I use EV. My commute is mostly rural. EV is pure EV up until a speed in the 80's. (barring cold, defrost) EV Auto is EV + ICE if you press hard on the accelerator. (for more power)
I would be the same as you. I know drive mode changes from one to the next and stays there until you change it, even after shutting down and starting back up.
My car doesn't stay in the last mode EV/AE+/HV, it always defaults to EV if there's charge in the battery.
We have the 2017 advanced also.. Shows 164 mpg on 13000 miles so far. We live in Florida and drive a lot of short trips. It costs .69 to charge it when drive battery is empty. We get about 30 miles on a charge. Very pleased so far.
I use EV for most driving (commute is 17 miles with charging available at work), and when I eventually take it on a longer trip I will start in EV Auto then switch to HV on highway, saving some EV for local driving
I use EV and manual switch to HV. EV auto under my driving condition behaves same as EV. You are incorrect on this. As pointed out by @Bob Comer above, the car always defaults back to EV mode after shutting off provided there is sufficient charge left. If EV portion of the battery is depleted, then, of course, it will start in HV and stay that way until you charge.
EV. I'm always within range. I might do EV Auto if I go on a longer trip across town, outside of the EV range (for the total return distance) and I pre-warm the engine by switching to HV mode then to EV Auto once the engine has done its warm-up cycle. I find switching to EV Auto directly from EV has no impact and the car stays in EV mode until the battery is drained.
I agree with your driving style. I like ev auto for longer trips. I does a good job! Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
If it’s cold out, like mid teens to low twenties, I go with EV Auto. Transitions to HV on and off on its own as Heat is needed. It does this in EV as well but the temperature has to be much lower. But if it’s that cold I don’t usually wait and manually switch to HV to get heat. Spring through Fall I just leave it in EV as where I go is usually in range. iPad ? Pro
EV-Auto is pretty much what the 2012-2015 Prius PlugIn had. Step harder on the gas pedal and the gasoline engine comes on. The idea is to to maximize efficiency by using the most appropriate power source. EV mode says that you want to use only EV, regardless of which power source would be more efficient. My understanding is that EV mode was made the default for the Prime due to complaints from customers who wanted a pure EV experience, regardless of efficiency.
EV Auto (vs. EV) is used when you want more power, like when merging onto a crowded, fast moving freeway, or passing on a 2 lane road. EV mode doesn't output much power and falls flat on its face when you get up to 60 mph. I almost got rear ended once when merging onto a freeway in EV mode. EV Auto turns on the ICE when you push your foot into the accelerator. I don't think you have any more power available in EV Auto vs. HV mode though.
I have a question. If you are on EV AUTO and ICE has not turned on yet (i.e. a cold engine) and you floor the pedal at the highway merging, does the ICE give you full power immediately? I have never tried it myself, so I don't know the answer. But when I do manual switch from EV mode to HV mode during my regular driving of 30-40mph with a very conservative gas pedal push, even though the ICE comes on immediately after switching to HV mode, the engine has to go through the normal warm-up cycle before really start powering the car. During this time I am basically using EV battery power for the traction. When you floor the gas pedal, does the ICE skips the warm-up cycle and immediately start the traction?
You do since EV mode is limited to the power of the battery and the two MGs (~90hp). Net is 121hp with engine and MG2 so HV mode technically does have more power.
