This Prius Prime report is WAY in the weeds and above my intelligence level. For me, one takeaway is point of view that the PP normally depletes its electric energy first, in charge-depleting mode. If it depletes the battery state of charge (SOC) to a certain point (14.5% SOC) ,the vehicle maintains the battery SOC, in charge-sustaining mode. Box
CD (charge depleting) and CS (charge sustaining) were terms commonly used back in Volt's time, prior to enthusiasts discovering it was really a PHEV not actually an EREV. Identification of those operating modes seemed clear until the label of "EV" became easier to understand, since BEV would otherwise confuse matters. Look at it this way, if you are plugging in at a charging-station, no should care whether there is an engine and how it may be used. The point is to promote the use of electricity for transportation, taking advantage of external sources. The term "EV" is quickly becoming a means of simply informing a plug is somehow involved. This is the stage we have been hoping to reach for a long time, where the audience is growing and those among them have little to no background in vehicle design. They just want it to somehow always deliver a clean & efficient drive, taking advantage of having a plug. In other words, they would never read anything titled "Analysis and Model Validation".
My two takeaways: 1) Kudos to ANL for doing the Analysis and Model Validation. 2) Kudos to the Toyota engineers for their design work on the Prius and Prius Prime’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. Being that I live in the Chicago area there are three places I’ve been to that I’ve walked away utterly amazed. ANL, FermiLab, and Yerkes Observatory (not technically Chicago but not a bad drive).
I agree, EREV was just a confusing marketing term. The Volt is almost always a 150HP EV, even when the engine is adding its part. It's slightly different that way from other PHEV's. I also agree that having plug-in cars at charging stations sends the right image to those that notice 'that line of cars plugged in over there..' Only, I care when that Volt or Prime has been done charging since 10AM and I'm still waiting hours later for an L2 to open up so I can charge my BEV. Fortunately it's never a pinch with 82 miles on tap and a network of DCFC stations around town if necessary.
