Video about how Prius c works

A pretty decent vid.

I don't get why Insight's "hybrid system" weighs as much as the one in C. Insight just has (had?) an electric motor-generator, sandwiched between the engine and the gearbox/CVT.

 

Nice video find...thank you.

 

Great information on how my Prius c works.....thanks

 

Thanks Matty. Nice video. The first part of it reminds me a lot of the Energy Monitor section of the multi display in the upper dash. Whenever I have someone in the car who pops the question "So how do hybrids work, anyway?", I switch to that and use it for show and tell.

 

A little more technical, but in case you haven't seen this one, it shows how various levels of input from the ICE and the two electric motors effect the way the CVT spins. Fascinating stuff. .

Toyota Prius - Power Split Device

 

That's a great little widget for explaining how the drivetrain works. And it shows one thing that I didn't realize - the ICE is never used in reverse gear.

 

Does the Prius C have stop start technology but they use a different name for it?

 

Well the engine stops when the car stops, so in that sense it's "stop start" technology. But it's not the same as on conventional gas engined cars. In conventional cars the engine stops when you stop, but it starts again when you lift your foot from the brake pedal - because it needs to be ready when you put your foot on the gas. In a Prius, the engine doesn't start until you're already moving, because it uses its electric motor for the first few seconds when the car is moving too slowly for the Atkinson-cycle engine to be in its efficient range.

 

I don't think you meant to word it quite that way.

 

How about this: "In conventional cars with start-stop technology the engine stops when you stop, but it starts again when you lift your foot from the brake pedal"

 

Hey! So in the Prius C, the car just shuts off the motor and runs on electric hybrid battery right? In regular cars with start stop, i understand they have a high endurance spark plug to quickly turn on the car because it literally is off, but the Prius C wouldn't need that, right? Also I'm curious if the hybrid battery completely discharges, can the 12volt battery kick in and start the car? Likewise if the 12volt accessory battery died, the hybrid battery can start the car? Or do they generally die together?

 

The engine can't be started with the 12V battery alone. There is no 12V starter motor in the Prius or the Prius C, it's the high voltage traction motor that's used to start the car - so it won't start unless the high voltage battery can supply the juice.

When the car is turned off (the entire car, not just the engine) the contactor for the high voltage battery is opened so that there's no high voltage anywhere in the system. In that state the 12V battery is running everything, including the radios and electronics that are used to "start" the car (i.e., turn the car on, not the engine). Without the 12V battery there's no way to turn on the car, and without the high voltage battery there's no way to start the engine. At least that's my understanding.

 

Much better. How widespread is that these days? I know Ford was hot on it. Have many others adopted it?

 

I don't know, but with tightening fuel economy standards I suspect it's going to become more widespread.

It seems to me like we are coming to the end days for the mass use of conventional automotive internal combustion engines. Their complexity seems to be skyrocketing as auto makers try to reduce emissions and fuel consumption while struggling to hold on to acceptable power and driving characteristics. Variable valve timing, 9-speed transmissions, noise cancelling systems for the passengers - it all smacks of desperation to me.

As the cost of battery systems continues to drop while their performance improves I can see a point in the next 10 to 20 years or so when the superior driving experience and lower operating and maintenance costs will sweep over the gasoline-powered auto industry like a tsunami. Although I have no particular interest in owning a Tesla, they've been leading the way and I think they've started to force the other auto manufacturers into waking up to the challenge.

 

Agreed. There really isn't any ICE technology that will allow automakers to meet the new government mandated mpg goals out there at the moment, and still have full size SUVs and trucks in their lineup.. So they are pretty much being forced into hybrid and electric vehicles. Which is a good thing as it will get more companies and a lot more dollars doing research into the alternatives.

As for Tesla, I remember first reading about a 250 + mile range electric vehicle they were working on many years ago and thinking that WOW!, they must have some new kind of super secret battery technology that was better than anything in existence. Turns out they accomplished it not with technology, but with size. The entire bottom of the car was all battery, where Toyota was hiding theirs under the back seat or trunk and producers of all electric cars were concentrating on small size to save weight.. Now if they can just keep their cars from catching fire or exploding, and build a few more fail safes into their auto pilot, they might be around a few more years.

 

I still don't understand why people focus so much on electric vehicle battery fires while ignoring the much more common and serious issues around all that highly flammable liquid that most people insist on putting in their cars.