2013 Volt: 98MPGe, 38miles EV range

I haven't tried the production PiP yet, as it's not available yet. I've tried only the DEMO PiP, which is the same as the US DEMO PiP.

But from what I gathered from the UK Toyota site, all EV City mode will do is to transit from EV mode to HV battery driving without the warm-up cycle, so that the green zone city driving would really be without any gas.

 

Sure it does. There is a double standard.

If you use the gas engine when the driver push a button or the battery range runs out, it is still an EREV?

If you drive Prius PHV in the city all electric then use gas on the highway, it is not an EREV?

This is the kind of non-sense we get to when someone tries to define a vehicle type based on the operation mode. EREV is a baloney and this Hold mode spoiled it.

Gas engine triggered by driving conditions enables the optimal design. The design that uses half the hybrid powertrain leads to an expensive heavy vehicle with small interior.

 

It changes the fundamental operation of the Volt. Starting the gas engine before the battery runs out is a very bad thing for Volt enthusiasts. It was one of the differentiating feature for Volt.

Prius PHV has the exhaust heat recovery and timing advanced tuned to minimize the warmup time, down to about 40 seconds. Volt is lacking all those technology and I don't see 2013 model adding engineering effort to deal with it.

How will 2013 Volt deal with more frequent cold start emissions?

 

Huh? What do you believe changed? Remember, I drove the early model too... and I own a PHV now.

If battery-capacity wasn't finite, you didn't need heat, and electricity was both totally clean & renewable, things would be different. That's clearly not the case.

The EV-BOOST is great for high-speed travel now. When winter arrives, it will offer the added bonus of heat from the engine while still taking advantage of the plug-supplied electricity, regardless of speed.

 

The EU PiP will start blending mode at 51+mph, whereas the US PiP and the DEMO PiP did that at 62+mph. Big difference for my drive to work.

See here: Toyota Prius Plug-In | Toyota UK




and scroll down to The Detail section.

 

Good. Volt owners are now realizing the importance of optimizing both fuels. Why wasn't it considered in the design? It is now the concept of EREV conceived on napkin, falls apart.

Prius PHV owners are averaging over 50 MPG in HV mode even with those "often on/off" operations. Do support your "belief" with a that recent paper you mentioned.

How will 2013 Volt deal with it?

 

The demo PHV is a few hundred pounds heavier than the production model. The EV-City mode may just take care of engine starting issue but the speed cap maybe lower, as you've mentioned.

 

The energy in RESS (battery) is still available. The driver hitting the Hold button doesn't make it go away. Otherwise, it'll be called Ground.

The fact that the battery can be used later violates that proposed definition of EREV.

Sorry, I don't do anal. Look, you are getting anal here. Just look up the results.

 

Exactly! But the lower speed cap for EV mode is the deal breaker in my case. PiP was no.1 car to get, now it's 2013 Volt (due to better battery than Ampera, which still uses 2012 Volt's battery and better front fascia pavement protection that Ampera's), Ampera is no.2.

 

Ok, if that's your priority and the packaging (interior volume) of Volt works for you. To me, using both fuel equally is better than one half lugging the other half.

 

I don't think there is a double standard, unless its in your mind. EREV means it has full power in electric mode, its a type of phev as is one that is blended but it requires its engine on at full power.

Now a PHEV like the fisker karma is a grey area,it has a sports mode that is blended. The EV mode can get to 60 in about 7 seconds, but blended is much faster. Does that sports button and higher performance make it a blended mode phev. That is still up for discussion. I think it does but only when you push the button

If you stay within battery capacity you can use no gas in a EREV. If you are exceeding battery capacity, as someone is likely to do if they are using hold then it really doesn't matter EREV or blended.

It is based on capabilities not operating mode. Its a design choice. Once is not naturally superior to the other.

To many optimal design of a phev is to use no gasoline. They would say your definition is a failure. A blended mode phev design is often chosen to reduce cost. If money is no object we get a phev like a porsche 918 that should be more efficient in ev and hybrid mode than a prius, but much more expensive.

Again there is nothing about ever that means heavy or small interior. If you look at the transit connect design, you can see batteries can be layed without taking up space. The tesla S also uses such a design. The Tesla roadster compensates with body material to reduce mass. Many people to do not need the space of a prius, or want more. The volt was a choice for a 2+2 attempting to be sporty. It was not designed to be lightweight like a tesla S or have a large interior like a transit connect bev.

 

It's spin because it is vague and misleading. You could choose to say it weighs about the same as a Rav4 or Equinox. Instead you just use SUV and let readers assume you mean an Explorer or Sequoia. That's spin.

But this point is moot. With the arrival of the Mazda CX-5, the Prius PHV is less than 40 pounds lighter than a SUV.

Who here is doing that?
The first year Volt didn't make it easy for the user to know how much kWh, but that changed in later years. The consumers must have wanted an easier way to learn their consumption. Besides, how does that make it counter to spin?

With the majority of plug in owners recharging at home, the only ones that actually give recharge time a thought are the BEV drivers. That is mostly to decide on installing a level 2 charger or not. The Volt's battery is big, but not that big. It's actually about the right size to get fully charged while the owner is working.

When charging away from home, EV owners aren't tethered to the charger as with a gas pump. They can go off get other things done. If those things take a shorter time, a PHV owner isn't going to sweat it because they still have the ICE.

The Volt and Prius PHV both gain about the same amount of EV range per period of time charging. To go the same distance as a Volt on EV while require the P-PHV to spend as much time charging as the Volt did. Leaving out the details of this, and because it has a smaller battery, is the spin with the fast recharge comments.

None of the Volt owners here seem anxious. I think they are just disappointed when they have to use gas.

 

I had a Jeep Wrangler for a few years back in my 20's, I never took it off road. I use the ICE in my Volt a little bit every week. Its not quite the same thing.

 

Rear seats for me are a 'just in case' feature.