Does Using EV Button Maximize Miles Per Gallon?

Never used it .... I think it's worthless ... in the mile that you used it in stop and go ... you probably wouldn't have started the engine anyway.

REV

 

Here's what I think....

Way back in 2009, when the 3rd Generation Prius was creeping up on being released, this happened almost simultaneously with the release of The New Honda Insight. Which was being billed as Honda's "Prius Killer".

I don't which came first, Chicken or The Egg. But guess what? The Honda Insight has a little button on the dash that say's ECO.

I personally think Toyota responded to this by saying....We can do better, we can offer ECO, POWER, EV....and "regular"....that's 3 buttons on the dash as opposed to Honda's 1!....

Having hung around Prius Chat quite a bit in the time period leading up to the 3rd Generation release, I think I can fairly say that a lot of hard core, longtime Prius owners, were already hungry for the Plug In..which in 2009 was still 3 years away.

The EV button? IMO a primarily a marketing gimick. A way to illuminate that The Prius under ideal circumstance can do something The Honda Insight simply cannot do...that is run for a short distance and time as an EV.

I leave it to owners, to present to you when and where they think it best to employ the EV mode.

Since The 3rd Generation Prius is a hybrid, and we are talking about a non-plug in, I think the circumstances where using the EV mode make much sense are pretty limited. Moving to point A-B in your drive way? Sneaking away early in the morning...coming back late at night? Searching for a parking place in a crowded parking lot...I've heard all these presented.

I've also heard the EV mode defined as "Telling The Prius You Would Like to use Electric Power as much as possible"?

Yeah, with the HSD, it's a bit of a shell game. Use battery power now? Pay for it by engine recharging later...

But my guess? I don't think you can really lose. I think the software is designed to protect itself. In your traffic jam scenario? It worked as it should. You got about a mile of useage...evidently were still in a traffic jam, and the system turned itself off to recharge itself when it got low. That's great. Imagine that the traffic jam had only lasted that additional mile, then you would of drove off at highway speed disengaging the EV mode, and your battery would of been recharged anyway as per normal...

So in other words? I don't think it matters too much. The EV mode will protect itself and The Prius...it's not going to let you use it to damage or detriment. As far as efficiency? I think to an extent it's a shell game. I don't really think that is going to matter much either...

I say, don't stress about it too much....just use it when you want...

 

NO

 

There are mainly three uses for the EV button:

1) To impress your friends. This won't save gas, but it's really cool to drive around without the engine.

2) To move the Prius a short distance without starting the engine, such as moving a short distance in the driveway or parking lot.

3) To lower the State of Charge (SoC) prior to a long downhill, where regenerated electricity can be captured and stored in the HV battery. This is an advanced technique, and if it doesn't make sense to you, don't worry about it - you won't need it.

Tom

 

Yes, like the B Mode, you can safely ignore it until you are in mountains. Or unless you move your car around parking lots a bunch.

 

If used wisely, it could. But there's always a tradeoff. You're better off following the "Just Drive It" motto. At some point, you may stumble across an opportunity to take advantage of it... like getting stuck in heavy unexpected traffic.
,

 

TEM: 2nd gen Priuses outside the US and vehicles like the 08 HyHi had EV buttons (and it also had an Econ button per Toyota touts Highlander hybrid's EV mode button in TV ad). A bunch of us here on Priuschat had all sorts of speculation about why the physical button was omitted and some folks discovered that the functionality was actually there on the 2nd gens, despite the lack of button. On could activate it via http://www.hybridinterfaces.ca/ or a # of other cheaper mods.

With the 3rd gen Prius, they finally provided something that people were asking for and then some...

 

I wouldn't fear using it for the above reason. If the HV battery gets too low, the ICE will run to keep it charged, unless the car is either off or you're in neutral. I think you'll get kicked out of EV mode once that happens and will be denied entry too. (I have little seat time in a Gen 3 but did play w/the EV button in the Lexus HS 250h that I'd won a week test drive of.)

Whether or not it's more efficient/better to use it depends on the circumstances. As for heater, using it can cause the ICE to run "unnecessarily" to provide you cabin heat. See http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/91431-one-3.html#post1287385.

 

I don't use EV button nor do I use eco button. I might get in the mood for Power Mode sometime but normal mode and a keen eye on traffic is the game plan.

I shut it off at 57 MPG on gage.

 

Just so you know, IMO, 3rd gens do electric very well without the button. They catch electric only somewhat more than 2nd gens I've found.

Skip the button, check your tires, easy on the cabin heat and be smooth on gas / brakes. Buckle up before you power up. Soon as dash is 'ready' and coast is clear, flip in gear and move. I like to move before ICE comes on.

 

In my opinion, best answer given to the original question in entire thread.