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Pulse n glide, Prius C, on congested city roads

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Aqua2014owner, Apr 17, 2018.

  1. Aqua2014owner

    Aqua2014owner New Member

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    I drive my Prius C 2014 (Toyota Aqua Japanese domestic model) mostly on congested city roads, My 'Pulse n glide' involves acceleration for just a few seconds so that the ICE kicks in for 2-4 seconds and then go back to EV when I lift my foot from the paddle, I keep on repeating this, it gives me a better mileage on city roads, I wanted to know if these repeated very brief start/stop of ICE would damage my car in any way? Maybe someone with technical knowledge or some Prius C user who has done the same for considerable time can answer?
     
    #1 Aqua2014owner, Apr 17, 2018
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    You appear to be overthinking this.

    IF.....you are purposely accelerating hard enough to force the ICE to run, you are defeating one of the best features of the hybrid.
    That is: Running off the battery only (if there is enough charge) when the propulsion load is extremely light.
     
    #2 sam spade 2, Apr 17, 2018
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Are you kidding me? You don't even know the basics of P&G on a Prius forum?

    You're fine. Unlike a regular car that requires a starter motor to start the engine (and it does so at 100rpm), the electric motors in a Prius start the engine (and actually spin the engine to around 1,000rpm before ignition) so wear & tear on the engine is much less than a regular car in a similar situation.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Apr 17, 2018
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  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    YOU don't have a clue as to what I know and what I don't.

    "Pulse and glide" was "invented" long before hybrids even existed.
    Some of those principles were used in engineering for better fuel efficiency in hybrids.

    Maybe you understand less about Physics than you think..
    Just maybe.
     
    #4 sam spade 2, Apr 17, 2018
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You're correct. I don't.

    But the OP is asking about P&G and you straight up insulted him by essentially saying "no, you should stay in EV mode". We know that drains the battery and increases fuel consumption.

    Besides gliding at low speeds, essentially takes air resistance out of the equation (for simplification). You're requesting electrical potential energy to be converted into kinetic energy but that has to come from somewhere and that's the engine.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Apr 17, 2018
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  6. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    I said nothing about "modes" but "we" know no such thing.

    The battery is THERE, partly, to be USED when the energy requirements are small.
    It then can be recharged when the ICE is needed for propulsion or when stopping or coasting downhill.

    Forcing the ICE to run when it really is not really needed is purposely defeating part of the design engineering.
    You can believe whatever you want about the impact that has on fuel consumption but believing it doesn't necessarily make it right.
     
    #6 sam spade 2, Apr 18, 2018
  7. Aqua2014owner

    Aqua2014owner New Member

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    I admit that I am a novice, but I read somewhere that Prius ICS is most fuel efficient when accelerating slowly, I have also found( I may be wrong) that maximum charging occurs when accelerating, now when I drive slowly on city road the battery runs down quickly & ICS kicks in and another charge/discharge cycle starts, but what I do differently (as i described) keeps my battery charged 3-5 bars, and when i am in an area just inching forwards I use up the battery, giving me a better mileage, up from 10-12 Km/L to as much as 14-16 Km/L (on a short stop n go trip). I have verified this several times, Tideland Prius a moderator has answered my question saying

    "You're fine. Unlike a regular car that requires a starter motor to start the engine (and it does so at 100rpm), the electric motors in a Prius start the engine (and actually spin the engine to around 1,000rpm before ignition) so wear & tear on the engine is much less than a regular car in a similar situation."
     
    #7 Aqua2014owner, Apr 18, 2018
  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I am going to try a different response.

    If traffic is congested, do NOT Pulse and Glide, it will just annoy everyone around you.

    P&G is fine on deserted roads.
     
    #8 JimboPalmer, Apr 18, 2018
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