I'm sure this post makes it obvious I am new to Prius land. Wow, it was fun today going from one errand to another in EV mode. Because it wasn't too busy, I was able to keep it under 15 without anyone being behind me - yippeee!
And you probably got astounding mileage while at it! I'm also a Prius newbie, and I still get a thrill every time I manage to pull big mileage out of a trip, I don't care how short it is.
Welcome! And, enjoy the ride! You'll find out, soon enough, there is a downside to pushing for EV use, but it is fun all the time and useful some of the time. For the moves across parking lots and around the neighborhood; for getting up the rise to the point where gravity will give you the acceleration you need; for early morning start-ups; there are a number of good uses for EV. Still, all of the energy to drive the car comes from gasoline. You don't get regen without first getting up to speed, so you can't find any free EV unless you only drive downhill. The best way to maximize MPGs is not to attempt to get the maximum time on EV, but to get as much possible time in glide mode. There is a lot of great stuff on PriusChat to help you learn the "tricks" to very high mileage, if you are inclined to try that way. Or, you can simply drive the car and wonder at the efficiency of the system. Either way, you should enjoy the show along the way. AND, have a lot of fun learning about your new Prius and the genius of the HSD propulsion.
I know you've said this often before, but I can't help wondering if the smaller size/lighter weight of the C performs differently than the "other" Prius'. I do not expend any extra effort to regain the lost battery power during normal city operation. I release the gas farther back from the approaching red light than I would with any other car, and coasting up to the red light, or normally accelerating with ICE, recharges the EV battery without issue. I've never had to go out of my way to regain lost energy. Certainly, gliding as much as possible is the best way to increase MPG.
I would guess the C reacts differently, mainly because of the weight difference. I would think it should take less energy to move the C, so less draw on the battery. You will need to be part of the group really evaluating the C to find out just how different it really is. If you know you'll have to stop, anyway, then a steady, light braking will get you decent regen. Otherwise, a slight pressure on the accelerator will give you the full glide position, with no noticeable loss in the state of charge on the battery. Letting up, entirely, on the accelerator will cause a drag and slight deceleration, and you want to avoid this if keeping momentum is the key.
I wonder this too. Some of it also just comes from planning your trip. My commute to work is 4.3 miles uphill so I'm battling the warm-up penalty anyway, but also I tend to be parked at home with a relatively high SOC on the battery. I use EV to get out of my carpark at home and only let the ICE start when I get out on the street. It will drop to about 2 bars on the display, but I know it will recharge on the uphills anyway. I don't seem to experience a large performance drop during the warmup phase with ordinary driving... the battery might drop quickly but never below 2 bars in my experience. Since my c for some reason does not ever start the ICE until it needs it (even without EV mode engaged) I tend to just go with the flow and usually try to encourage it not to come on until I'm out on a road.
