Another reason to use Charge mode. Regarding Remote Air Conditioning: "The system may not start in the following situations: ●The charge level of the hybrid battery (traction battery) is low"
EV mode also has a top speed(81mph?) lower than the car can do. So the Prime isn't an EREV like the Volt, be it greatly minimizes any blending done in EV mode. Yes, EV auto sounds like is the best for your use. Depends on what you plan on doing at the end of that trip. The car going to be parked before returning, just use EV auto, or HV while cruising to save EV for use on surface streets. If using the car on short trips while at the destination, use HV to save the Charge to EV those trips, or use EV auto, and replenish the battery before you get there with charge mode..
Yes, but it was above the Ev line, the engine stopped the instant I let off the throttle and the next two miles were all Ev.
Why I left it to the actual driver to decide on how to precede. I'd personally use HV on the highway to save some EV for the highway to final stop portion, but not everyone wants to put the thought in for that, which is why Toyota put EV auto in the car.
Toyota did not 'put' EV Auto for that reason. A driver who 'does not want to put the thought in it' will find himself in EV mode at the beginning of the trip because this is the default mode of use when there is charge. EV auto is user selectable every time the car is started as long as there is EV range left. I was under the impression you are recommending the O/P (who wanted us to put a thought in it) to select EV auto (or HV) in order to save charge for later lower speed surface streets driving, which is, of course, no true for EV auto. But maybe it is my English...
As far as I am aware, EV Auto in the Prime is a first for PHEVs. It is a blended mode in which the system priorities overall efficiency. With EV and HV mode being driver selectable, the only reason to have EV Auto is for those drivers that don't want to deal with when it is best to use EV or HV. EV mode is the default in a PHEV because it is assumed most trips are going to be within the EV range. I was laying out the options to the OP. You could use HV and EV modes at the times you think it is most beneficial to do so, or you can use EV auto instead.
Those pages make it sound like EV-auto is very similar to EV unless the power demand is quite high, in which case the engine comes on to add power. That sounds less than ideal since the engine may be cold. Anyone with actual experience ? I'd also like to know how the battery SOC is handled in HV mode.
In HV mode the engine is also cold at the beginning. In EV auto, second time the engine will be needed it will be relatively warm (it's only ~25 total EV miles available).
True, but in HV mode I at least am driving slowly through my neighborhood and the warm-up is efficient; or in a Prime during a long drive I'll engage HV during an opportune time.
