EV mode from Coastaltech?? good, or no good?

I got one when they first came out, In fact, I had to wait a month or two because they were still testing when I ordered it, so I got one of the first production run, and I was the first member of PriusChat to install it.

I am very happy with it.

The ease of installation depends a lot on how small your hands are, and how nimble they are. I had a hard time dismantling the necessary portion of the dashboard, and then the plug you have to fiddle with is on very short wires, in a very cramped space. However, the only hard part is getting at it. Once you've done that, you merely insert a pin in a slot (you need a very tiny-pointed instrument to push it all the way in) and then you clamp a couple of connectors onto two wires. You don't have to run wires anywhere else, as you do if you install an actual button. And since the c/c stalk is right at your finger as you drive, you don't have to take your eye off the road to activate it. They say to hold the stalk 2 seconds. It seems to me more like 3.

Coastal Tech has a bad reputation for customer service. But their gadgets work. There are much cheaper ways to implement an EV switch (see Evan Fusco's article in the Knowledge Base.) But in my opinion, Coastal Tech's switch is the best solution because the c/c stalk is so convenient. And it is the easiest to install.

Hope this helps.

 

I got mine within a week or 2 of purchasing my 2007 Prius. I installed it the day I received it, and it took maybe a half hour to do. I could probably cut that in half if I did it a second time, I was going slow so as to avoid doing anything stupid, and to make sure I would remember how the dash went back together.

95% of the installation time was disassembling and reassembling the dash, the remaining 5% was finding the correct wires and making the correct connections. The instructions were very helpful, and really did a good job of walking me step by step through the whole process. I was amazed at how easily the dash came apart and went together, and once I identified the correct wires and was sure I wasn't about to make a mistake, the actual install was extremely easy.

I've had my car for about 10 weeks now, and the EV mod works perfectly every time I use it.

On the other hand I don't use it very often. There aren't really very many opportunities to increase your MPG with it. Mostly it is "for entertainment purposes only". In otherwords, a friend, co-worker, or family member is getting their first ever close up experience with a Prius, so I turn on the EV so I can start up the car and pull out (or pull in and stop the car, or drive past) without the ICE turning on.

If you want to turn EV on and off frequently (like some of the high MPG people do) to shut off the ICE everytime you are approaching a stop after S1, the Coastal mod isn't very convenient because you have to hold the CC cancel for approx. 2 seconds to toggel EV. That delay can get to be annoying if you are trying to use it frequently.

 

I ordered and installed mine within the first 2 weeks of owning the prius, works great, I do not use it everyday, But when I use it it works flawlessly. However I do not recommend their trailer hitch. Use a Curt instead.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Danny Hamilton @ Jul 6 2007, 11:08 AM) [snapback]474141[/snapback]</div>

Being such a klutz, it took me nearly an hour, but like you, most of that time was the dashboard, which I had a hard time with. And the small space to work inside.

I use my EV a lot. Driving in a residential neighborhood when the car is not in Stage 4 operation, I accelerate with the engine, and then shut it off, driving on electric to the next stop sign, then turn the engine back on to accelerate again, etc. I don't do it for mpg. I do it because I don't like gas engines, and I like the feel of driving without it.

Using it frequently is not a problem for me. You merely have to anticipate by a few seconds when you want the engine to start or stop. Using a button on the dashboard that frequently would be too many times taking my hand off the whel and my eye off the road.

In the end I bought a real EV and now most of my driving is pure electric. I drive the Prius only when I have to go farther than the 45-mile range of my electric car.

 

I ordered the EV switch from Coastaltech this past Sunday, and it arrived today. I purchased the Auto-lock device at the same time, figuring it would be easier to install them together, which turned out to be the case.

The hardest part was getting my hands in there to work. Perhaps my wiring harnesses were taped more snugly than some, but I certainly couldn't pull the wires out to work on them like it showed in the photos. But the installation instructions were very clearly written. I also found my fiber optic scope very helpful in finding the proper wires to tap into, since the working quarters were so tight. It also helped to check the connections afterwards.

My primary reason for wanting the EV capability is for moving the car short distances, such as just moving it out of the garage for a short time. With any ICE, one of the worst things you can do to it is start it up, and then shut it down before it has a chance to warm up. With my previous cars, I'd often push them out of the garage in neutral, and not pull it back in until after I had to go somewhere. Perhaps the EV mode will help me to act just a little less crazy. :blink:

 

Just make sure you engage it before the auto-warm up period kicks in. Once the engine is running it will not stop it.

I have gotten pretty good at feathering the gas so I do not use it very much. I only use it to move short distances or force the car to go into EV mode when the battery is almost full and I know I have a chance to regen the energy in my route ahead (ie coasting or hill). Sometimes I have to force it to disengage by quickly pressing on the gas and letting up or speeding pu to 34 mph.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tadashi @ Jul 14 2007, 12:45 AM) [snapback]478510[/snapback]</div>

Tadashi,

Thanks for the pointers. I haven't really used it yet, other than to confirm that my installation worked. I'm looking forward to exploring its possibilities.

One thing I noticed when testing it is that I don't hear any beeps when it engages or disengages (I even made sure my seat belt was already on when starting, so that warning wouldn't over-ride the EV beep.) The only EV indication I ever saw was when I purposely tried to engage it when it shouldn't work, and the MFD gave a message to that effect.

I'm wondering whether others get beeps or not when engaging EV mode.

 

Go with the OEM EV button from Simga Automotive. It is easy to install and you get a cool factory EV button to push when you want to engage/disengage EV mode. And when you have your headlights on it glows green.

I'm glad I held out for the OEM EV button over Coastaltech's cruise EV.

Also, you won't get any beeps or anything from any of the EV mode options. The only signal you'll ever get is the denial 3 beeps and MFD display saying "cannot switch to EV mode". That is normal GeoDosch