I've seen the same thing. You were stuck in Stage 3. To get to Stage 4, so the TCH drops into EV when you lift the throttle (going under 35 miles per hour), you have to stop for 7 to 10 seconds. Just creeping along around 2 or 3 miles per hour for 7 to 10 seconds will also do it.

Your problem was you never dropped under 5 miles per hour long enough to trigger Stage 4. Slowing from ~40mph with the ICE off just leaves you in Stage 3. I often drop the shifter into B if I think the traffic will be stopped long enough to switch to Stage 4. Switching to B will start the ICE up if you are over ~ 20mph.

Edit: remember to switch back to D after the ICE starts!

nyceshirtz Switching to ECO tells the TCH that mileage is the priority. If ECO is off, cabin comfort is the priority and the ICE sometimes will stay running when you expect it to switch off.