To plug-in or not to plug-in...

I've checked about a dozen times and every one has been within 3%.

 

I rarely go fill up to fill up on gas only (I'm about 55% EV overall), but the three times I did it was > 5%. I'll have to try a couple more times and see again. Maybe the accuracy varies a bit by vehicle.

I had a trip computer I installed back in the early '80''s, that allowed me to enter the actual gas used, to allow calibration of the mpg readout. Wish our cars could do that today!

 

Don't forget that the pumps aren't perfect. 3% error at the pumps is allowed.

 

Allowed pump error varies by state. 3% sounds significantly higher than the figures I've read in news stories about consumer protection actions by weights and measures agencies.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

If the cost is basically a wash, it's still worth it to plug in since it's such a better driving experience in electric. I ran out of battery last week and started wondering "is this car really this slow?".

 

I noticed the same thing a few weeks ago when I needed the ice running. But then I put the car in normal mode and it felt a lot better.

 

It's 2 seconds faster to 60 in Hv than in Ev.

 

Yeah, but the power curve is so different - torque is so much more readily available in EV mode. Even in PWR, the pedal response is hugely different. For straight-line racing (cause I live my life a quarter mile at a time), HV is faster, but for around-town EV is a better experience (especially off the line).

 

The pedal mapping is the biggest difference. I can't fathom a reason they chose to make the pedal mapping so different in Hv and Ev. They should be the same.

Regardless, at least for me, I never notice. This is because I use Ev around town and Hv on the open road with cruise controlling the pedal. Still a stupid decision.

 

I'd argue that it's more than the pedal mapping (which is basically what Eco and PWR buttons change). In HV mode, the engine has to "spin up" to reach a desired torque level - in EV mode the power output is nearly instantaneously adjustable so it feels more instantaneous (like the way an engine with lightweight internals revs faster - I'm thinking of a certain Porsche here).

 

Even in Hv mode, you get instant power from the electric system, just not as much. At half throttle or less, give or take, it's about the same as in Ev. Above that, it has to wait for the engine.

 

You know, I really should borrow my friend's data logger and do speed vs time plots in both EV and HV because I'm curious - I'm still convinced that the car is slower off the line in HV. One guy who autocrossed his Prime also noted that his fastest time was in EV mode.

 

It is.

I ran a 0-60 test in Ev mode | Page 2 | PriusChat

 

Sorry, haven't read the whole thread, but I'd think, even @bisco 's electrical rates, the plug-in electric-mode is very good for short trips, where gas consumption would be highest. Also, even if it was break-even on cost, running electrical-only saves the engine wear-and-tear. And is feel-good, cleaner.

 

Working on it - might take me a little while. I'll update if I hear back.