PWR Mode

no, it really isn't any different except accellerator pedal is more responsive. however, if what you are saying is that you floor it all the time, i would think that would have some long term detrimental effects.

 

There shouldn't be any damage since there isn't any acceleration boost. The Pwr mode just remaps the response to the gas pedal. The gas and tire damage are all caused by how you use that gas pedal.

 

While overall 0-60 mph acceleration may measure the same in all modes, does the PWR mode giver quicker instantaneous acceleration over short periods of time (<1 sec) such as when you need to very quickly accelerate out of someone's way?
What I perceive happening, when instant acceleration is needed in PWR mode, is that the electric motor is kicking in sooner then followed by the engine revving up. In ECO mode it seems despite quickly pushing the accelerator all the way to the floor, there is a longer delay (0.5 sec or so) before the same full acceleration is felt. In a situation where one needs to instantly get from say 5 mph to 20 mph, or 20 to 30 mph, this half second could be critical, I sense being in PWR mode does have something more to it than most other posters on this forum seem to indicate.

Is it that a higher angular velocity of the accelerator pedal Hall sensor output changes the engine/HSD mapping? And maybe the fact that there is more damping of this change in angular velocity output of the pedal in the ECO mode, perhaps this is the reason the acceleration isn't as instant?

 

No one that I know of has demonstrated anything like that. If you do, I am sure you will be hailed as a conquering hero. The only thing I have seen is a 0-60 trail which was within 0.1 seconds between PWR and ECO.

Remember that the acceleration is only increased in PWR mode for the first half (roughly) of the pedal travel. After that ECO mode will have greater response per movement of the gas pedal.

 

Part of the problem with this assumption is that even if it did offer a slight increase in acceleration, the time it takes to switch modes takes WAY longer than just mashing the pedal in the other modes.

I have noticed that sometimes the car feels like it accelerates faster from a stop if you give it 3/4 throttle rather than 100%. I'm going to play around with this a little more.

 

That is only perceived. Every available documentation says it is just a remap .... Sure the car computer will give you power "quicker" because accelerator reached that point quicker where car computer says MORE POWER to the driver. And by the way if you have no charge left no extra power from electricity anyway (very low HV SOC...) once I thought something was wrong with the car. It would NOT accelerate the rate I wanted and realized that the car was charging at the stop I was just left.

 

I understand that most non-hybrid cars in the last 20 years or so take pedal depression amount, pedal depression speed and perhaps change in pedal depression speed into account in the computer map to adjust multiple engine and transmission parameters to give the desired thrust of the vehicle. Even the carburetor equipped engines squirted extra fuel when sudden blips of the accelerator were detected. Again I'm not sure if the HSD ECU, takes pedal angular velocity and change in angular velocity into account.

I guess what I perceive happening in the 0.5 seconds it may take to go from 0 to 100% pedal position is that at the 50% pedal position (after 0.25 seconds), in ECO mode one is at 35% motive force output, and in PWR mode one is at 65% motive force output at that same point in time. So in effect you're accelerating at a faster rate sooner. After the full 0.5 second, once you're at 100% pedal position, it is only then you're accelerating at the same rate in both ECO and PWR. While that 0.5 seconds doesn't sound much, it may be the equivalent of a car length or two, which in an impending crash scenario may make all the difference.

I nearly always drive in ECO mode, but when I'm entering a busy road way with not a lot of gaps in traffic, I engage PWR mode before I pull out. When I used to do this in ECO mode, I found there was one or two times that the car just did not initially get up to speed as fast, perhaps for the above reason.

I don't know if someone has done the tests in both ECO and PWR modes, such as 0-10 mph, 5-15 mph, 10-20 mph test, with the initial steady state condition being foot off the pedal. I expect the PWR mode to give the edge simply because the car has a higher average motive force output for the duration of the first 0.5 second (more area under the curve if you will), unless there is something in the control algorithm that delays the onset of thrust due to other reasons, system durability, emissions, or whatever, regardless of what mode it's in. I've read owners of many modern cars complaining about their cars not having the instantaneous initial thrust that they otherwise could again maybe due to durability, emissions, etc. The electronic signals going at near the speed of light certainly could not be the reason, right?

 

Which is precisely why Toyota created it in the first place.

 

The first time my wife and I went to the great lakes, she happily told me is was great to be smelling salt air again as we neared our destination.

 

First, in your scenario, it isn't 0.5 seconds difference, that is the total time to reach full pedal depression (and sounds high to me, but I don't have any data). So the difference in distance traveled is the area between the curves for the motive force vs pedal depression for that 0.5 seconds. I estimate from the diagram that this is about 1/4 of the area, so the actual time difference is around 1/8 of a second. So, at most (i.e. at 65 MPH) 11 feet, if starting from 0 MPH, it is bit over 1 foot.

Second, it probably is more likely that you will be in an impending crash scenario when you are already moving than you are at a complete stop, yes? In which case, you are better off in Eco mode, since at that point, the response is greater per inch of pedal movement. In other words, in Eco mode you are already most of the way to the floor when you start your emergency acceleration. So that maximum 11 feet above isn't correct, in the case of traveling 65 MPH, in Eco mode, the pedal needs to travel 1/3 of the way to get to the floor, while in Pwr mode it needs to travel 2/3 of the full way. That means that Eco is 1/6 of a second faster than Pwr to the floor (instead of even in the from 0 case). And it has a steeper curve, so call it about 1/4 second faster overall. Which works out to a bit over 22 feet, in favor of Eco mode.

So, if maximum acceleration is the total safety factor, you are better off in Pwr mode when at a stop, and Eco mode once up to some speed (I leave that math to someone who knows the actual curves rather than just their shapes).

 

I can't imagine that Toyota would build in a mode that damaged the car if used. Liability lawyers would be all over that.

 

I prefer the Normal mode, it's a more linear acceleration. ECO feels flat at initial acceleration and PWR feels like (or gives the impression that) it runs out of power at higher speeds.

 

I agree with this for the most part, if one has displaced the pedal half way down in PWR mode, there is less additional thrust to be gained and with ECO beyond the half way position, begins to have the higher thrust/displacement rate, ultimately up to the same max thrust as all 3 modes.

I'm still interested in the 0-10, 0-15, 5-15, 5-20 mph acceleration times, if any one has them, as I hear frequent references on this forum, of Prius Gen III's outsmoking Corvettes, Mustangs, and the like. There are times when at a stop that I'd like to be confident I can zip out in front if the right lane ends rather than trying to wave and smile at drivers to let me merge in which can be sometimes challenging for an introvert like me. BTW I like the way the Prius generates the high initial acceleration without making a fuss, versus a Mustang which roars out a screaming big sound which almost suggests the driver is trying to make up for something lacking in their life. Kind of like when someone quickly accelerates and passes my Prius just to get to the red light sooner, with a sixth grader mentality.

 

It would have been nice if Toyota placed the EV/ECO/PWR buttons on the steering wheel. It's easier to switch back and forth between ECO & PWR than reaching-out behind the shifter.

 

If you want to experiment, with the battery full, put the pedal all the way to the floor and hit the PWR button. See if there's any difference.

 

Sure there is a quite a bit of accelerator pedal response remapping smoke and mirrors going on with Toyota's "modes". Of course no button you press while seated in your Prius tangibly changes the transmission, engine or electric motors. You're still riding the same horse, with power mode, you've been handed a riding whip.

I think Toyota has done a good job with the smoke and mirrors at least making it all seem like what they have it labeled. Normal? Makes the Prius feel and operate and respond as close to a "normal" ICE vehicle. ECO...obviously makes the Prius accelerator pedal respond slower, which is good for modulating any Hybrid driving techniques you might want to apply. And even though I know The Prius hasn't really been magically changed into anything else...the quick and aggressive response of the accelerator in Power Mode is great for merging onto freeways or when you want to or need to pass aggressively.

Right now, I go back and forth a lot between "normal" and ECO....and I only use Power for specific moments. I'm not much for whipping the horse unless I absolutely have to do so. I wouldn't choose to drive The Prius permanently in Power Mode. That kind of defeats the whole purpose of owning a hybrid IMO. But if you want to do so? Your vehicle, your choice.

 

I just leave it in eco, better mpg's in the long run, same power upon request, and as bathala point's out hunting for the little buttons is eye and hand dependent, rather like texting, be it ever so humble