Toyota UK unveiling of Prius PHV

1) i think i read that it warms the battery after you start driving, if the temp is below 32f.

2) charging the battery with the ice will be less efficient, but helpful if you're low, and need the battery to enter a city or climb a mountain.

 

Yes, it's ultimately a "mountain mode". That said, given the difference between ICE-only and HV power (96 vs. 121) in the Gen 4, not exactly that important for actually climbing mountains, and the standard Gen 4 doesn't have such a mode unless you come to a stop and force charge it (but it is important for entering European city centers that ban or heavily tax ICE operation).

In the BMW i3, where ICE-only is 34 hp, versus 170 hp otherwise, it's critical for mountain climbing. In the Gen 1 Volt, where ICE-only is something like 84 hp, versus 150 hp otherwise, it's really nice to have.

 

Using the battery warms it up so I think that when driving - no external warming is required (and sometimes cooling is required).
As far as I remember reading, battery preconditioning starts after charging (and before driving) in a cold weather to keep the battery warm and healthy. I think this operation has two purposes:
Obviously to minimize the reduction in battery performance in cold weather.
Maybe to protect the battery from cooling down considerably when it is fully charged (and relatively warm) which may mean overcharge. (Just my speculation...no source to cite).

 

1. It will behave at least as good as normal Prius, that also comes wit li-ion, just not in EU
2. suppose you drive long highway and you know you will be driving a lot of city trafic with AC at your destination. This way is better for local city air, even if you used more total gas than not using this mode.

 

Cold is a vague term. Just under freezing, EV would still be readily available. Much colder, no, unless it's parked inside a garage. Driving in the extreme cold is already realistic, as this PHV video shows:

As for the magic charge-mode, there is said to be one. I'll find it quite handy on the long trips I routinely take. The drop off MPG while cruising will really be offset by off-highway driving after that.

 

1. It sounded like this preconditioning was mainly the cabin HVAC. Remember, the pack is cooled by drawing in cabin air by a fan. Pre-condition the cabin to your comfort, and the battery will be too. Aside from some speciality batteries, Li-ion batteries won't charge when the electrolyte reaches freezing. For those rare cases when this happens, the Prime likely has a heat mat for the pack. The Leaf has one.

2. It's main point is for markets in which cities can have no ICE sections. So you can have a full charge when you get there. According to Danny, the mode doesn't have a specific switch, and you enter it by holding the EV, hybrid, or both switches for a couple seconds.