New Prius Owner With Questions
I am a new owner of a 2007 Barcelona Red Touring Ed. Pkg. 6. I flew to Oregon to get this configuration, and I drove the car back home to North Texas.
Some things I'm still not sure about: When does the engine transition from electric to ICE? I can't tell that there is a certain speed that it kicks in, or if it's a certain amt. of time after you begin to accelerate or what. I can't seem to figure out which engines (and the battery) are supposed to work under what driving conditions, or why. Meaning, I can see the diagram on the nav screen & know what's working when, just not figure out the... explanation of the technology, I guess. I am getting between 38 & 40 mpg right now. Most of my daily driving right now consists of shorter trips, with lights and stop signs, so that doesn't really surprise me, I guess, after reading a little in these forums (short trips=worse gas mileage, right?). Soon, though, I will be making a 50-mile-each-way highway trip to and from Plano twice a day (I'm in Sherman). I should be able to expect better mileage than that using some of the tips around here, shouldn't I? When I coast down hills, should I put the car in neutral or keep it in drive? It feels like (and seems confirmed by tachometer) that when I keep it in drive, the friction actually slows the car down. Is that desirable or not? I'm not promising this will be the end of my ding-dong newbie questions, but they are the most pressing ones right now! :confused: Thanks, all! |
Re: New Prius Owner With Questions
Welcome! Congrats on the new Prius :)
I would suggest poking around the FAQ in the Prius forum to get some answers to some of your questions. The ICE kicks in around 42mph, or if you've accelerated faster than the electric engine can propel you. It's basically an on-demand type power boost. Slower acceleration will give you longer periods of electric only acceleration. Yes, as you suggested, shorter trips means lower mileage, mainly because it takes some fuel to start the ICE up when you power on the car. This can be gotten around by installing the EV mode button, which will allow you to start in EV mode and drive for a period of time on the battery alone. This does void your warranty though, so it's not the ideal solution for most people. The better solution is to schedule most of your stops in one trip so that you don't have to start the car numerous times when the engine is cold. People have different strategies for going down hills and driving on flat ground etc. Do what you feel works best. I typically try to feather the accelerator into the no bar mode on the MFD which is essentially neutral. Some people prefer to switch into neutral. The choice is yours. If you just let off the accelerator, you will be in regen mode, and will be slowing down. You can give it a bit of gas to get into the neutral or battery modes and that will help you coast farther. Just a few quick answers, I'm sure you will get about 30 responses ;) |
Re: New Prius Owner With Questions
Big help for short trips, get an engine block heater.
Wayne |
Re: New Prius Owner With Questions
Welcome to the CLUB!
Originally Posted by doyourealize
(Post 138061)
I am a new owner of a 2007 Barcelona Red Touring Ed. Pkg. 6. I flew to Oregon to get this configuration, and I drove the car back home to North Texas.
http://home.hiwaay.net/%7Ebzwilson/prius/epa.jpg Since then, I used my own spreadsheet and the Greenhybrid database to figure out how this car actually works.
Originally Posted by doyourealize
(Post 138061)
When does the engine transition from electric to ICE? I can't tell that there is a certain speed that it kicks in, or if it's a certain amt. of time after you begin to accelerate or what. I can't seem to figure out which engines (and the battery) are supposed to work under what driving conditions, or why. Meaning, I can see the diagram on the nav screen & know what's working when, just not figure out the... explanation of the technology, I guess.
From 42 mph and above, the ICE turns constantly even when going down grades. In fact, there are cases when a little battery power will be used to keep the ICE spinning (rare but it happens) with the fuel off. But the real challenge is to keep the engine in 'the sweet spot' by keeping the speed closer to 65 mph and under 70 mph. Don't forget to include headwinds as part of the vehicle speed.
Originally Posted by doyourealize
(Post 138061)
I am getting between 38 & 40 mpg right now. Most of my daily driving right now consists of shorter trips, with lights and stop signs, so that doesn't really surprise me, I guess, after reading a little in these forums (short trips=worse gas mileage, right?). Soon, though, I will be making a 50-mile-each-way highway trip to and from Plano twice a day (I'm in Sherman). I should be able to expect better mileage than that using some of the tips around here, shouldn't I?
Originally Posted by doyourealize
(Post 138061)
When I coast down hills, should I put the car in neutral or keep it in drive? It feels like (and seems confirmed by tachometer) that when I keep it in drive, the friction actually slows the car down. Is that desirable or not?
There are only a few times when I used "N": (1) morning warm-up without a block heater, and (2) coasting to a light. Without a block heater, I will get to neighborhood speed, 25 mph, and slip the car into "N" to coast down the street. My instrumentation shows the ICE continues to run but the fuel burn goes down from ~7 grams/sec to ~3 grams/sec of throttle air flow. As I approach a stop sign, I slip back into "D" to get the battery regeneration. However, I have practice with my car so it is almost second nature. The other time I use "N" is when I'm looking at say a couple of blocks to what is likely to be a stop. I'll let off on the accelerator to get the ICE to stop and then use "N" for a totally energy free coast. Using "N" turns off all MG1/MG2 operation, effectively turning off the electric vehicle (EV) mode. So if the ICE is off, it stays off and if the ICE is on, it stays on because MG1 is used to 'de-spin' the ICE.
Originally Posted by doyourealize
(Post 138061)
I'm not promising this will be the end of my ding-dong newbie questions, but they are the most pressing ones right now! Thanks, all!
BTW, I would recommend recording your mileage in the database. Over time, it will give you insights about what works and doesn't work. It is the best teacher. Bob Wilson |
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