EV Miles estimate after Full Charge LOW

Yes, I believe you are correct in your analysis of my driving. However, I try to end the 60 mile trips with no EV remaining most of the time. Would it be better to burn the EV miles going uphill? It seems to me better to burn them going downhill so the ICE is off for a longer period of time. My overall calculated MPG after 5,000 miles is 80, but since that includes lots of short all EV trips and some long trips only on EV, it doesn't tell the entire story of my 60 mile trips. A recent 200 mile trip starting with a full charge and not charging again resulted in the vehicle telling me I got 68 MPG which seemed very good to me. My 2004 would probably have been in the low 50's for such a trip.

 

I was not suggesting that its not a good strategy to improve you overall MPG. I don't have enough experience to say one way or another. There are threads where people say you should use the HV as you suggest, and others that say its best to use HV uphill and "Stack" EV to use on flats and at low-speeds. Others say to just leave it in EV so it blends and even a few that suggest EV for the beginning/end of the trip and HV in the highway. People are still experimenting on what works for them, with a few doing more controlled experiments, but its not clear how they translate to others. I think the answer is it depends more on your driving style, terrain and temps, so different strokes for different folks. But if you've done experiments with/without it, then you know what works for you, then keep doing that.

My comment was that by stacking, one can inflate the EV miles and/or EV percentage and that presenting that here may be a bit confusing for newbies who cannot understand why they cannot get that type of EV range from a charge. Given the thread and some of the other posters I was just trying to clarify why you might be showing 17 but they are only getting 10.. its at least (and maybe mostly) an accounting trick.

 

I have had my pip since April 23rd. Filled my tank on the 24th after driving home from dealer in New York. 373.4 miles x 7.444 gallons = 50.16 mpg. Have 1250 miles now. with five gallons of gas left in the tank. so......876.6 miles/5=175.2 mpg. 90% of the time I'm using all EV since most of my trips are within 11 miles total between charges. My trip odo I reset every time I charge up. Most of the time it's at 12 miles. ( due to the fact I coast to the traffic light.) My EV at full charge with A/C off is 11.6 average. when I turn A/C on, EV range is 9.6

 

thank you for the sanity pk.

 

Disconnect the negative terminal on your battery. Wait a few seconds/minute(s), then reconnect. When you turn the car on (with a full charge), you should see somewhere around 13-14 EV miles.

You'll lose your Trip meter data and EV Driving screen data. You'll also need to reset your clock. But your navigation settings, radio presets, and the monthly MPG totals will still be there.

 

Upon reflection, I don't think I was "stacking" as you describe it. Stacking increases the projected EV miles. When I travel at 60 MPH going a little downhill, most of the time it takes energy from the battery. Indeed, that is why I was doing it, because I wanted to use up the battery before arriving home. However, doing that increases the projected EV miles because it takes just a little energy to move the car downhill. I think that is a more efficient way to use the battery, rather than using the EV going uphill.

 

I also live at the top of a 2 mile hill so it's HV all the way home!! Before I always tried to EV it home to run out the charge.

I can guarantee you that this is what was causing your EV mileage to drop so low. You may have been draining your traction battery down before getting home, but you were also doing it over a very short distance. Hills kill the battery range quickly. I use to force my PIP to stay in EV all the time when I drove up a very steep hill, but my EV mileage kept dropping. Once I manually changed into HV mode for the climb, or just stepped on it hard and use the gas for a short time, my EV range started to climb again. Remember the car's computer makes its estimates on how far you travel using up your batteries charge, not just on how much energy you used total. If you use up the last of your charge going 5 miles on a flat surface rather then going up hill for 2 miles, the car's computer would start to set higher. It will take time, but your EV mileage will start to come up. Where you drive as well as how you drive both effects EV mileage. A little bit of gasoline at the right times goes a long way to save EV range, and give you the best over all efficiency for your PIP.

 

Thanks for the feedback and added data. Actually stacking increases actual EV miles as well as projected EV range. It using the HV/EV switching you dont' use the EV and then can generate extra power on the downhills. But yes if you are using at high speed downhill or using EV it for flats then its not doing much regen (except maybe at stop signs), which is less like stacking, more of a power-shifting. Have you measured the impact on overall MPGe?

 

No, and I am not sure how to calculate it. I do keep track of the KWh that the car tells me it uses, but I do not measure it from the wall. I started to, but purchased the wrong Kill a Watt meter and the plug would not fit. Also, I am not sure the car's figure would help me as it rounds off and each trip is only 60 miles. Between trips there are lots of short EV trips.

On a related topic, I know you drive a Volt, but have you heard of a way to erase the set point established by the PIP when the EV/HV button is pushed to go from EV to HV? I have the feeling that on a long trip, slowly using the battery in HV mode might really help mileage.

 

Excellent idea to have such a gauge!

 

it really is a measure of capacity. when it's full, it's full. it's only when it's not full that it's difficult to tell what % of full it is.

 

Hmmm, sounds just like the gas tank.

 

For most, if not all rechargable batteries, there is a min safe point and a maximum safe point. Which is about 20 - 80 % on both the EV portion and the HV portion of the battery total. To drive them to these safe, by design extremes is generally healthy for thier best operation. To go beyond these extremes is bad for the batteries. This is supposedly impossible because Toyota designed it so. However, how do you know that your house current is OK? How do you know that your charging cable has no problems. How do you know that that Total DC charge emitted from the lit-ion batteries is up specs ( at thier various RPMS ) How do you know with respect to the AC emitted from the inverter is also up to spec based again on RPM and load ranges. The head Toyota service mechanic has a computer that should be able to read all these parameters AND give you a hard copy and explain the details. You may be dealing with people that are in no way knowledgeable about the Prius in general, even less a PIP. If this line of logic is not followed then they are just trying to blow you off, by test driving your vehicle for two days, they are pretending they know more thaan you do, and they don't and when they return the car and tell you everything is ok, you are then left between a rock and a hard place and you must then take thier word for it ( until next time ) If you remember Generations 1,2 and 3 had enormous 12 Volt battery problems, they could not even check the 12 Volt batteries. This went on for years and for thousands of customers. Finally, with the PIP they fixed that problem. It took 15 years tho! If you don't face the problem you can't fix it. It is up to the customer to force the issue. Good Luck. To all the techies, should any of my line of logic be erroneous, please feel free to correct me. I'm tough.

 

what did they do to the pip 12v?

 

Oh I had assumed you knew about it Bisco, what they did was BRILLIANT! Each and everytime you plug in, the 12V is charging. I think that a 12V problem anymore will be very rare.
Tho not impossible.

 

good to know

 

that's interesting, is it the same 12v as the non pip?

 

As far as I know, elements that are identical are identical with the identical electrons, neutrons, protons and other other a assorted invisible minutia. You can't take 12v from your non-pip and put it in your pip tho, Page 187 of the owners manual prohibits electron transferability. On a trip you can stick a small capacitor in your pocket to be use it in a emergency. ONE FARADis just the right size. ( All kidding aside, I really don't understand your question. ) So what is your question ? Andy.