Jungle Motors Prius Plug In Kit

FWIW, a few regulars in the Yahoo! Prius_Technical_Stuff forum have reported seeing (on a Scanguage) the ICE not turning at speeds somewhat above 42 mph and MG1 above the putative redline, even in a stock Classic Prius. There has been speculation the redline may be for the inverter when MG1 is being used for a motor rather than for a generator.

The 6500 rpm limit was for the Classic (NHW11), while in the NHW20 the limit is supposed to be 10,000 rpm. Says JerryW: "MG1 would not be exceeding its rev range until well over 70mph. I don't think we know why the ICE still starts up at 42mph now. I don't, anyway.."

Mike

It seems that individual Prius act differently. Mine almost always runs the ICE any time the battery status indicator shows blue bars, and will only cruise on battery if the indicator is showing green. I have managed about 40 mph on battery only when the load was light (gentle downhill slope); straight and level (or as near as it gets--I live in tidewater country, and there are still often gentle grades on streets and highways.)

The ECU in the Prius will 'learn' your individual driving habits and modify its parameters accordingly. I don't know enough about exactly how it does that to explain the situation you described, though possibly based on your driving habits there are often situations where the battery will discharge rapidly, so it attempts to top it off whenever possible. In my '07 I have no problem driving for long stretches with the ICE off. My MFD battery display is often showing blue, though rarely goes below half the bars showing.

Mine too. Which is why I really wish that it would use the electrics moreso than it does now. Tomes