Ok, I get that a regular car with an automatic transmission will creep forward unless you keep your foot on the brake. Why does that happen in our cars when they are in EV mode at a stop? Unless the pedal is pressed to send power to the electric propulsion system why shouldn't it just sit there absent influence from gravity?
Because that's what people expect, same reason some CVTs have "gears". Seems dumb to me that the default action is for the vehicle to move, but that's just the way it is. Only way to fight it is to drive a manual.
You'd think if they are willing to go against the grain with that awful reverse beeper they'd be willing to go against the grain and let the car stand at a stop without brake pressure and without creep. I wonder if that's a programmable setting we could change.
no, it can't be changed. but it can be helpful in some situations, where you want to move, while having your foot on the brake 'at the ready'. a fraction of a second lost, transferring from gas to brake can be deadly.
I imagine it being a safety feature too. If you're stopped at a red light, with creeping you'd naturally hold the brake. So if someone rear ends the car you don't go flying into the car in front of you. If we wouldn't have creeping I'm sure a lot of people would release the brake pedal once they are stopped at a light.
My take... When you are stopped and brakes are applied, no power is sent at all to the transaxle. When you are stopped but NOT applying the brakes, the system anticipates a signal to send power to the transaxle. If you listen, you can hear the electric motor "energizing," and the given amount of juice sent to the electric motor will facilitate forward motion if on a level surface. I doubt it's enough to pull the Prius uphill, though. When in gear (R or D) but not stopped with brakes on, the drive system is ALWAYS in "stand by" mode...ready to respond the instant signal is received from the accelerator. Conversely, it's possible the accelerator never sends a zero value to the computer. So, if not stopped with brakes on, the input to the computer is >0, so a minimal amount of power is sent to the drive system.
Which is what my household still does. Three vehicles, the Prius is the only non-MT. When the old Subaru demanded replacement two years ago, and no compelling hybrid replacements were available, we bought another manual transmission. Fortunately, the local dealer still had plenty in stock and in the pipeline at that time. But it appears that supply flew off the lot very quickly, and has been very sparse ever since.
That wastes battery energy while you're stopped in "D" without depressing the brake pedal. The torque to creep comes from current in a motor. Pressing the brake cuts off that waste of power---as well as assuring the car doesn't roll. Much the same applies in "R," although the transitions from slow creeping to stopping and back seem a lot more jerky in reverse.
