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Sneak Peek of the New Prius #9

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Danny, Dec 1, 2008.

  1. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    The Prius Team has posted their 9th Sneak Peek of the Gen III Prius over on CleanMPG

    [​IMG]

    Prius-III Sneak Peek #9 - CleanMPG Forums
     

    Attached Files:

  2. blazer_5154

    blazer_5154 Heh, you said "member"

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    And the third button is.... ????
     
  3. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Normal Mode?

    Power Mode is interesting. I believe this is the first time in any HSD hybrids.
     
  4. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    ECO mode better get me 100+MPG and PWR mode better get me 0-60 in 4 seconds or I will be disappointed. :)
     
  5. jprates

    jprates https://ecomove.pt

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    Or perhaps EV mode?

    We have the EV button here in Europe since ever, but I'm not sure if you guys in the USA have received it on the touring edition... have you?

    It would make sense to me to make the 3rd button the EV one. You either drive for consumption, for power, or in EV. What kind of behavior would the car be required to have in "normal" mode? :confused:
     
  6. DeadPhish

    DeadPhish Senior Member

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    It would make sense that the 3rd is an EV Mode. It already exists on the Highlander Hybrid so it makes sense to extend it to the primary hybrid in the lineup. Afterall....... Prius = Hybrid
     
  7. JSH

    JSH Senior Member

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    The US spec Prius has never had an EV button. It would be nice for moving the vehicle in and out of the garage.
     
  8. jprates

    jprates https://ecomove.pt

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    And in closed parking lots. I find it a must. It is our moral obligation to drive in EV mode inside closed spaces.

    I think I have the location for this buttons... they are black, so they must be on the center console... and looking at the spy photos I think I got them here:

    [​IMG]

    The leftmost button is CLEARLY the EV button symbol, the exact same symbol just like we have today, this one:

    [​IMG]
     
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Nice!!!
     
  10. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Perhaps the buttons are:

    1) Hybrid Mode which presents the HSD we all know and love.
    2) ECO Mode which is battery only (EV button).
    3) Power Mode which is ICE only.
     
  11. jprates

    jprates https://ecomove.pt

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    It can hardly be the case Tony.

    The Prius without MG2 is a turtle. Running on ICE alone makes no sense for Power mode. Maybe for OPEC mode it would though LOL :D

    See my post above, you can clearly see the 3 buttons, and the leftmost is the EV button.

    This one was easy... can't wait for next Monday LOL :cool:
     
  12. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    You're right about the ICE and it occurred to me only now that you point it out.

    You say that this one was easy but I have yet to see the answer written out: if the first is EV as you say, what exactly are the differences between ECO and POWER modes? When would I use one over the other and why?
     
  13. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I do believe we have a winner folks, jprates you have done well!!

    Funny thing is I thought we already had the power and eco mode which the driver determines with his right foot.

    I'd love to know more about the eco and power modes. Would be good if the car gathered statistics that Toyota could publish on the % use of the 3 modes.
     
  14. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    my guess is that it's the EV button.. and ... a norm button doesn't make sense.. if you accelerate too hard or press the ev button again, it kills EV.. and power, i assume, is based off how much battery you have.. unless power means a higher ICE rpm?


    my point being; you press to engage, you press to disengage.
     
  15. jprates

    jprates https://ecomove.pt

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    I meant it was easy to spot the buttons on the console, and to realize the first one was the EV button.

    Concerning the differences on HSD behavior in each mode, one can only speculate...

    I would risk saying that the difference will be ICE controlled rpm. The eco mode would not let the ICE go out of the most efficient regime, i.e. specific power (consumption/power). The power mode would do the opposite, i.e. not care about efficiency and simply put as much juice available as possible, combining the ICE and MGs the best way it could.

    This is not very different from what happens today when in EV button, it's all about software control. When we press the EV button, the ICE will not fire even if I ask for too much power from MG2 up to a certain limit. It's all about redefining the power and torque limits that each component of the HSD can tackle in each mode I would say.
     
  16. jprates

    jprates https://ecomove.pt

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    Eheheheh thanks! :D

    Ultimately you are in control, no matter how sofisticated the control software is. But just think for a minute: if we have this much fun driving these babies around with only 2 modes (normal and EV), imagine in the future with 3 modes... oooohhhhhh :rockon:

    Keep on dreaming! So you want a personal logger on board the Prius coming straight from the factory ehm??? You can ask Santa... eheheh ;)
     
  17. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    My Volvo 850 had an "Economy Mode" and a "Sport Mode":

    [​IMG] Economy Mode

    This mode is used for normal driving. The gearbox changes gears at a lower engine speed to achieve the lowest possible fuel consumption.

    [​IMG] Sport Mode

    This mode is adapted to "sporty" driving characteristics. The transmission upshifts at higher engine speeds and less accelerator pedal pressure is required to initiate a downshift.
     
  18. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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  19. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    sport is featured in toyota crown hybrid - it spends more electricity for acceleration, and regenerates more aggresivly from ICE.. eco does the opposite and lower A/C.

    Makes a lot of sense, and I love the fact they are there.

    And looks like people already guessed where it is - good spot, looks like it is meant to be used...
     
  20. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Balance between Eco and Pwr... like the current Prius as we don't have neither modes.

    EV Mode makes sense too.