Battery meter never 100%?
#12
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
I got my Prius in March 2005 and only had it hit 8 bars 1 time.
I typically see 7 bars after a down hill coast but most of the time it hangs right at 6 bars. . .seldom above or below.
There are several sites dedicated to the Prius and the majority of users report the same. . .6 bars maybe 7 on occasion.
Also, my gas mileage for the first 2-3k was 40-42. This was 30 mile trips with few stops.
If you do a lot of stop and go driving it will be less.
After I had over 3k miles on the car the average was 50-52 MPG. This was late spring thru summer and fall.
Now that winter is here it has dropped to 46-48 MPG.
Cold temps and the alcohol/gas winter mix both affect MPG.
BTW around town under 30MPH (stop and go) I never get above 32 MPG.
I typically see 7 bars after a down hill coast but most of the time it hangs right at 6 bars. . .seldom above or below.
There are several sites dedicated to the Prius and the majority of users report the same. . .6 bars maybe 7 on occasion.
Also, my gas mileage for the first 2-3k was 40-42. This was 30 mile trips with few stops.
If you do a lot of stop and go driving it will be less.
After I had over 3k miles on the car the average was 50-52 MPG. This was late spring thru summer and fall.
Now that winter is here it has dropped to 46-48 MPG.
Cold temps and the alcohol/gas winter mix both affect MPG.
BTW around town under 30MPH (stop and go) I never get above 32 MPG.
#13
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
Originally Posted by xcel
___About your method of keeping the SoC manageable on that downhill … Can you breach the peak at 10 mph or less or is this a high speed portion of your daily commute? How much of an elevation delta is the hill/mountain you are falling out of when coming home? Pulling the SoC down in EV to finish off sounds like a good strategy but I would hate to have such a low SoC to begin the next day with that climb looming however far away from home it is?
Then I try to hit the top of the steeper part going really slowly (almost a crawl!!) (this all assumes there's no one behind me, which is usually the case). This is kind of fun, trying to gauge how I hit the upslope so I can get all the way up it using EV, dropping the battery level and slowing until the curve where it peaks out. It's a little different every time, but I usually do a pretty good job of it.
The battery's not too low when I pull in for the night, usually in the mid-low blue range.
___At least you have seen > 60 mpg in warmer temps which means you can expect some excellent FE later on this spring. For now, there has to be something you can do about that last few miles to improve upon a full SoC (Green) to empty (Pink) for your next days commute?
___Finally, how does the Prius II’s SoC and ICE-On/Off/spin up act vs. the FEH on this same commute? I am rather interested in the differences given the highly technical nature of your commute in terms of elevation delta’s, varying speeds, and temperature extremes during the different seasons. At least the winter months since you have only owned your Prius II for such a short time.
I am wondering if the difference in battery charge levels between my Prius and others (who seem to see 100% full less often, and see things like pink) is that mine is an '06 - maybe Toyota has tweaked the software to keep the battery at a higher range of charge? I haven't seen pink, even though I have run on EV a lot; the ICE always kicks on before it gets that low, even under very low speed/load conditions, and even when the outside temp is as high as 50 (can't speak for warmer than that, we won't see it until April or May).
I'm driving the FEH today (snow/ice/sleet storm) - it's so nice to have the AWD option! - but I am going to pay more attention to the warm up times for the next couple of weeks, and see if there's a difference (which one warms up faster). As I posted earlier, the Prius does seem to take more of a mileage hit in the cold (25% compared to about 10% for the FEH).
There's also another factor - psychological. Having driven the FEH for the past while, trying SO HARD to get/keep the mileage at or above, say, 33 (summer) or 30 (winter), it's really hard to get sufficiently upset about 45-48 mpg to "go the extra mile" to bring it up from there. I have to admit I have spent some time "just driving" the Prius and enjoying all of its creature comforts (quiet! nice climate control!), tech gizmos (energy/consumption screen, smart key) and so on, while still amazed at the mileage I AM getting, without ANY effort. (But I'm sure my obsessive streak will come back soon...)
C.
Last edited by sweetbeet; 01-23-2006 at 07:36 AM.
#14
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
The only time I have seen a completely full battery meter was during a trip over the famous Beartooth Pass. The '02 has a slightly different icon. Looks kind of like a nine-volt battey. "Normal" full is almost to the top. "Completely" full includes the positive/negative posts.
For those who don't know, the Montana side of Beartooth Pass is a drop of around 4000 feet of elevation with a recommended 25 mph speed since the curves are very sharp. I was in "B" gear for the steep part to help eliminate the tendency to accelerate down the straight portions so you don't go off the edge at the next hairpin.
For about the next 10 miles, even at 70 mph (still slightly downhill but more like a normal road), the ICE remained off until the battery meter finally dropped down again. I was amazed to be in "stealth mode" at those speeds since it does not normally happen.
For those who don't know, the Montana side of Beartooth Pass is a drop of around 4000 feet of elevation with a recommended 25 mph speed since the curves are very sharp. I was in "B" gear for the steep part to help eliminate the tendency to accelerate down the straight portions so you don't go off the edge at the next hairpin.
For about the next 10 miles, even at 70 mph (still slightly downhill but more like a normal road), the ICE remained off until the battery meter finally dropped down again. I was amazed to be in "stealth mode" at those speeds since it does not normally happen.
#15
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
Originally Posted by sweetbeet
(I've never seen it go below blue... is there another color down there? pink, I guess, how many bars are left when it changes to pink?)
For my 2004, in the summer, normal driving will result in 5 or 6 blue bars most of the time. In the winter, the range is skewed higher, to 6 or 7 bars. When my wife drives, be it winter or summer, 7 green is normal. In her case it is caused by accellerating into a stop sign or stoplght and slowing to a stop very quickly. A more focused driving technique for her would result in higher MPG's and lower average battery charge.
Remeber, the Prius battery ECU shoots for somewhere around a 67% SOC because it is the optimal for performance and longevity. Six blue bars is perfectly normal.
Dan
#16
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
if you coast down a hill with out hitting the throttle, the motor will slowly recharge your battery. The only way to actually coast down the hill I've noticed, is to press the throttle slightly so that no arrows flow.
Having said that, when we get off the highway, we get abouit 98-99 mpg for the next 3-4 miles which is awesome.
Having said that, when we get off the highway, we get abouit 98-99 mpg for the next 3-4 miles which is awesome.
#17
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
If I coast with no arrows (slight touch on the accelerator), or even with the aqua arrows (no touch on brake or "gas"), I pick up too much speed for the windy road!
Dan - Do I have an "EV Button"? Or is that a mod that you've added? (Boy does this sound like a stupid question... if I have one of those and don't know it I don't think I'll ever show my face on here again! )
C.
Dan - Do I have an "EV Button"? Or is that a mod that you've added? (Boy does this sound like a stupid question... if I have one of those and don't know it I don't think I'll ever show my face on here again! )
C.
#18
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
Originally Posted by sweetbeet
I beg to differ. Perhaps that is true for folks who live in the city, or where the terrain is relatively flat, but even if I start at the top of the hill with a low battery, I can't possibly avoid braking (or engine braking) enough while coming down the steep, long other side to keep the battery from getting to 100%. I don't think that my driving is "worse" because I have a full battery at least once every day! Also, I think this is one of the most beneficial parts of my commute, for mileage, because I am able to come out at the bottom of the hill with a full battery which I then use to go almost the rest of the way home (relatively flat, low-traffic rural roads) on electric power. Then my battery is low, when I park for the night, and since the engine will be running anyway for the first 5-10 minutes of my drive out in the morning, to warm up, the battery gets charged up during that time.
Sure, I could do better if the terrain and traffic were such as to permit me to P&G the whole way to and from work, but it just ain't so. I do it when I can, and drive the hills as efficiently as I can, and I was over 60 mpg during the two days when we had temps in the 50s.
If anyone knows how I can get down the hill without a full battery, by driving "better", please let me know.
Sure, I could do better if the terrain and traffic were such as to permit me to P&G the whole way to and from work, but it just ain't so. I do it when I can, and drive the hills as efficiently as I can, and I was over 60 mpg during the two days when we had temps in the 50s.
If anyone knows how I can get down the hill without a full battery, by driving "better", please let me know.
For example, that first 2 minutes after leaving the house is used to charge up the battery/warm the engine, because the last 2 minutes have discharged in the form of stealth down our back road. Our regeneration to the full green comes mainly in the form of deceleration at anticipation of stops. Very little actually comes from braking in our case. At this exact minute, the 2005 that gets driven in this fashion is at 54.3 mpg. This car has never seen below 51 mpg after the first 5 miles of normal driving.
Our Prius Classic is also being driven in this fashion and I've been able to master the regeneration fairly well. Current average is 51.3. This vehicle, in the first 2 weeks of ownership, has never seen below 48 mpg.
Having the full green is a good sign....a sign that you'll have the battery to use when needed!
#19
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
Originally Posted by sweetbeet
Dan - Do I have an "EV Button"? Or is that a mod that you've added? (Boy does this sound like a stupid question... if I have one of those and don't know it I don't think I'll ever show my face on here again! )
C.
C.
Dan
#20
Re: Battery meter never 100%?
When I first started driving Priuses I was annoyed as well that I could never fill that danged battery, but I've since learned the Prius computer is doing its ****edest to make sure that never happens - because if it does, every time you brake, or roll downhill without the accellerator, etc, you're getting nothing out of it.
So one answer is, it's a huge frickin battery. The other is that when you get close to full the computer's going to take every opportunity to save gas and expend the battery instead until it gets near normal. So basically, in your efforts to fill that battery - the computer was working harder and harder against you the closer you got!
Of course sometimes it just can't win - like one poster mentioned, a lot of long (LONG) downhills are just going to fill it up, no matter what. It can be done - but it's not in your best-interest. Be happy with the constant 70%.
So one answer is, it's a huge frickin battery. The other is that when you get close to full the computer's going to take every opportunity to save gas and expend the battery instead until it gets near normal. So basically, in your efforts to fill that battery - the computer was working harder and harder against you the closer you got!
Of course sometimes it just can't win - like one poster mentioned, a lot of long (LONG) downhills are just going to fill it up, no matter what. It can be done - but it's not in your best-interest. Be happy with the constant 70%.