Is it OK to switch modes while in motion?

won't hurt a thing...i switch back and forth as needed...

 

You will notice difference in accelerations and responsiveness among the various modes. But no the car is not going to "break" just playing with those buttons since the computer makes the transitions smooth.

 

correct

 

#1 in Easley,SC

 

Something I didn't know. Will probably be using this a lot now lol. Thanks!

 

You might want to register with Toyota Owners Official Web Site with your VIN number, and then you can download PDF versions of the manuals. Then it is easy to search electronically for terms...

 

There should be a manual available online. They usually go for on ebay anyways

 

Thanks for posting that. I thought it must be possible but had not found it yet in the manual.

 

It's all software.

In HV mode the car is constantly switching the ICE on and off (it's always doing some sort of electric drive at a minimum just to engage the sun gears in the transmission even if the ICE is on).

those buttons just change the pedal mapping (echo/normal/pwr, the ac settings (echo/others)) and how and when the ICE comes on (hv vs ev vs ev auto). All of that is controlled by the computer and those buttons are simply inputs to the computer. The computer is ultimately the thing that decides what to run and where and these are just settings, but ultimately it's all up to the computer.

 

When will force charging be necessary?

 

It is probably never "necessary" to use the Charge Mode. But if you are low or out of EV range, and you are on highway at fairly good speed 50-70mph, and expect to hit a stop-and-go city traffic later before you have a chance to plug-in, then you can use the Charge Mode to increase EV range (up to 80% max) so you can do pure EV drive later. Still it is generally not cost effective to use gas engine to charge the battery.

 

Well during normal HV operation the battery is always “force charged” while the engine is running up to the HV level. But if you are talking about force charging the EV level by pressing the EV/HV button for 3 seconds, then no. It’s not a necessity unless you have a specific requirement. Here’s a couple scenarios where it may require you to use it.

1) if you go on a trip and end up using all of your EV before getting there and you want to use remote climate (or the A/C button).

2) if you go on a trip and end up using all of your EV before getting there and you want to use EV instead of gas. Like pulling into the neighborhood at 3 AM and don’t want to wake anyone.

This of course assumes there is no (or cheap) charging structure en route.


Unsupervised!

 

That was my thought. I think the hybrid would make better sense. If in stop and go traffic the ice will run infrequently and the braking will charge it back up.

How does the forced charging work differently than the regular hybrid charging?

 

The engine stays on until force charging is either canceled (by pressing the EV/HV button again or the EV Auto button) or it charges the battery up 80%.


Unsupervised!

 

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks.

 

that's 80% of the whole battery, not just the 'hybrid' portion

 

To be more specific, 80% of the portion of the battery that Toyota makes available for EV/HV driving. It will show as 80% on the SOC indicator.