Is EV button/mode a novelty??

No problemo, feedback of any sort is nice.

Interesting things will happen as cost drops and energy-density rises. That's the beauty of the PHV model having only a 4.4 kWh capacity battery that doesn't require liquid cooling. Some of that will emerge in other models over time. You just barely get a taste of EV now. The fact that the patent on NiMH is about to expire should usher in enhancements too, especially for C.

Of course, even then, it will still a matter of YMMV.

 

Or it disengages because it thinks you accelerated too quickly. I'm assuming the auto-disengage was done as a cover-your-nice person measure by Toyota, to prevent reports of being stuck in EV mode or something. I realize that needs to be the default, but it would be nice to have a way to opt out of stupid mode.

Suggested change: I'd like to be able to change a setting so I can "floor it" in EV mode only, without having to carefully play "The Price Is Right" with the pedal (closest to top of EV meter without going over), and without having to worry about accelerating too quickly. I understand there is a top max speed and that the acceleration will be slower than with the ICE, and I'm ok with the ICE turning on when the battery is drained. I'd like EV mode to stay on until I tell it to turn off or the battery is drained. In both cases, "drained" means the SOC is at the usualpoint where the car decides it needs to be recharged.

 

It sucks losing all that momentum up my small hill because I have to let off the throttle (went over Bob!!!).

 

That "stay on until I tell it" wouldn't be possible. SOC would be completely drained by a single "floor it" acceleration. There simply isn't enough capacity available. That also defeats the purpose of it being a hybrid.

 

Fascinating thread. The few times I have pushed the actual EV BUTTON, in parking lots, it disengages when I exceed 5 MPH, so I always assumed it wasn't intended to function beyond that. Am I doing something wrong, or is there still a confusion in this thread between running in EV "naturally" and pushing the button?

 

That makes no sense. I can hold it to the limit for a good while as it is, but if I push it a little too far or hit a bump and my foot wiggles it kills EV mode. I'm just asking to not have to play the game (price is right was mentioned earlier and I agree with it). I'm not asking for more than it gives me already, just to not have to think about it. Should be user friendly, not torture.

 

It shuts off at 9 mph if the car isn't warm yet.

 

I'll give my situation since I seem to be confusing people:

I have a steep hill at the beginning of my neighborhood that is probably 200 yards long. After that, it is either level or downhill the rest of the way through my neighborhood. I have never had a problem running all EV throughout my entire neighborhood as my house is .5 miles from the entrance. I can press the EV button when turning into the neighborhood and, as long as I don't guess wrong on where the EV limit decides it wants to be that day (it changes everyday, it's weird) I can keep momentum up enough to not piss people off behind me. If I guess wrong and press too hard I have to release the throttle and repress the EV button and basically start over again. After the hill, I press the button and cruise at the speed limit of 25 the rest of the way to my house. I start with 3 bars missing from the top and usually end up with 3 bars left.

I would just like to press an EV only button and have the max of the throttle be at the programmed limitations. I wouldn't need it for more than that 200 yards, but I wouldn't have to guess either. Please don't tell me that I would drain the battery as I'm already doing what I want, I just have to think about it and stress on the edge.

 

I mean I use it too or whatever when I remember to use it (usually when I roll into a parking lot and am slowly rolling around looking for a parking spot), but other than that, the car won't even let me go into manuel evmode (or stay in manuel evmode for the most part) if it's a little too steep of a downhill roll. I mean come'on I'm just letting the car roll down a hill & if it goes past 25mph or whatever it'll just kick me out of evmode, zzz

The car com already automatically engages evmode at low/downhill speeds so why even create a manuel option that barely works 50% of the time (for me)

 

The manual option gives you more throttle. You get a little more power, but at a lower speed (25mph). The natural EV disengages at 46 mph.

I believe this has said at least 5 times on this thread alone.

 

Thanks, Ztanos. For me it has always been 5 MPH ... usually when pulling out a drive-thru fast food joint. It isn't an issue for me, just a curiosity, as I am 100% satisfied with the way the natural EV mode behaves and engages.

 

The goal of significantly improved MPG is user friendly.

Overriding that purpose doesn't rate high as an interface priority.

Keep in mind we've been having these discussions for over a decade now and PHV does indeed deliver on some of ideas people have suggested, but at a cost well out of reach of Prius c.

 

I'm not overriding anything. Read it again.

 

It can even be an icon on the screen, and it could only show up if the driver explicitly told it to. There should be an option to turn "advanced settings" on, to hide this from people who don't care. The eco bar doesn't show peak acceleration, but it does show max pedal position, but as ztanos said, I don't want to be required to both tell the car "I want EV mode" *and* have to be sure I don't cross out of EV territory on the eco meter, especially when I go over bumps.

 

Well proven marketing shows that is not the most effective approach. They enable owners by providing the opportunity, but don't supply every tool. Because it is not a necessity, the act of seeking out that extra functionality is rewarding. Taking it upon yourself to seek out more is what they want. It kindles a intense passion. You end up learning far more than if a simple indicator were included.

For example, Toyota is well aware that their display along with an aftermarket ODB-II device allows owners to take advantage of the system. They could just include that feature, but they purposefully don't. However, they don't prevent you from accessing that data.

Have you ever thought about the fact that the Energy Monitor only shows a single motor/generator, even though there are actually two? That presentation choice was quite intentional. KISS. Seeing more is up to you.

 

What do you mean by that?