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START, CRUISE, STOP Improvements?

Discussion in 'Prius c Fuel Economy' started by jack1953, Apr 20, 2015.

  1. jack1953

    jack1953 New Member

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    I just bought a 2015 Prius C 2, 5 days ago. I've pretty much figured out the different techniques and goals for best gas mileage.

    Just have one question.

    I noticed on the screen with the gauges and graphs on it, it has a Start, Cruise, Stop graph with 5 bars to measure performance.

    What techniques has the forum found to get all 5 bars to light up on a consistent basis for each individual category?

    Thanks,

    Jack
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! that sounds cool, my car doesn't have this. can you explain the meaning of each? thanks!
     
  3. jack1953

    jack1953 New Member

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    Its one of the screen options.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    gotcha, but what do they mean? start, cruise, stop? is it just the amount of times you do each on a trip?
     
  5. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    Probably not possible and certainly nor practical when driving in traffic.

    Hybrid owners who obsess over the gauges and readouts to "hypermill" are traffic hazards. :eek:

    The "start" one requires you to CREEP away from a stop so that it stays in EV mode for something like a quarter mile at less than 25 MPH.
    The "cruise" one requires, I think, a perfectly flat road, no head or side winds and not going over about 45 MPH.
    The "stop" one requires, I think, coasting to a stop with only light pressure on the pedal until the very end.

    P.S. Bisco......can't you find something ELSE to do with your life.......PLEASE ???
    The displays are aids that try to estimate your driving "efficiency" while doing the things listed.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    or are they more like measures of efficiency?
     
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    @bisco , they're one of the screen options in the Prius c.


    @jack1953 , I'm not sure since my time with the c was limited but I do know for the STOP part, you want to brake lightly and smoothly. I'm guessing just enough to fill up the CHG bar in the Hybrid System Indicator. This means you're using regenerative braking (electric motors) to slow you down rather than using the brake pads.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks! sounds like a useful tool.
     
  9. jack1953

    jack1953 New Member

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    I've got the Start figured out and almost always get 5 bars. Cruise I get 4 usually, and Stop I get 4 and now sometimes 5.
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds like you've got it licked!
     
  11. MustangConvert

    MustangConvert Junior Member

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    Using pulse and glide, I get excellent gas mileage, but the "cruise" graph penalizes pulse and glide. I ignore them and keep my screen on the one which shows me how much each trip costs me in dollars. That is much more meaningful.
     
  12. jack1953

    jack1953 New Member

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    Describe pulse and glide for me Mustang Convert.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    accelerate moderately to somewhere above target speed. (usually just to the right of the middle eco line.) then let off the gas and apply enough pressure to keep the car from regen but using little or no battery, until somewhere below target speed. rinse and repeat.
     
  14. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    I get 100% on "start" if I am backing up from driveway.
    I think you can only get 100% if you let it roll to complete stop.

    Welcome to the board!
     
  15. Dimitrij

    Dimitrij Active Member

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    [QUOTE="cyclopathic, post: 2171471, member: 75543"
    I think you can only get 100% if you let it roll to complete stop.[/QUOTE] I think slight braking (when the blue CHG bars are barely below the zero line) doesn't hurt the rating.

    I didn't think one could glide to a complete stop, because even if the accelerator is completely released the car will still crawl a little?
     
  16. Ghoti

    Ghoti Member

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    You can get a 5 ranking on "Start" by not exceeding the 'ECO' marking on the throttle gauge on that screen.

    You get a 5 ranking on "Cruise" by not wavering from your speed once you get up to speed. So once you accelerate up to (say) 45 MPH, keep it at exactly 45 MPH. Popping above or dropping below that speed will ding your Cruise score.

    You get a 5 ranking on "Stop" with slow, smooth stops- the goal is to not break harder than is needed to full up the charging gauge.

    Going for these scores with other people on the road behind you is likely to get them angry at you. :)
     
  17. Ashlem

    Ashlem Senior Member

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    When I was driving a c (my brother is now), here was some general tips I observed. I usually got anywhere from 90-98 consistently, and I think I hit 100 once, but I forgot how I got that lol. I did get 5 bars in each category regularly though, provided I didn't have too many cars following behind me or if road conditions weren't hazardous such as icy roads.

    For "start", try to stay below halfway through the second green bar, where the gas engine kicks in. The lower the better. You can do this in the EV area (the first half of the green bar), but I don't recommend it too much because then you're using a lot of electricity for not much traction. This will cause your gas engine to kick in more, and lowers your mpg in the long run. So long as the "Eco" sign is up, you should be okay.

    For "Cruise", same thing as start if possible. I usually tried to stay somewhere between 1/4 and 3/4 into the second green bar. The more consistently you can stay in one general area, the better your score will be. But the higher you go, the lower your score will be as well.

    For "stop", the best way to do this is to anticipate either an upcoming stop sign, or a light that's about to turn red. If you can do it safely and don't have any cars behind you, just let off on the gas pedal, then gently brake. The closer you get to the sign/light, the harder you press the brake. Only fully depress it when you're about to reach it. As a bonus, this minimizes wear on your brake pads as well, since you're utilizing the "regen braking" (technically the electric motor is spinning in reverse during this, which saps your momentum), and the actual brakes only kick in when you fully press down on the brake, or going less than 7 mph.
     
  18. jack1953

    jack1953 New Member

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    Not doubting your numbers Ashlem, but the ONLY way I see for me to get that even close to that kind of gas mileage is to drive in residential areas of 30 and 25mph, 90% of the time!