Is this normal operation for a Prius?

Hi and welcome to PriusChat.

Is this normal operation for a Prius?

Yes, I see nothing wrong with what your car is doing, from the way you have described it.

My question would be, why? Why are you trying to run on electric only?

The way you have phrased your questions, I get the impression you think you might get better fuel economy (FE) by doing this. If this is a correct guess, I can tell you you won't, more likely you will get worse. Furthermore you stand the chance of hastening the wearing out your brand new battery by trying to force it to use electric only.

The prius is not an electric vehicle, it is a hybrid that uses the synergies of the the petrol engine (ICE) and electric motors. If you want to get the best from it, just drive it. When pulling way, press the pedal to engage the ICE and accelerate normally. You shouldn't drive like a bat out of hell (but you can, if the circumstance warrant it), but neither should you drive slow as a wet week.

If you want to get good FE figures, make sure your tires are at least 35 PSI Front/33 PSI Rear and learn to "pulse and glide".

Hope that helps.

 

What he said.

With a "non-plugin" hybrid there seldom is any real advantage in trying to force it to use the charge in the battery........because replenishing that charge will come mostly from the engine later on.

I DO wish that my C would stay in E-mode long enough to back it out of the garage......or pull it back in......which take all of maybe 10 seconds, but it won't most of the time.

 

What you're experiencing is perfectly normal. The car uses both battery power and gas power to give you the best efficiency. As is pointed out above, trying to keep the car on electric power alone only results in the car turning on the gas engine later to charge up the battery you've been draining. Drive normally without a heavy foot and enjoy the car. All is well.

 

Sorry, boss, it wasn't intended to be a lecture. I'm sorry you felt it was.

Was merely trying to be informative and cover some bases.

 

For the most part, they are quiet.

The main exception is in the first stage of warm up when the ICE is configured to run rich so as to warm the ICE up quicker. In this configuration (which lasts about 50 seconds, with the A/C off) the propulsion is almost entirely by the electric motor. This is provided you drive gently. If you mash the accelerator, there will be a micro-pause while the ECU reconfigures for power.

Sometimes knocking (or pinking) under medium to heavy load can be observed. If this happens you just need to move up to the next octane rating. The car may even be more economical using the higher octane and I have found this. For me it is actually cheaper per mile to use the slightly higher octane 91 AKI (95 RON) vs 87 AKI (91 RON). Beyond 91 AKI, I have found no benefits. YMMV. Toyota says light knocking is not anything about which to worry, as long as it is not sustained.

Overall the engine is described as a little clickity-clackity like a sewing machine, but less so after the first 50 seconds.

As far as the warm up stages, you might find the link in my signature to the 5 stages of Prius warm up useful.

Hope that helps.

 

If the battery is low your engine will sound louder too. Driving the car and charging.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Yes, your Prius sounds totally normal. Welcome to priuschat.com FYI: dolj is one our wisest contributors. I always read what he says carefully. A series of long answers ARE needed to answer questions that teach basic info on how a Prius works. dolj is NOT being preachy, he is teaching things you must learn. You will find priuschatters a mixed bag of enthusiasts: there are some wonderfully geeky techies, a few snarky folk, lots of diy'ers and plenty of lurkers who just want to keep up with all things Prius. In any case, it is best not to casually toss insults at those who are trying to help you.