Now here in Northwestern Oregon we are in the dead of winter. Temps range from upper 30's to low 50's, usually with rain and of course wet roads. Our 2010 Prius seem to take a bigger hit in MPG's in winter more so than our 2016 Volt Premier. Now the Volt when running just on gas averages about the same as our Prius in winter, and the Volt's mpg's gauge is right on the mark and the Prius is always over reading 3-4 MPG more than actual. Last fillup with the Prius, calculated was 48 MPG, which is about the same as our 2016 Volt when of course running the Volt just on gas. Now in summer the Volt will average close to 50 MPG just on the gas engine, while our Prius in Summer will average 55+ mpg calculated. I don't know if anyone else has both a Prius and Volt for comparison but this is what I have noticed during the winter. Also same gas used, Costco 87 octane reg. (10% Ethanol and winter blend gas as well which is not great for MPG's).
Doesn't the volt use the engine to charge the battery mostly? Or does it also drive the car in most cases like in the Prius? Maybe the engine load is different and causes less drop off in winter.
The larger battery means the Volt can turn the engine off more often, and for longer periods while in hybrid mode, once things have warmed up.
Once charge depleted, it acts like a traditional hybrid with one big exception: the ICE will run at a set RPM to supply voltage similar to a portable gas generator. Depending on circumstances and need, there are different RPM levels it can select. It can be a little disconcerting to newbs when they apply more throttle but the sound stays the same. It's more intricate than that as there are variations and exceptions but that's the gist of it.
I thought the Prime & PiP got better mpg in Hybrid mode than the comparable Liftbacks due to the larger traction battery so the engine did not need to run as frequently.
if you don't plug in, idk if there's anymore juice. i always figured the pip did a little better due to li-on v nimh.
To add to that, a larger pack will help with regen even if the upper capacity limit while in hybrid mode is limited to that of the hybrid. Moving energy in and out of a battery generates heat. With a larger pack, there are more cells to spread that heat out among, or to put it another way, each individual cell heats up less in the larger pack for the same amount of energy added or removed. This lets the PHEV capture more energy during a braking event before heat generation is deemed too much.
I think owners have seen regen push the SOC past the "hybrid" level, but it mostly happens in cases like coasting down a mountain. The "divide" itself is just in the software. The Prime will use all of the cells in its pack while in hybrid mode. Doing otherwise is foolish since it would mean aging part of the pack faster than the rest.
