Does Prius do this?

06 Highlander Hybrid:

Driving around town,

-on flat & level terrain

-with only the driver; no passengers

-with no cargo

-when not in any terrible rush: ...if the throttle is opened a VERY small amount, the vehicle runs on battery and the gas engine does not start, which is GREAT!

HOWEVER: If the trottle is opened just slightly more than a small amount, the gas engine starts, when there is no pressing need to do so.

I drive _very_ leasurly, coast to red lights, accelerate slowly, never exceed the speed limit, and yet the vehicle still falls short of the advertised fuel economy.

Is the vehicle designed to needlessly start the gas engine, consuming more fuel than necessary, or is mine malfunctioning? How can I determine whether my vehicle is performing as intended by the manufacturer, in terms of the hybrid system's behavior with regard to gas vs. battery power usage?

Reply to
bicycle6228
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Well, that's more or less how the Prius works, but there's a lot of ambiguity in your statements. "when not in any terrible rush" "if the throttle is opened a VERY small amount" "when there is no pressing need to do so" "accelerate slowly" "needlessly start the gas engine"

I can exceed the speed limit in my Prius and accelerate "moderately" (there's that ambiguity again), and still not have the gasoline engine cut in. There's more to it than that, though. In general I get places faster than people in non-hybrids, and while I only average about

47mpg, I understand it's mainly because of warmup time on my SIX MILE trip. When I take a longer route to and from work, I get in the high 60's and low 70's because of a number of factors, including warmup time, slope each way, traffic congestion, coasting, weather, and a whole lot more factors than just playing with the throttle.

I'm not try> 06 Highlander Hybrid:

Reply to
Miwaku

It's almost certainly working right. The engine and catalytic convertor have to stay warm enough to keep pollution emissions low.

Reply to
richard schumacher

Advertised fuel economy is the EPA estimate that most people complain about never achieving. You can if you drive under the same conditions as the computer model that is used to determine these estimates. On my Prius, I find that I get the advertised 60 MPG in slow moving commute traffic on the freeway (10 to 35 MPH). But then... I have HOV access so I don't end up that situation to often.

(I still find it ironic that us small hybrid owners get special access to HOV lanes when we get our best gas mileage while stuck in traffic)

To answer your subject line question: Yes, the Prius does the same thing. As mentioned by a previous poster, a major factor is emissions. Particularly the catalyst - it has to stay very warm to function properly. This is one of the reasons, in addition to changes in gas formulations and using the heater, that many people see their mileage drop in winter. During cold weather, the engine has to run even more to maintain proper temperature.

Priuses sold in some places outside the US have an "EV" button that forces the car to run electric only at low speed (there are conditions that override this). Emission requirements are really the only reason this capability is not installed on US verisons (though it can be added). I don't know if HyHi has a similar system on overseas versions.

Reply to
Curtis CCR

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