset, no torque converter, no small fluid passages (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automatic-transmission10.htm), no reverse gear and no internal clutches. (I put up some pictures of automatics at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/29311-what-mg-2.html#post379089.)

16) Better fuel economy means burning less fuel which means lower CO2 emissions.

17) Car has no starter and no alternator.

18) Can be modified to run on less gasoline and some energy from the electric grid via kits like Hymotion and Enginer.

19) Can help power your house, if you're adventurous. (http://www.priups.com/riddle/answer-1.htm).

 

20) Lets you drive an automatic without taking a fuel economy hit (manual is the norm here)

 

Further to 3 I agree. I can get in putting my foot on brake in one fluid movement. I then hit power immediately followed by jamming it into gear. As soon as it's booted up it lets itself into gear and I'm away in no time. And since shifting from R to D is virtually instantaneous parking it is a dream come true. Zero wait time as it shifts between various gears, you can really shift as fast as your hand can move. Not to mention the turning radius.

 

I just thought you might want to know. I know for fact on gm for around 8-10 years and on newer fords, you only have to turn the key the computer dicides how long to use the starter. if you turn it quickly then let go the starter will keep going uuntill it starts. If you were to try to restart it after it's running or tried to keep holding the key after it starts nothing happens.

And for your 3 there is no need to let cars sit for a few minutes or even esconds, you can just start and go just like a prius.

 

21) Belt-less engine. No accessory belt on the gen-3 so no need to replace.

 

22) Hill Assist. While stopped on an upward slope, push brake pedal firmly until H/A light comes on and keep foot on brake. When time to accelerate, Prius will not roll backward. You have up to 3 seconds to move your foot from brake to accelerate. When you accelerate, H/A shuts-off automatically. I love it!

 

23) Very low maintenance. Oil change every 10K (with synthetic) - the rest of it, well, it's a Toyota! Not going to have a bunch of parts going bad.

 

24) Dog can be left in locked car in hot weather: Scroll compressor for a/c running off traction battery allows driver to lock car with dog inside with minimum pollution and energy cost. (Just make sure to include a prominent printed note that dog is OK!)

 

25) Can keep cabin heated efficiently when parked in winter. Thermostatically controlled heat -- engine starts as needed.
26) No need to shift into park, just hit the button to turn the car off and it goes into park automatically
27) Brake fade is less of a problem due to existence of two braking systems (plus B makes three). Good braking without large discs.
28) no turbo-lag, instant electric torque -- fast off the line. No turbo to fail
29) very reliable cold weather starting -- after all it has a huge battery, large starter, large alternator c/w conventional car
30) low center of gravity due to weight of battery. Less chance of rollover. More even front-rear weight distribution.
31) eCVT allows very low engine rpms at highway speeds. Quieter, lower fuel use, less stress on engine
32) on hilly highways, energy is stored on down-slopes and used for a boost on up-slopes
33) lower smog-causing emissions than cars with gasoline direct injection or diesel direct injection. Simpler emissions control system.
34) no carbon build-up problems on valves or intake manifold, unlike direct injection engines
35) no need for high-pressure fuel pump, unlike direct injection engines
36) faster engine warmup in cold weather due to coolant thermos and EGR
37) no engine rattle on startup, unlike diesels
38) fewer sensors to fail compared to direct injection engines
39) no clutches to fail, unlike some other hybrid designs and other transmission designs