How do I use the battery info on the comsumption screen?

50kWh or 50Wh? I think it's Wh...

 

Lemme more directly try to answer your question:

First, I've gone through a cycle of which Info screen I use most.
Initially I used the Energy screen. I liked seeing what was going on, when the motor was driving the car, when the ice was, when both were, and when regen was occuring. Unfortunately, it led to a lot of time trying to achieve stealth mode and most likely led to lower fuel efficiency. Once I realized that I switched to watching the ...

Consumption screen. This did wonders for my understanding of how to get good gas mileage and how the car worked over a longer period of time. I could see what types of driving led to lower fuel efficiency over time rather than moment to moment. I began driving to try to achieve higher 5 minute bars and that led to better overall mileage. I began, later, to be able to utilize the instantaneous mpg graph on the right to maximize my gliding and stealth driving without the need to look at the ...

Energy Screen. But, ultimately, I really started getting picky and wanted to eek every ounce of energy I could out of a gallon of gas. I began driving with the Energy screen so I could tell when I was dead-banding (power from the ICE to wheels only, none to or from the battery/motor) which is the most fuel efficient driving when it can be done. Now I probably use it 75-80% of the time in my usual commute (stop and go driving ~12 miles) with glances at the consumption screen to see how I've been doing over time and what my tank mileage is. I still tend to use the Consumption screen for longer haul/hwy/interstate driving where I'm predominantly using cruise control and leave the computer to determine how to best use it's resources.


The green leaf/cars....Think of them as BAD!! If you're seeing them that means that you are using brakes and losing energy. They represent a salvaged tiny fraction of that lost energy. It's better than none salvaged as with a traditional car, but still it amounts to only a 2-4% maximum fuel economy advantage to have the regen braking. I actually am most proud when I have few if any green car/leaves. I've maximized gliding (coasting without regeneration) and minimized braking and thus used as much of the power I put into achieving speed to gain distance.

They do represent 50Wh each. (not kWh)

Hope that helps a little. Let me know if I can elaborate or clarify at all.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(victor\";p=\"43812)</div>

Ah Victor...where did the energy come from to get to the top of that hill??? You're still net losing energy unless your Prius is spirited to the top of hills and thus lets you accumulate free leaves. You ultimately gain MORE power if you do not collect leaves but rather glide to the bottom of the hill with no regeneration at all and then continue the glide until you lose momentum enough to get you to your desired speed.

That does, of course, assume that there is not a stop sign at the bottom of said hill. I have hills I descend that have stops at the bottom, but most do not and I'm able to continue the glide and utilize the developed kinetic energy more efficiently than the energy stored in the battery would have been if useing regen braking.

I do, always, drive safely for conditions.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dennisd\";p=\"43823)</div>

I'm a little confused here (you'll see that's common for me!)

Are you talking about the Consumption screen only??? If so, there is no battery level indicator on that screen...only on the Energy screen. The bar to the far right of the screen is your instantaneous MPG. It will vary dramatically as you drive. Punch the gas and it plumments (the readout below tells you exactly what your instantaneous mpg is, the graph is just for an easy read at a glance). Back off the gas completely and it'll shoot back up to the top--99.9mpg. Set a steady speed and it'll settle somewhere in the middle.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(victor\";p=\"43832)</div>

From petrol of course :roll:

I see what you mean, but assuming I am up said hill, I want to get back as much power as possible into the battery, and 90% of the time, if you are on a hill thats long enough to provide a full charge, you will be using the breaks,or engine breaking. Im not talking about a slight slope, but a real hill.

Anyhow, its all abit academic as the car was designed to get power back and when its got the power it soon uses it again.

I recently did a trip of 700km over a weekend (in the test car from the dealer) and on the return trip I had to go over the Brenner and then over another mountain through Garmisch (know to a lot of Americans due to the military being there). I averaged 3.9ltr/100km for 120km, including autobahn driving. This equates to 72 UK MPG, which I consider fantastic.

My car at the moment is getting 5.5ltr/100km (51 UK MPG) but its only done 350km![/b][/quote]

Ok Victor, why is it that you German's feel so compelled to BREAK everything??? If you'd use your BRAKES once in a while you might not hit so much stuff and cause it to BREAK!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :wink: :wink:

I love screwing around with language barriers!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(victor\";p=\"43838)</div>

Oh, NOW I understand completely!! 8)

 

Ok. Just yesterday, a guy here at work asked about the consumption screen. We were talking about unit conversions and figured that we would try to convert the Wh to horsepower, Btu, and just for kicks therms. But when pressed for details about the leaves, I couldn't give an answer. They asked if it was 50Wh simply generated; is it 50Wh recovered and stored in the battery; is it 50Wh in five minutes or 50Wh if maintained for one hour (in which case it would be (50Wh * 1/12)).

I thought this thread was perfect timing.

But now I'm just as confused as before. Only, I have more information to be confused about.

I believed that the leaves indicated energy recovered by the car through braking and coasting. I figured such energy was stored in the battery for later use. I thought that was a good thing.

But to see Evan, who's opinion and knowledge I respect, indicate that leaves are bad really boggles my mind. If they are markers of bad driving, they should not use cute little leave-car icons. Skulls or Hummers would be more appropriate.

Can you dumb it down for us simple folk? Without talking strategy, without comparing the mountains in Germany from the rolling plains of the US Midwest, can you just say what they mean?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer\";p=\"43889)</div>

Ok, dumbed down. Leaves are better than heat lost to space as would happen with friction brakes. In that regard they are, indeed, good. But only a fraction of the kinetic energy lost with braking/slowing is recaptured and thus each leaf represents the salvaged portion of lost power. Furthermore, some of that energy is again lost in conversion from battery stored power to kinetic energy.

I don't think I'd go so far as to say a leaf represents 'bad driving'. But it's important to not think of leaves as a positive end point to be striven for. If I see a consumption screen with 30 min of driving time and can count more than 4-5 leaves I know there was a lot of traffic or I hit a lot of red lights during that trip and was required to slow a lot. I know my gas mileage for that 30 min run is significantly less than it would have been had I not had as much traffic or as many lights.

My work commute time varies dramatically. Sometimes I go in/come home at peak rush hour. Other times it's late night or very early morning with few if any other cars on the road and really long lights on my main route. I can see and predict the lights and often am able to slow/glide without regen braking or coasting at all. Those trips tend to be my very best mileage trips and I can make it with 1 1/2 or 2 total leaves showing for the full 25-30min trip. The other day I came home at peak rush hour. I had 9 leaves then, and didn't have the best trip.

Ok, dumb enough or do I need to pull out the diagrams with primary colors and smiley faces?? :wink: