Help for a new Prius owner

[LongRun]

Is the pulse and glide more difficult to do, that is turning off the display arrows, when the battery charge is a little low?

And when you're pulsing I've found out that when I go from gliding, all arrows off or regen, to power, if only the electric motor is helping, that I get better mileage by getting the ICE to come on too, is that what others have found?

[kDB]

http://hybridcars.about.com/od/owner...seandglide.htm

In most cases it's best to glide with no arrows, and pulse with arrows from ICE to wheels, and ICE to MG to battery (first image). Though you could pulse with two other scenarios (image 2 and 3)

Images borrowed from http://john1701a.com/. A lot of good info there.

And yes it is a little harder when the charge isn't where the car likes to keep it, 6 bars. After you drive the car for a while it gets a lot easier to glide, for you anyway.

[LongRun]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kDB @ Dec 12 2006, 01:12 PM) [snapback]361118[/snapback]</div>

http://hybridcars.about.com/od/owner...seandglide.htm

In most cases it's best to glide with no arrows, and pulse with arrows from ICE to wheels, and ICE to MG to battery (first image). Though you could pulse with two other scenarios (image 2 and 3)

Images borrowed from http://john1701a.com/. A lot of good info there.

And yes it is a little harder when the charge isn't where the car likes to keep it, 6 bars. After you drive the car for a while it gets a lot easier to glide, for you anyway.
[/b]

Thanks for the link and the info. On a 75 mile commute I'm now doing 67mpg one way and 63mpg the other way. I makes the drive a little more interesting and there are fewer traffic jams when you just go with the flow of traffic. Once you try to speed up, you hit it and that makes commuting a pain.

[eagle33199]

grrrr.... complaining that high mileage isn't high enough... try coming up here where it's nice and cold :P I'd kill for your mileage right now...

[LongRun]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Dec 13 2006, 06:47 AM) [snapback]361436[/snapback]</div>

grrrr.... complaining that high mileage isn't high enough... try coming up here where it's nice and cold :P I'd kill for your mileage right now...
[/b]

Today it's 74F in Los Angles, but with the wind chill factor it's 76F. I worry about the mileage and starting the Prius with the temperature dips into the 50's, and believe me it's happened several times this winter. Because of the cold weather I run synthetic oil. You can't be too careful when the weather turns cold.

[theorist]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kDB @ Dec 12 2006, 04:12 PM) [snapback]361118[/snapback]</div>

http://hybridcars.about.com/od/owner...seandglide.htm

In most cases it's best to glide with no arrows, and pulse with arrows from ICE to wheels, and ICE to MG to battery (first image). Though you could pulse with two other scenarios (image 2 and 3)

Images borrowed from http://john1701a.com/. A lot of good info there.

And yes it is a little harder when the charge isn't where the car likes to keep it, 6 bars. After you drive the car for a while it gets a lot easier to glide, for you anyway.
[/b]

I try to both pulse and glide without arrows going to or from the library. Perhaps I misread, but this was my understanding of what the hypermilers who have attained remarkably low fuel consumption did. They call this staying out of the battery. Did anyone hope to save gas by charging the battery but not drawing from it?

As for the pictures, doesn't the battery discharge and feed energy to the motor when truly high power is demanded when accelerating hard? I guess the 'high power' diagram above represents high engine power as opposed to high hybrid system net power or acceleration, which will have an arrow going from the battery to the motor?

As for the SOC (state of charge), the hybrid system will try to return a battery's state of charge to around six bars. Pulsing while staying out of the battery when the SOC is lower than 6 entails (requires and enables) shorter, more intense pulses. I forget what SOC some of the hypermilers reported while pulsing and gliding their way to over 100 mpg.

[kDB]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(theorist @ Dec 13 2006, 06:32 PM) [snapback]361934[/snapback]</div>

...Did anyone hope to save gas by charging the battery but not drawing from it?...[/b]

The problem with that is you are constantly drawing forn the battery. Headlight, Radio, etc. If you constantly deadband, your SOC will eventually fall.

[theorist]

Here's a link to a hypermiler website where hypermilers in the US and Japan report intentionally running the SOC down to a maximum of 4 bars to sustain over 100mpg.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1793

Wayne Gerdes reports getting his best mileage after forcing the battery down to a maximum of 4 bars. TeddyGirl in Japan reports keeping her battery at 3 or 4 bars.

TeddyGirl also reports:
Her basic is no arrow gliding, but she sometimes uses weak battery powers when she needs to maintain speed.
She does not care about the "deadband" pulse and she sees green charging arrow, but she does not do too much to see yellow discharge arrow.

No arrow gliding ... sees green charging arrow ...? Perhaps she tries to allow for minimal charging to power the 12 volt load as kDB suggested, but minimal charging indeed to hold the battery down to 3 or 4 bars.

[nerfer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LongRun @ Dec 13 2006, 05:16 PM) [snapback]361901[/snapback]</div>

Today it's 74F in Los Angles, but with the wind chill factor it's 76F. I worry about the mileage and starting the Prius with the temperature dips into the 50's, and believe me it's happened several times this winter. Because of the cold weather I run synthetic oil. You can't be too careful when the weather turns cold.
[/b]

Are you being serious? I think you forgot the smiley face. The weather isn't cold until it's below freezing. It's not bitter cold until it's below zero (fahrenheit, or about -18'C). When it's -40' (C or F, it's the same) then you know you're alive when you walk outside, better than a strong cup of coffee. And we're not talking wind chills.

[LongRun]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Dec 14 2006, 12:45 PM) [snapback]362400[/snapback]</div>

Are you being serious? I think you forgot the smiley face. The weather isn't cold until it's below freezing. It's not bitter cold until it's below zero (fahrenheit, or about -18'C). When it's -40' (C or F, it's the same) then you know you're alive when you walk outside, better than a strong cup of coffee. And we're not talking wind chills.
[/b]

Gotcha.