Is EV button/mode a novelty??

How? I can drive with the ICE off up to ~46 mph, but regardless of anything else, if I push the pedal past the first section of the eco meter the ICE will go on, even if I'm in EV mode.

 

You already have an EV indicator. When the symbol illuminates, it means the system is warmed and the engine has shut off. That's STEALTH mode. Pushing the button then will switch you to EV. You also already have indicators for how much is available, both power & duration.

All middle-market vehicles have omissions of some sort, that's why they are middle.

Having the option to add more to see more is available, but that won't change the limitations of motor & battery.

 

Omissions not Emissions. Some features are omitted. That's the way competitively-priced vehicles are configured. You want more, you pay more.

That would be a safety compromise. Not offering it is the same reason other features become locked when the vehicle is in motion. Just drive it.

If you really want that indicator, use an ODB-II device. But keep in mind how often that indicator will actually change though. There are more variables at play than what the generalizations discussed here want to address.

 

This is the EV only/ EV mode misunderstanding... again.

EV mode (where you press the button) gives you a max speed of 25mph when the engine is warm. It drops to 9mph when the engine is still cold. During this time when you have the button pressed you can accelerate past the middle eco line but not all the way up to the pwr line. It's somewhere in between and is never consistent.

EV mode (where you don'e press the button but release the gas pedal) gives you a max speed of 46mph when the engine is warm. You are limited to the Eco line in this mode.

 

But since it is never consistent, a little user friendliness would be nice. I like the thought of changing the bar to a different color the closer you get to the threshold.

 

I've very rarely noticed being a bit to the right of the center line, and am still in EV mode. Usually when the state of charge is quite high.

(Clarification: by EV mode I didn't mean with the EV button depressed, just the car's decision to shut of the engine. What's referred to as Stealth Mode.)

 

That's the clarification I was looking for! I didn't know this was possible - apparently all the times I've tried it, the engine was too cold or I went over a bump or it thinks I accelerated too fast. Thanks!