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EV Mode Button, new thought?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Lavalamp, Dec 1, 2011.

  1. Lavalamp

    Lavalamp Junior Member

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    Been reading up on this and I understand how the EV mode works, that it'll only last for a mile or so and shouldn't be used in some cases.

    That said I'd personally like to have EV mode on by "default" as I think it'd be good to get out of my neighborhood and until I get up to speeds greater than 34mph.

    So has anyone tried wiring the EV mode to the start button? I can sense it might cause a problem as the car wouldn't be on while pressing it etc, but perhaps just holding the button down for a couple seconds while starting the car would be good enough and would eliminate the additional button press.

    Is there any reason I should not attempt this, or any tips on how to be successful?
     
    #1 Lavalamp, Dec 1, 2011
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    just turn it on right after you start. what the problem?
     
    #2 bisco, Dec 1, 2011
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I'm not aware of anyone trying that. I suppose it could be done if you really wanted to get into the electronics, but you'd have to build in some sort of automatic delay since the car has to be in READY before you hit the EV button.

    That said, I would strongly discourage you from using the EV button that way. Here's the deal. When you start the car it goes into a warm-up mode and tries quite hard to keep the ICE at about 1250RPM for the initial warm-up period. To accomplish this it must, necessarily, increase the use of the battery so that you can accelerate at some relatively comfortable rate.

    So, if you go into EV mode and drain the battery down before you go into the ICE-on warm up the battery will already be quite low and the ICE will be forced to run at a higher RPM both for warm-up and to recharge the now depleted battery. That defeats the emissions lowering purpose of the regular warm-up cycle and is actually LESS fuel efficient than just allowing the car to start and go through it's programmed warm-up cycle.
     
    #3 efusco, Dec 1, 2011
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    I would rephrase your statement to say "...or so and should be used in only a few special cases." Generally you don't want to use EV. If an owner doesn't understand why this is true, they should probably leave the EV button alone. Using EV as the default is a bad idea. It will hurt gas mileage and shorten the life of your HV battery.

    Tom
     
    #4 qbee42, Dec 1, 2011
  5. f16bmathis

    f16bmathis New Member

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    I live on a mild hill and can get a charge for 0.3 miles before heading back uphill. So an EV button works great. When I start accelerating to go up the next hill, the engine starts or I'll hit the EV button again to start the engine, but I'll accelerate slowly so as to not rev the engine up. I've also noticed I can "suggest" the engine shut off if I press the EV button a couple times in stage IV. Not sure exactly when or why. I'll be on the hwy slowing down because of traffic, for whatever reason the engine will still be on, so I press the EV button once, it beeps "no" then I'll hit it 3 more times and the engine will turn off. May be coincidence (I am in stage IV), or maybe....

    I also just installed an Enginer 4kw system so my habits are going to change. I was at 55 mpg, and I'm allready seeing a modest increase on a nearly empty tank. Of course I drove about 8 miles in EV mode without going over 35 or draining my main pack. So no issues with killing the battery pack, and haven't had anyone behind me pissed they're doing 33 in a 35... so far...
     
    #5 f16bmathis, Dec 8, 2011
  6. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    f16's post is a good example of how you can use EV to an advantage. This is a lot different than a casual Prius driver trying to run in EV whenever possible. For EV to be an advantage, you have to know a bit about how the car works.

    Tom
     
    #6 qbee42, Dec 8, 2011
  7. agood1

    agood1 New Member

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    Anyone know where to buy the EV button? I can't find it on Sigma any more.
     
    #7 agood1, Jan 26, 2012
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