Today while driving with a very low SOC (after blasting the aircon while stationary for 10mins), i noticed the ICE was doing most of the work... which made me wonder, what kind of MPG would the Prius get without the whole HSD system? i know there's no real way of knowing, but i'd say it would be pretty in-efficient?
You would need a different type of transmission and the Atkins cycle engine would be pretty miserable without the HSD so you would need to get rid of the Atkins cycle which would hurt efficiency. Mileage would be close to what a Corolla gets. Prius aerodynamics are better than a Corolla's but the Prius is a little heavier, not much if you take out the HSD stuff though. Maybe a 2 or 3 hundred lbs.
You mean if it was just a 1.8 petrol engined car with the aerodynamics as is? Probably not much more efficient than any other 1.8 petrol engined car. Thing is, the Prius is designed from the top down (or is that bottom up?) and all parts are designed for each other. The atkinson engine would be almost undriveable without the hybrid assistance etc.
In most cars, the ICE is sized to provide acceleration up to it's maximum speed. This leaves wildly excess capacity for cruising at constant speed on level ground, about 20 HP is needed at 60 MPH. Gas (petrol) cars control excess capacity by closing the throttle, restricting airflow. Getting air past this (almost) closed throttle is called 'pumping loss'. In the Prius the ICE is sized to cruise at top speed, but not to accelerate to there. This makes it do a larger percentage of it's maximum work just cruising at normal speeds, so the throttle is opened wider, reducing pumping losses. Such a wimpy engine without the help of the battery powered MG2 would be a slug. (I once owned a Mazda GLC with a 1.2 liter 68 HP ICE hooked to a 4 speed manual. It could not hold a 55 MPH cruise on hills, slowing to 35 MPH, the top of second gear) Some owners who climb sustained hills can run out of battery charge, then the Prius is a slug, but most of us never run out of HV Battery charge. (The land speed Prius was actually slowing through the measured mile as it took so much battery to gain top speed, 132 MPH)
Comparing Prius to other ICE cars by weight and class, I'm thinking about 30 MPG highway. In town, who knows. How many red lights you sitting at? Fortunately, this is not an issue we Prius owners have to worry about. Happy Motoring.
It would be similar to the Matrix but with a bit lower MPG. Matrix is based on Corolla platform. Prius shares the same platform with the Avensis. Avensis is bigger than Corolla but smaller than Camry.
It should beat a Matrix. A matrix is only 80 lbs lighter than a Prius, which is approximately nothing, but has poorer aerodynamics
I'm with qbee on this one. Without the HSD it doesn't make much sense, it's what allows the ICE start/stop, which gives you glide vs. coast, shutoff at lights, etc. I know the hypermilers mantra is to use the battery as little as possible, but that's only for actually moving the car. It's still an essential part for the rest of the hybrid system.
There are a lot of 60 kw powered cars in Europe. Pick one with Prius friction and weight and look up its fuel economy.
A Prius without HSD.... Hmmmmm..... Why bother? Just get a Corolla...or a Civic...or a Sentra....or an Elantra....or a Cruise.... (you see the pattern?) What are you talking about? They did OK with the C.S.S. Hunley...well....(*) expect for the fact that they had a bit of a high crew turn-over rate with it, that is....
On the plus side, no reenlistment bonuses to pay, and no retirement issues. On the other hand, they needed more than the Blue and Gold crews. How many colors are there? Tom
The "Grey" crew. My first day in Sub School: Old chief walks up to the chalk board and draws a line across the top: "That's the surface.", he says. He draws another line an inch beneath the first and says: "That's crush depth" He raws a third line at the bottom, and says: "That's the ocean floor, and alllllll that space in between...is why you get sub pay!" 31 years, and I haven't forgotten....
