Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway

Awesome Travel safe and have fun

Mike ..

 

Curious to ask if you has the std air pressure or modified? Having lived recently in the Smokies on the TN side, the downhill turns are not gentle at reasonable highway speed and the question infers how your noted comfort level was on the switchbacks with your current tire pressure.

Regards and truly enjoy one of our finest national treasures ...
radman
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The Blue Ridge Parkway has very few sharp curves. Most corners can be ridden at the posted 45 mph.

I rode about 40 miles on the Parkway last week. The cruise control worked very well, both climbing and descending. The Prius is perfect for the Parkway, with it's 45 speed limit and wide curves.

 

Wow nice clear pictures. What camera was used? 52 mpg is awesome. All the ~20k miles of road trips in rental Prii I have taken have been excellent driving. It's a incredible car for running cross country. Sounds like you had a good time. When's the next trip

Mike

 

90 pounds? Must be those whole grain Cheerios you started eating Blueberries sound yummy about now. Yummy yummy. Enjoy the weekend,
Mike ..

 

Also, the Parkway's main visitor's center is near Asheville and provides a great history of how the Parkway was built. Well worth a couple-hour stop. Not sure what the mile number is, but you'll see signs for it.

 

This just is not true. For the newest cars maybe the computer is smarter and handles things better, but ask yourself why they still included a B mode?

You do NOT want the SOC staying at 100% for a long time. You should be using B mode for down hills as it will throw away extra charge and use the ICE friction (just moving air through the pistons) to take some stress off the brakes and the regen braking. At least in Gen 2 and Gen 1, you want your fan on FRESH and high fan speed to move as much air across the batteries which are getting very hot with the hills and high currents. Ideally, climbing the hills you are using the HV battery assist and not giving the ICE so much gas that the rpms end up cancelling the current going to the electric motors (so slow and steadier)

If you stop for a few hours break like hotel or rest stop and the SOC is still at 100%, you should consider driving in reverse for awhile to get the SOC down. You can google what happened to LiIon batteries and the plating that permanently reduces capacity when kept at 100% charge. It isn't as bad in NiMH, but it isn't good especially as you are turning off the car with 100% SOC and they are super warm. At the very least, leave the car in ON for 10 mins.

 

Nothing that you said contradicts what I said, and some of what you say appears to be wrong...

Going down a long downhill while braking, you will fill the battery to "100%" (really 80% SoC, the computer won't allow it to go any higher) whether in B or D. In B it will probably take slightly longer, and B also will slow you down more if you just let the car coast in both modes (because it increases the regen rate, and also uses the engine for some additional drag). Under no circumstances will it do anything to keep the battery from filling (e.g. taking charge stored in the battery and using that to spin the engine; as opposed to using your momentum to spin the engine, which it does do).

Any time the battery is over 60% SoC, the computer will try to use more battery power than normal until the SoC reaches 60%. The higher the SoC, the more aggressive it gets. This happens in both B and D. However, in B, the engine is far more likely to be running (even if it's producing zero power), because the car wants to keep it ready to spin up if you start coasting or braking. Because the engine is running more often in B (specifically, it tends to be running even when you are lightly pressing on the gas pedal), B mode is always less efficient - it's burning gas to keep the engine idling. In D mode, the engine will shut off while you are slowly accelerating, and you will only be on battery power.

Also, driving in reverse to burn SoC is just silly. Accelerating slowly or using EV mode will allow you to help the computer burn extra battery charge, without risking an "Unsafe Backing" ticket for driving a half mile in reverse.

B mode is provided to make it easier and safer to drive the car; helping you maintain an appropriate speed on long, steep descents, and reducing the likelihood of overheating your brakes from heavy use on such roads. It is not there to protect the battery; the car takes appropriate measures for this in all modes.