When does Charge Mode make sense?

There are threads on this. The knowledgeable folks on this forum recommend using this feature sparingly, as the ends usually don't justify the means.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

to put it simply, when it's worth it to you to drive electric vs gas. some examples are approaching a steep long mountain where having the extra power would be helpful, preparing to enter a city where only ev is allowed, desiring to sneak home silently for whatever reason, etc.

 

Another time it might help is if you know you won't be able to charge at your destination, and the next drives will be short ones. In this case, the gas burned for charging can be offset by not going through the warm up cycle on those short trips.

 

"The choice of teen-agers and the young at heart everywhere."

 

To get some ev on a test drive. Most of the dealers I have been to can't figure out how to plug a car in.

 

i did that, but not enough. it seems you need more than a couple miles of ev added to drive ev only. not sure why.

 

Was this in the winter ? Perhaps the ICE had not finished its warm-up cycle.

 

it was a decent day in january, maybe 40 degrees. but the idiot salesman never plugged it in like i asked him to on the phone, and started the car before we got there. it was fully warmed up with heat blasting.
i shut off the heat, and took it out on the highway. after driving awhile, i tried charge mode, added a couple miles, and pulled off on the side streets for some stealth driving, only to find the engine came on every time i pressed the go pedal more than a quarter inch or so.
some here have confirmed that charge mode requires more than a few miles to be available for ev, but i haven't been back for another test drive.

 

I wonder if using charge mode on flat at constant 50 mph to 80% EV, then using those miles back to zero EV at same speed will return similar or better efficiency than driving HV same road, distance and speed?

 

wouldn't that imply no conversion losses?

 

I am just saying it worth trying.
If in CM ICE thermal efficiency is higher than in HV for same speed it may off-set losses. I know - it's a big if.

 

absolutely, the more experimentation, the better.

 

After I have driven the first 25 miles and consumed all the EV I have. Then I go to CHG mode for the next 30 miles, which gives me another 15 on EV.

 

...and your trip MPG is? I thought the point of the query is whether Charge mode is more/less efficient than simple Hybrid mode.

 

why?

 

Not sure yet. I want to wait to get above freezing.

 

Wayward husbands at 4:00am....

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

What kind of mileage does the trip computer read while using charge mode and how long does it take to get the battery back from 0 to 80% ?
Didn't Toyota say about 30 min. ?

 

Level ground 65 MPH....it will show on instant MPG
display 39-42.8 MPG

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Load to crankshaft will stay constantly at 92% ....if there is demand for more power engine will reduce charge current to assist in electric power to the wheels
I have not tested yet at 100% full throttle demand .....what will do....
Standing still will operate at 1289 RPM and go from 0-80 % in 30 minutes
I have more data that I'm obtaining just not finished with all