For safety reasons I think what you are suggestion should be automatic, not a pull over & re-boot (IE:battery gets down to 20%, fire up the ICE). Just think of how many possible situations where you can not pull over safely just to reboot your car with only a few seconds or even minutes warning, or just where this would not be practicle or convient?

There may need to be some rule changes for this type of operation. If ICE is not needed, no need for the converter to be hot. (IE: all battery power). When drops to level X, fire up ICE & keep it until battery back up to Y+ and shut down again. That would be a big design change where the ice is really only a generator for recharging the battery pack & the drive train runs only off the battery. But then you get into the passenger convience features like heat & A/C that currently run off ICE!

 

So this "sustain mode" .... At some point I assume that the replacement pack will need recharge from the motor/generator. Is there a point at which the system will run like the current FEH and run the ICE to bring up the charge? If you are running at highway speeds, will the motors be charging the battery?

 

I don't think it is a big change or a tough one to implement. Instead of the computer ALWAYS starting the ICE when you turn the key, it should be an if/then statement. That's one of the most basic steps of any program.
If battery charge is above X...then do not start ICE.
If charge is below X...then start ICE.

Other than that, everything else could remain the same.

 

It is a very big change.

The cat converter(s) must be at operating temp within 5 minutes of turning the key. That is a Fed emission test requirement.

If you delay the heating of the cat converter(s), then when the ICE does start, it must immediately meet all emissions requirements and that will be with the cold cat converter(s). I don't think the current Ford ICE in the FEH can do that.

I was just thinking out loud, that if one "promised to not use the ICE", and that would be enforced by an ICE lock out, if that would slip thru a Fed emission test requirement.

Of course, when in normal Hybrid mode, the ICE will start upon the turning of the key, and the cat converter(s) will get heated just as they do today.

 

I did not drive very much at all in sustain mode.
That will happen in the future.
We were mostly looking at "deplete" mode on Day #1.

It is expected that in sustain mode, the car will act like a stock FEH.
Maybe a little better!
Just for argument say, the pack is allowed to run 100% down to 33% each day. Once at 33%, the FEH only runs the generator to sustain 33%, +/- 2% for the rest of the drive. If regen from going down a mountain charged the battery back up a little bit, you could then use that charge to take the battery back down to 33% again at the bottom of the hill.

I'm working on talking them into allowing the FEH generator recharge the HV pack at levels over 33% when you are standing still in Forced ICE, like Max. A/C or Defrost mode. But that was not included in prototype v.1.0!

Suggestions from us, current owners, can help shape the final product.

The maximum voltages and amperages allowed have not been changed.
The maximum battery assist power wise has not been changed.
( about 16kW in EV mode before the ICE kicks on to help )
The maximum battery assist time wise has been extended dramatically.

To maximize EV travel time, they are going to look into thermal insulation techniques to keep the catalyst hotter, longer, but are probably not going to "lie" to sensors. Their first clients will likely be governments and they will not tamper with, nor should they, emissions controls. Already getting 140 MPG without such mods in summer.
-John

 

Walt thats just for the EPA test cycle. It has been stated that the Prius does not start the engine until its needed, so how did Toyota get around this? Maybe some one with Prius experience can comment.

 

I thought that was the way the Japanese Prius works. The US Prius works like the way the FEH works (well, unless one hacks their Prius to think it is back in Japan ) However, a "hack" would not meet Fed emissions requirements, and any commercially available plug-in would need to.

 

I've heard some US Prius drivers have a hidden "secret" EV button.
Some even use the cruise control "resume" button, for example.
Clever folks.
That way, if it goes to a dealer the dealer will be un-aware.
A dealer once refused to repair the car until the EV button was removed from the car by the owner.

 

The thing is I would only fail the wacky epa certification. This test is run on a dead cold vehical and is run on a dyno in an enclosed building. The test is like 10 min long and they collect ALL emissions and WEIGH them. Specs are in grams per mile, not %. All other city and state emission tests are based on a vehical that is fully warmed up and are in parts per million or %.

 

A. I don't know what the federal EPA standards are. I was under the impression that they simply allowed a vehicle to pollute as much as needed for a certain period of time (to allow for CAT warmup). After that pollution limitations kick in. Depending on how the actual law is written, it could be interpreted to allow 5 minutes FROM ENGINE START not from the turn of the key. In that case you could drive as long as possible in EV mode, but once the engine started it had to run until the CAT reached temp and then run any time the CAT dropped below temp.

B). The Prius and Camry Hybrids can start and drive in EV mode UNMODIFIED. Check the other forums to confirm it. My mom has a TCH. I have gotten into it after it sat for more than an hour, turned the key and drove off without starting the engine.