More Elusive than the "Floating" Car in Regen

Hello all, just a post and a poll here on a curious sighting I had in Ema the other day.

Having owned a Prius since 2006 and been a member of this community for a couple of years now I have learned a lot of cool facts and info on the Prius. One particularly interesting tidbit is the elusive "floating car" you can get when you have regen but your MPG graph is zero so it looks like the little car regen symbol is just hanging on the screen.

I looked for old links with this in it and a photo but couldn't find one. If someone has one please add it so people know what we are talking about if they don't already.

I can get the floating car myself and have seen it a half dozen times or more but what I have NEVER seen before is more than 3 cars regen in a single 5 minute period. I even ran my battery completely down to purple at the top of the big hill on I-40 near Asheville and regened the whole way down it to see if I could get more than 3 cars and never have.

Then the other day I saw the picture attached to this post. A half of a 4th car in a single 5 minute period!!! Obviously I was somewhere cold, LOL and it was under winter MPG's but otherwise I don't remember anything unusual about the situation.

I was wondering is this more elusive than the floating car? Just posting and polling for the sake of interest, enjoy.

Happy driving,
Chris

 

Tony,

In my picture you see the 3.5 green cars showing regen layed over the yellow bar graph. You can get, under certain situations, where there is a complete green car showing regen but absolutely no yellow bar graph.

So it looks like you regened at 0 MPG. Hence the "floating car" people often refer to. Like I said I couldn't find a picture. Hopefully Hobbit, Evan or someone will know where to look. It would help if there was one with this post.

Chris

 

Here is a picture of a "floating car" that I generated while at the Charlotte airport waiting in the cell phone lot.

I basically coasted down the hill at low speed from the long term lot area into the cell phone lot and then put the car in park.

Basically the "floating car" is a math rounding issue with the computer, I think. It sees that you regenerated so it gives you the car or half car symbol but the distance you traveled during that regeneration somehow rounds to zero. Usually this is because you are stuck in traffic, at a railroad crossing or in a cell phone lot, LOL.

I have found that it is easiest to generate the "floating car" at lower but not low low speeds, somewhere in the 20-30 MPH range, where you can coast down a decent hill for less than a mile and put the car in park and just sit for the rest of the 5 minutes. You get the regen from the hill but the distance is less than a mile so shows zero on the bar graph. Voila!!!! "Floating Car"

What may be the most impressive thing I have EVER seen with regards to this is the picture in this thread.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/80257-ever-seen.html

Not only was a "floating car" generated but TWO were generated in the second zero MPG 5 minute segment. To quote Darth Vader ... "Impressive, most impressive."

Happy driving,
Chris

 

Bob64,

It isn't a divide by 0 error it is a division OF 0 error. Remember the Prius sees battery power as "fuel" so if you travel 2 miles on battery alone you get the 99 MPG bar.

Where as if you travel less than 1 mile or whatever the Prius software rounds to zero, even if you used battery power you still show an empty bar graph. Now the question becomes did you regenerate enough in the < 1 mile to show a half car, full car or even an amazing 2 cars regenerated?

Chris

 

Sub3marathonman,

I know you describe your "infintity bar" in an earlier post but you might want to start calling it an "empty bar" or "zero bar" instead.

Infinity by definition is 1. unlimited extent of time, space or quantity 2. an indefinately great number or amount.

So when someone sees something called an "infinity bar" one assumes it is huge, in this case the full 99 MPG yellow bar on the Prius consumption screen. And even though you describe it as otherwise I am sure it still confuses people.

Happy driving,
Chris

 

Bob64,

I have and it goes to 99 MPG, full bar. Like I said earlier I have stopped just after the truck brake safety check area on I40 coming out of Asheville towards Hickory and drained my battery all the way down to purple then let the motor re-charge to 3 blue bars and stop. Release the brake and coast the rest of the way down the 5 mile or so stretch.

People aren't real happy at the beginning but I stay in the truck lane until I get up to 60 or so unless I have to pass one, a truck that is. I was trying to get more than 3 full cars regen but never have even when the battery SOC goes full double green.

Also, I will try this today and report back but if you go to Walmart or some school parking lot and drive in circles at a low speed for more than a mile on battery only you should get 99 MPG. Have to make sure I do this soon before it gets to hot so I don't have to run the AC, lol. That will discharge and cause the motor to come on. I'll let you know.

Patrick's theory may be be correct. Anyway you slice it, "Floating Cars" look cool :rockon:

Chris