Nervous I'll make a mistake

[Fawn's Mom]

Hello everyone.
My new Prius is scheduled for delivery Aug. 4 - 15. So 1 month from now.
As I am reading some of the threads, I am becoming scared that I'll make a mistake and "hurt" my new car!
Can you give me some tips...such as:
What does the B actually mean on the shifter?
What is the ICE actually?
Should I be concerned about running out of gas - and what does PIP mean? I see that I should fill up when I have 2 left???

Any major tips for first time buyers? I want this car to last a long time and want to take care of it...so any basic tips would be greatly appreciated! I know this isn't the average car, so I want to make sure I don't make any big mistakes.

[footprintx]

B stands for engine brake. You use it when you're coasting down a hill and don't want to pick up speed. It's pretty worthless though, because it gets overwhelmed on a steeper hill, which is the only sort of hill you'd want to use it on.

ICE = Internal Combustion Engine. There's two engines, the gas and the electric, and the ICE is the gas one.

And at first you forget about the gas because it's much more infrequent than before. Try not to run out of gas, it's not a good thing, but if you do do it, don't fret, just pull over and have someone bring you some gas (but don't try to drive on electric-only to some gas station 10 miles out). Filling up at 2 bars is a good way to prevent that, but if you're like me and live where there's a gas station every 2 blocks, you can just fill up when it beeps at you.

Enjoy the car, it's a great one, you'll love it.

[realale]

Leave "B" alone unless you're going down steep grades is what I've gathered from the forum. It's engine-braking mode, like shifting a normal automatic into "3" or "2" when going down a mountain to keep your brakes from overheating.

ICE = Internal Combustion Engine, i.e. the gas-powered engine.

The gas "gauge" on the Prius is an electronic display and there are about 10 dots (or "pips" - I'm guessing someone from the UK gave that name) that show when the tank is full. As you use up gas, the pips go dark to mark approximately how much fuel is left. When you get down to two, you're starting to run low. When it's one, you're really low, when your last one is blinking, you need gas ASAP. Filling up at two eliminates the possibility of running out of fuel.

[Rae Vynn]

Hi. Breathe. Relax.
The B is for engine braking. You will probably never use it, unless you are doing some serious downhill runs that go for miles (kinda like a jake brake on a semi).
If you use it on flat ground, expect MPG to drop rapidly.
The ICE is the Internal Combustion Engine... the gas engine. Its relationship to the Electric Motor is called the Synergy Drive. It turns on and off as the computer decides it should.
Yes, you SHOULD be concerned about running out of gas. PIPs are what we call the little marks on the Gas gauge. There are 10 PIPS for a full tank. When there is 1 PIP, you definitely need gas. As the fuel tank has a flexible (variable) bladder in it, there is no set amount of gas that the tank holds - so, when you get down to a couple of PIPs, for safety's sake, just fill it up.

Major tip: just drive it. Get used to the ICE shutting off when you stop (it's freaky for awhile); get used to the sounds it makes, the way it drives. Don't even start to worry about the MPG until you've driven it for a few weeks. Don't use the cruise control all the time for the first few weeks.

Have fun with it

[qbee42]

There isn't much you can do to hurt your new Prius, short of driving it into something. Drive it like you would any other car and you will do just fine. As you get used to it, you can take advantage of some of the tricks on this forum, but none of them are necessary for normal operation.

As the previous poster said, B mode is for engine braking. Think of it as down shifting on a hill. The only time you want to use B mode is on long hills, like those in the mountains. There isn't a single hill in Michigan high enough for B mode, so I never use it.

There is a sticky with terminology, but to answer your question directly:
ICE - Internal Combustion Engine
MG1 - Motor/Generator 1
MG2 - Motor/Generator 2
HV or Traction Battery - High voltage battery that powers MG1 & MG2
12V battery - Normal 12V battery for the lights, radio, etc.

Have fun with your new car, and don't worry about the details.

Tom

[Godiva]

Don't worry. Just drive it like a normal car.

[BIGGDOGG]

Just the fact that you posted this thread means that you will be fine with your new prius when it arrives. You seem like a person that is carefull. Everyone already answered all your questions so I won't be redundant. Enjoy your Prius and I hope you thought of a name for her. haha!

[TonyPSchaefer]

Hi Mom. Welcome to PriusChat.
Godiva's right; just drive it. It is a car, after all.

Toyota's done a very good job of making it pretty fool proof. Take it from a fool!
In the "early years" (2004 - 2005) we tried various things just to see what would happen. These were unwise actions that normal people would never intentionally do. But here's some of what we found:
- If you are traveling at a decent speed and hit the (POWER) button nothing happens. The Prius allows mistakes. If you really want to shut down regardless of speed, you need to hold the button down for several seconds; clearly not a mistake.
- If you are traveling at a decent speed and hit the [P] button nothing happens. Again, mistakes happen.
- If you have Smart Key and leave the keys in the car, the doors will not lock. If you use the button on the armrest, the doors will unlock when you shut them. Unfortunately, you can lock them in the cargo area. Be careful.
- If you accidentally or intentionally shift into [b] mode when it is not really appropriate, the car will shift into [b]. And guess what: big deal!

So you see, there's nothing within the realm of normal, every day driving that you can do to really screw up the car.

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

Welcome to PriusChat Fawn's Mom.

One word of advice while reading PriusChat . . .

DON'T LET THE HENNY PENNY TYPES SCARE YOU INTO DOING THINGS YOU DON'T NEED TO DO WITH YOUR PRIUS.

Example #1: There is no need to fill the tank early! The last pip is there for a reason. It will also flash for a reason. THAT is a good reason to fill the tank . . . but do realize, even after that last pip starts to blink, many of us have driven the car for fifty miles or more without running out of gas. There is no need to panic and dive into the nearest gas station.
And why would you wish to defeat one of the best features of owning a Prius? Doing early fill ups only means you have to visit a gas station much more often. Refilling with two pips probably equates into 10 or more extra trips to the gas station for the average driver. Who needs that.

Example #2: The "B" mode is not "pretty worthless" . . . "because it gets overwhelmed on a steeper hill."
The "B" mode does exactly what it is designed for. I have taken my Prius down some very steep grades in San Francisco and in the Sierra Nevada. "B" works "B"EAUTIFULLY! The engine can and will rev higher and make more noise . . . but that is what it is designed to do!

Godiva said it best. "Don't worry. Just drive it like a normal car." . . . even though we know it is better than a normal car, it still drives like a normal car.

This should be helpful to you . . .
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-ma...-glossary.html

[judymcfarland]

Just try to resist the temptation to keep watching the display screen. You still have to watch the road. At first the display is very distracting, but eventually you get used to it & are able to use its info to help you drive without distracting you.
I wouldn't be too quick to disable the backup beep. When the car is new, hearing (or not hearing) that beeping noise serves to confirm that you are in the gear you intend.
I usually try to fill up when I have 2 pips left. Even at today's high gas prices, it's not too shocking that way!
Since OP is from Wisconsin, I HIGHLY recommend going to a Milwaukee (or Madison) Hybrid Group meeting. You will learn a lot about your car & meet some great people. And even if you don't have your car yet, consider coming to Hybridfest in Madison on July 19 (or 20th). You'll meet lots of happy Prius drivers (including me) & get some of your questions answered.