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2012 prius v not switching to ev mode

Discussion in 'Prius v Technical Discussion' started by Rick K, Oct 13, 2020.

  1. whitmanrf

    whitmanrf Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Is the car in [D]... or ? In Brake Mode it won’t go into EV.

     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    The OP went away on Oct 14th so some of us changed the subject.

    I did not realize B Mode locks out EV at idle leaving the engine idling. I tried it in the neighborhood and found it to be true on a v. But for normal driving (other than long mountain downhills) B mode is wasteful and will lower your mpg. Besides the engine running when it does not need to, a portion of the regen energy that should go to the battery is being wasted to spin the engine, eg for engine braking. Most of the discussion on the subject was back in the gen2 days with all sorts of theories. Since the v is a gen3, regen's capabilities were improved enough that more energy can be lost.

    There is some discussion on gen3 regen in the following: "B" Is For Bad - 2004 Toyota Prius Long-Term Road Test
     
    #22 rjparker, Nov 10, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2020
  3. Capt Moose

    Capt Moose Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    I can answer the OP original question from experience. My 2013 was experiencing high-revving at stop signs or while coasting and would also not switch to EV mode without a significantly long delay. After Chasing a bunch of more complicated suggestions as I see have been suggested in this thread, I checked the 12-volt battery and found low voltage. Seems the ice wanted to keep charging that bad battery which was the original battery.

    I installed a new Optima battery and I'm happy to report that my mileage went back up, the car does not rev High, and it easily switches to EV mode when it should. So it could be as simple as changing out the 12 volt battery.

    Someone posted it on this forum but the diagnostic screen on the radio is very easy to pull up. Switch the car to on or auxiliary, hold down the car button and cycle the parking lights on and off 4 times rapidly. A diagnostic menu will pop up on your radio. Click on the function check / setting then vehicle signal and you can see your battery voltage.
     
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  4. prevee5

    prevee5 Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    I have a 2012 Prius v with about 130K miles. Had the Inverter Transistor Pack replaced a couple months ago under warranty.
    I now notice ever since that service, the ICE seems to run more than before the service. When I first power on, it runs as usual but doesn’t turn off for about 5 + minutes. Then when coming to a stop, the ICE stays on for another minute or so. This happens even when engine is warm and charge indicator is at least 75%. Car has a new 12V battery.
    Any clue on what might be happening here? Anyone else experience this? Just hoping it’s not the hybrid battery failing.
     
  5. Tim Jones

    Tim Jones Senior Member

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    Yikes..... I used newpriusbatteries.com